Trolls Band Together
★★ 1/2
The first Trolls film was a delightful surprise for our family. We went in with very little expectations. More than anything, it was a way to get our little ones out of the house. We were surprised how clever and funny it was, and if anything, it made you leave happy. I barely remember anything from the second one, so we wouldn't have gone to this third one if it wasn't for our girl's extreme enthusiasm and a very wet and cold Sunday.
Not that film buffs debate the ranking of the Trolls trilogy, but I would put this one right in the middle. It is completely unnecessary and neither brings or takes away from the animation genre. The songs are catchy and I enjoyed how they blended popular hits together. The originals seem to be well-crafted as well, but not strong enough to make you remember them. The writers had a field day with the boy band puns and though I thought they were clever, they will completely go over the heads of the audience for who this movie is made for. Also, it's completely bizarre that animated films have to resort to drug references and sexual innuendos to drag parents into this film, because the vibrant colors and overall positivity is enough for Trolls Band Together to be effective.
I found myself overly amused, but also found myself almost nodding off a couple of times from the bland exposition. With the lack of family films out in the theaters, I don't think you will regret the investment to go see this, but it's lack of originality will make you wonder why it didn't go straight to streaming.
