Inside Out 2 Review - A Formidable Follow-Up to the Original
When the movie begins, Riley Anderson (Kensington Tallman) is approaching her thirteenth birthday. Inside her mind's headquarters, the emotions we saw in the first movie are helping their young ward develop a belief system and a sense of self. But as puberty hits and some new emotions show up to spice things up, all of it falls apart. Riley's head is all over the place just before she leaves for a high-stakes hockey camp, and things become crazy very quickly.
Suddenly, a new set of feelings is presented: ennui, anxiety, embarrassment, envy, and nostalgia. It's obvious that anxiety rules the show, and maya Hawke's voice acting is exactly as frantic and vibrant as one could anticipate. Ayo Edebiri's Envy is with Hawke; the two of them steal the show as they attempt to dominate Riley's thoughts and push Joy and her friends away. Here, the stakes are far higher, and it's interesting to see how Inside Out 2 addresses two emotions that are so powerful in today's world. Riley is only made worse by her pessimistic outlook, which anxiety uses to justify her behaviour by claiming that she is making plans for the future.
Too timid to confront Anxiety, Ennui too dull, and Envy too engrossed is Embarrassment. Compared to the group interaction between Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Sadness, this one is far more intriguing. Compared to the new employees at Riley's headquarters, they are old hands at work and have already created a workflow. The plot of Inside Out 2 revolves around Riley's life and how the new and old guards must cooperate in order to make her life better.
Riley's mental world is explored in fascinating ways in Inside Out 2, which manages to hold onto the charm, humour, and excitement of its predecessor. Riley's deepest secrets are revealed on a diversion to the mental vault, and the final objective of reaching the back of the mind culminates in a comical and, well, anxiety-inducing data-face-off between Joy and Anxiety. The sequel doesn't go too far in trying to broaden the universe beyond the additional emotions, but it's new enough not to seem overly familiar. Although some novel ideas are presented, the film is mostly supported by the conflicting emotions.
Inside Out 2, the first picture in this new period for the company, is a strong sequel to the previous one even though it doesn't have the same sense of freshness as the first one had. Whether the world needs more sequels or not is a topic for another discussion, but if they can all be closer to Inside Out 2, then perhaps everything will be well.
Overall, A Formidable Follow-Up to the Original
Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐