Dear me, I think I was not very happy when I saw this sequel! What can I say kindly? Although the movie was funny, slapstick, and lighthearted, it felt like it lacked much depth of feeling and lacked the more timeless quality of the careful acting and writing and siting of the first version. It was too hurried, and unrealistic; a number of the characters were "plastic" and lacked depth in their development. It's as if someone took the characters in the first movie and put them on a faster time machine, with all that fast talk. It just didn't seem real.
The ultimate anguished moment for me was that the end was too hurried in parts it should not have been, crazy and simply not believable - especially the muted, smiling "parents" - who lacked the depth of the original parents - the kind you can really relate to, not the wax-faced figures that seemed to "appear". The characters were not developed well, although the father in this movie did seem to be a very good actor in his expression of words.
How did the plot evolve? The depth of the characters (except for Luke), clarity of the scenes and plot and the acting was all off-key to me. I apologize for having to be negative, as I like to encourage, but it was just so disappointing! Upon reflection, I think I was shocked and made quite angry to find most of the original cast gone, so great to the first movie. When the original actors are not reused - the immediate thing that happens in my mind is comparing and trying to figure out if this character is really supposed to be the one I saw before - and realizing how different they are, and not in a good way....which takes away from the movie and its plot. I think it must be a reflexive action to do so, and had the original actors been used, it might have had a small chance...
I kept wanting to see the real Soren (although his replacement was good - but too hurried)- what a great character and actor the original Soren is! as well as Julia Stiles and her parents and brothers and his real mother, the Queen (she played it so beautifully, timing was there in her words and actions, as were all the actors in the original cast) and where was the Prince's sweet sister????? It was so sadly not there.....they were so great together in the original movie, so well written and so in-depth with serious issues and real love....you could feel the chemistry betwenn all the actors in the first one.
Had this second movie been done on its own and not as a sequel, it would have happily landed on its feet as a funny farce. But it went into the mud with the Norwegian "Princess", in my book! What happened? Is there any way, any way at all to redo the movie with the original writers, staff, actors, etc? It needs to be done - I would really like to see this plot modified and redone - a really well-done, in-depth romance! Thank you for listening!
