With an all-star cast, the Trolls franchise is back with its third major movie – Trolls Band Together. This time, the story focuses on Branch’s back story and his past as part of a former boy band called The Bro Zone. Full of toe-tapping music that has been made more kid-friendly and a lot of boy band references, this movie will be the one kids will want to see this holiday season.
The movie takes you back to Branch’s childhood when he was part of a boyband with his four brothers – after a fight the band breaks up and Branch is abandoned on his own. His reason to be a brooding and grumpy troll has been revealed. But when one of his brothers comes back into his life, he and Poppy are whisked off on a new adventure to save another brother’s life. Not only is his musical past revealed to Poppy, but the reasoning for his insecurities is as well.
But Branch’s past isn’t the only one we get to learn more about – and more family secrets are revealed.
Yes, the repeated boy band references and jokes will make you laugh but they do get a little annoying at the end. They, of course, are mostly there for the parents since most of the viewing audience will be too young to know all of the bands referenced. And the reference to the bands (and the appearance of NSYNC as Trolls) may actually start to cross the Trolls/reality line a bit. Are there Trolls versions of every major band out there? Or is it just a fun gag for this movie? Is this going to lead to more music bands making appearances in the franchise or is this just a way for fans to see NSYNC again (albeit in Troll form)?
Trolls Band Together is bright, colorful, and full of music that keeps the movie moving and some fantastical parts that might make you question just a bit of the physics of the Troll’s world. But with a run time of only one hour and 30 minutes, the movie is just the perfect length and doesn’t give viewers much time to get bored or lost in the silly details of it all. It’s a fun movie that kids and music lovers are going to enjoy watching over again.
Trolls Band Together will be in theaters everywhere this Friday.
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About Trolls Band Together:
After two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are now officially, finally, a couple! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd (Troye Sivan), John Dory (Eric Andre), Spruce (Daveed Diggs), and Clay (Kid Cudi). BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains – Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannels) – Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.
Starring Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, Eric Andre, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi, Zosia Mamet, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, RuPaul Charles, Aino Jawo, Caroline Hjelt, Kenan Thompson, Anderson Paak, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches
Directed by Walt Dohrn
(Universal Pictures)