Animation

Film review, by Jason Day and special guest critic Win Hughes, of Angry Birds 2, the animated movie about a group of birds who set out to save their island home from destruction.

To like this post, comment on it or follow this blog, please scroll to the bottom. Use the search function on the left of the screen to look for other reviews and updates.

Synopsis

A group of flightless birds led by the needy hero Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) have to take affirmative action with their neighbours – and sworn enemies – the pigs led by king of pigs Leonard (Bill Hader) when a crazed Eagle Zeta (Leslie Jones) uses a lava fuelled super weapon to cause mayhem to their idyllic islands to create the perfect, warm homes.

Review, by @Reelreviewer

Sometimes, the trailer really does show all of the best bits of a film.

Jason Day and Win Hughes, about Angry Birds 2.

About a quarter of the way through this supposedly comic cartoon, I had the creeping realisation that all wasn’t quite right with it.

Half way through, that realisation had crept right over and inside me to form a resentment to this not-all-that-comic creation.

At the end, with a fixed, surly grimace on my mush, the realisation was fully, er…realised. Angry Birds 2 ain’t that funny.

To be completely accurate apart from a couple of big, belly laugh moments, there isn’t any comedy at all.

It feels like a comedy. The characters look silly, they say silly things, silly pratfalls happen and the story is silly.

So, why did I only laugh three times?

Because the myopic script is wall-eyed – one eye on pleasing the kids with gross out gags (pig snot is the one that might amuse them. Might) and the other is firmly fixed on playing up some decidedly odd thoughts.

Two baby bird characters – one of whom sounds like a mini-me version of Tweety Pie – attempt to rescue some eggs from a snake (long story. Won’t go into detail). After giving said reptile an avian ass-whooping, they emerge victorious in snakeskin boots and belts. “Well, that got dark” Tweety Pie/Hannibal Lecter tells us.

My jaw almost hit the floor.

Where did this sudden burst of adult come from? I laughed…sort of. I felt uncomfortable not just at the grim tone the writer had decided to switch on, but the fact something that could vaguely introduce a guffaw to my mouth had slipped through his comedy force field.

Am I being cruel? A good barometer of a film’s quality is my erstwhile cinema-pal Win Hughes. Glancing across, she was likewise laugh-free for a good portion of Angry Birds 2. But once she’s off, she’s off! She said:

I thought after seeing the trailer that the moment where the little bird pops out of the back end of a fake Eagle Guard that was probably the funniest bit in the whole film. But it really needed more laughs. That said, the look on the Baby Seal’s face when the little chihuaha, finally released from being encased in ice, is suddenly refrozen, was very good. It’s not a bad film, but definitely not good. 2 out of five!

Win Hughes on Angry Birds 2

Find out more by looking at the official website.

Cast & credits

Director: Thurop Van Orman. 1hr 36 mins/96 mins. Rovio Entertainment/Sony Pictures Entertainment. (U)

Producer: John Cohen.
Writer: Peter Ackerman.
Camera: Simon Dunsdon.
Music: Heitor Pereira.
Sets: Pete Oswald.

Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Eugenio Derbez, Tiffany Hadish, Danny McBride, Peter Dinklage, Maya Rudolph, Niki Minaj.