Overall, I liked Poca 2 okay. It had a good storyline, and some would even venture to say that the story is better than the original(NOT ME. MY MOM..though she might retract this statement!!). Also, the animation in it was a BIG improvement on some of the T.V. animation movie projects of the past..mainly the Aladdin sequels and the B&B Christmas story. Pocahontas' character looks great for the most part, and a lot of her noble and kind character is preserved. Plus, we really see Ratcliffe's even uglier side during this movie -- he was VERY sinister in this one, taunting Pocahontas personally about not being true to John Smith and then taking advantage of her love and respect for animals in the bear baiting scene. However..I did have some problems with the development of the story and character inconsistancies, for which I have composed a list for your viewing pleasure(or displeasure, whatever the case may be).
Problem #1 Pocahontas easily abandons her mother's necklace for the bauble John Rolfe gives her.
Why does this bug me? I felt that Pocahontas harbored too much sentimental value for her departed mother's wedding necklace to just cast it aside and proclaim "It doesn't belong here," so she can wear the expensive present of a man she hardly seems to know!
Problem #2 John Rolfe's character is rather two dimensional.
How so? We hardly get to meet the man and already he is in on all the action. We get very slight, sketchy indications of his character which really seem more like formalities of a typical English diplomat. He seems very flat,character wise, against Pocahontas' personality. I suppose one could argue that he is a bit snobby at first, which is clearly expressed in the beginning...but when this barrier between him and Poca disappears and his nice character is supposed to be shining through, it is unclear how it has evaporated and just what sort of real person he is underneath the high class attitude. This ties in with a couple of my other complaints....
Problem #3 John Smith's character is a sorry misrepresentation of him!
How so? In the sequel, Smith is NOT the intelligent, brave captain we all know and love from the first movie. Instead, he is an airhead who enjoys putting John Rolfe to shame -- by using flashier moves to defeat their enemies and spouting corny jokes. Also, he seems to have lost complete understanding of his love, Pocahontas, which we see when he questions Pocahontas' desire to talk to the king even after he jailed her by saying "You can't do that!! You're crazy!!!" I suspect that this change in him was supposed to make John Rolfe appear to be the most suitable choice for Pocahontas.
Problem #4 Pocahontas chooses John Rolfe!
Why? John Smith and Pocahontas share a deeply loving past while John Rolfe and Pocahontas' relationship seems to be barely explored in the movie. Also, Smith and Pocahontas seem to be more suited for one another! Especially since Rolfe's character seems rather vague, as I said before. As a BIG supporter of John Smith, I was very disappointed that she didn't choose him! Maybe Disney did this because the real life Pocahontas married John Rolfe, but I don't see why they just don't stick with the fantasy Pocahontas they have created! After all, there was not one other grain of truth to the sequel other than Pocahontas chooses Rolfe, so why not make her choose the original (and better) man!
Problem #5 Pocahontas does not seem to be excited about John Smith's proposal of adventurous sailing.
Why does this bug me? I thought Pocahontas' character was supposed to be adventurous!! I seem to recall that she liked jumping off waterfalls and taking the path least chosen....
Problem #6 Rolfe's and Pocahontas' relationship is barely explored.
How so?It seemed like their love was very premature...since we didn't see very much "bonding" between them! With John Smith and Pocahontas we see the building of their friendship into love, but with John Rolfe and Pocahontas it felt like as soon as they got to England, they were close! I realize that they probably developed a friendship during the time on the ship, but time on the ship isn't shown hardly at all so this isn't communicated to the viewer very well. We see a little bonding when the two practice dancing as Pocahontas is learning to be "civilized" in the English terms...but again, they don't show a lot of this, which is a shame, because that particular part of the story had A LOT of possibilities and opportunities for Rolfe and Pocahontas to bond!
Well, those are the problems I found in the movie, but again, all this is just my opinion! I still like it, as I said before; Pocahontas 2 Journey to a New World still has its merits, I believe, despite these faults! You may feel complete differently though..or maybe you agree wholeheartedly, I don't know! If you would like to share what you thought about the movie, click here and I will post it ASAP. 8:o)
Now don't get me wrong. I adored Pocahontas when it came out in 1995 and I
still spend June 23 in an atmosphere of hushed reverence. I lost my heart
all over again in the first five minutes of Pocahontas II: JTNW. I loved
the way John Smith handled himself. I think Donal Gibson was a perfect
choice, such a detail actor that you can even hear John breathing hard
after his fall from the roof. I loved what they did in the beginning with
Pocahontas, filled her personality out, made her laugh, made her cry.
Nakoma and her husband were a wonderful addition (am I the only one that
thinks Nakoma had a crush on Kocoum in the first film?). I even liked
Rolfe, stiff and starched collared as he was but in a likable way. Of
course as soon as I heard Rolfe was going to be included, my heart dropped
into my knees. After all that screaming about historical inaccuracy (it's
a story about a legend, for pete's sake! Get over it), I was sure I knew
where this one was going. But even so, I was ready to enjoy the
straight-to-video though there was more than a little trepidation about
whether it would be worthy of the Pocahontas title. And it was. For the
most part. Except as soon as Pocahontas hits London the animation starts
to slid and by the end its so bad its painful to watch. And John Smith was
John Smith. For the most part. But I feel cheated by the way they treated
him. Here he is, man of action, and he's the one counseling Pocahontas to
sit back and do nothing. He, out of everyone, knows what she can do when
she puts her mind to it. And the script had little one liners like "look
at you!" (excuse me? Rolfe was the one trying to make her look English.
John Smith is the one who loved her because she wasn't) and "tell her
she's crazy" (John? "Dive into the sea after Thomas" John? Calling
someone else crazy?). That's not John, doesn't sound anything like what
he'd say. And his animation was the worst of all of them. So, in order
for Rolfe to get the girl, we have to not only make John much more shallow
than he is but we've got to draw him poorly too so he doesn't outshine
Rolfe when they stand next to each other. When Rolfe gets the girl at the
end, there's no cheer. I mean, with the deck so rigged, what else are we
expecting? If Rolfe had held his own against John I wouldn't have minded
but he doesn't and the last five minutes of the movie leave me feeling
vaguely restless and empty inside. Especially when I go back and watch the
original movie and see the way John Smith and Pocahontas are together.
That's an "always - forever" kind of love. Not a "gee, well, I hope you
find happiness". In praise of the movie: I loved the humor. I loved the
animals, I loved Uti. I loved the music (for the most part), particularly
the instrumentals at emotional moments. I loved all the action and the
sense of drama and suspense. I was more than happy to go along with it and
pretend that "golly no, I can't guess who that cloaked figure is" because
it made such a good story. When John came over Rolfe's wall I cheered
along with everyone else. Finally, the hero had arrived. I loved the
sailor who complained about swabbing the deck. Laughed myself silly when
Flit settled next to the carriage driver and they exchange that look. So
yes, I enjoy the movie. Until those last few scenes. And then I get that
off taste in my mouth.
Was I expecting too much? Maybe, but I don't think so. The story line
was great until that last point. They even found someone to do the voice
of John Smith that didn't make my skin crawl the way the genie in the
second Aladdin did. The camera work was original and very dramatic. And,
at least for the first half, the animation was above what I would have
hoped for. But for all the good work, those last rotten apples spoil the
barrel for me and leave me hollow. This little jaunt into movie reviews is
just my way of dealing with the frustration.
Too picky? If it were any other movie I might agree. But this is
Pocahontas. She deserves the very best. More, I expect it from her.
-- Jen South
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