One thing to note is that I hated the first movie. I thought it was boring and took to long to make its point. But damn, it sure made a perfect setup for this one. All the subtlety, even when it seems like nothing is happening, builds tension and actually drives the story. Knowing the history of the characters gives things meaning and delivers a certain level of anxiety - and that is a good thing.
While the first movie makes some questionable cinematography decisions, this one pretty much nails it. Making use of just the right amount of camera work that's needed for the scene without coming off as pretentious like the first one did. The characters doesn't seem like caricatures anymore and are now fleshed out. These are living, breathing, flawed humans living in an imperfect world. They're relatable, realistic even. Props to all the actors. The film also does a good job of expanding the world just enough to understand it better yet still keeping it compact. The soundtrack is once again excellent. Montages bring emotions to the screen and it surely adds to the film's overall appeal.
All things aren't stellar though as I have my reservations about the film's climactic blow-off. To say that it came from left field is an understatement. I mean, I knew it was coming eventually but... I'll just say there were other avenues for it. I like where it eventually went, but the path leading up to it was somewhat iffy.
Another thing to think of is if this could work as a standalone film? If I haven't seen the first movie, this wouldn't have been the same experience. But overall this movie does a great job redeeming itself from the pitfalls of the original. Learning lessons and improving upon it. The vagueness of the ending doesn't give enough of a resolution for the characters so does this mean there's a part 3?
While the first movie makes some questionable cinematography decisions, this one pretty much nails it. Making use of just the right amount of camera work that's needed for the scene without coming off as pretentious like the first one did. The characters doesn't seem like caricatures anymore and are now fleshed out. These are living, breathing, flawed humans living in an imperfect world. They're relatable, realistic even. Props to all the actors. The film also does a good job of expanding the world just enough to understand it better yet still keeping it compact. The soundtrack is once again excellent. Montages bring emotions to the screen and it surely adds to the film's overall appeal.
All things aren't stellar though as I have my reservations about the film's climactic blow-off. To say that it came from left field is an understatement. I mean, I knew it was coming eventually but... I'll just say there were other avenues for it. I like where it eventually went, but the path leading up to it was somewhat iffy.
Another thing to think of is if this could work as a standalone film? If I haven't seen the first movie, this wouldn't have been the same experience. But overall this movie does a great job redeeming itself from the pitfalls of the original. Learning lessons and improving upon it. The vagueness of the ending doesn't give enough of a resolution for the characters so does this mean there's a part 3?