The Angry Birds Movie 2 has the irritated avians and their pugnacious porker foes joining forces against a common threat. The massively popular mobile game spawns a sequel that surpasses the utter silliness of the original. The Angry Birds Movie 2 goes full tilt on its goofy plot. Loaded with slapstick shenanigans and a head-bopping pop music soundtrack, the film’s absurdity laughs you into submission. The crisp and colorful CGI animation adds to the cotton candy fluff.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 begins with Red (Jason Sudeikis) basking in the glory of his heroics. The adulation from his fellow birds masking a deep fear of loneliness. Red remembers his days as an outcast. He, Chuck (Josh Gad), and Bomb (Danny McBride), continue their prank war against Leonard (Bill Hader) and the citizens of Piggy Island. It’s all good fun until huge ice balls start smashing into both of their homes.
The previously unknown Eagle Island is the source of the frosty attack. The Eagles unhinged leader, Zeta (Leslie Jones), is tired of living on her freezing cold rock. She wants to chill in the temperate climates of Bird and Piggy Island. Red and Leonard assemble a team of crack operatives to infiltrate Eagle Island. Which also includes Silver (Rachel Bloom), Chuck’s genius sister who previously met Red at a disastrous speed dating event.
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The Angry Birds Movie 2 keeps the laughs flowing with gimmicks. The birds and pigs bumble about in a simple story that could have been fifteen minutes long. The screenwriters and animators sprinkle the antics evenly to keep the audience’s attention. Couple the humor with fun music and you have the tasty filler needed to add substance to the light fare. There’s also a loony subplot about three cute hatchlings on a quest to recover a clutch of lost eggs. They’re hilarious and tread into surprisingly dark territory.
I would recommend plunking down extra for the 3D format. The Angry Birds Movie 2 has several action scenes with the characters zigzagging through the air. These are great POV shots, an amusing roller coaster ride for the 3D enthusiasts. The overall animation is quite vivid with more character details. The film improves the look of the original, but still retains the kid-friendly, polychromatic vibe.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 has an opening cartoon that’s tonally different from the film. Hair Love is a short that plays before the movie. A young black girl with a huge Afro struggles to style her hair. Her father has even more difficulties. We soon learn that the girl’s mother is in the hospital with cancer. Hair Love is poignant and touching, but an odd choice to show before such a frivolous movie. It’s like going to a funeral, then hitting a theme park afterwards. Hair Love tackles sensitive themes skillfully. It’s a multicultural learning experience, just too serious to preface Angry Birds.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 keeps the mobile game in flight at the movies. It’s incredibly dumb at times, but the humor is consistent throughout. The film moves at a quick pace and never stays put long enough to bore. It will definitely entertain younger children. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is produced by Rovio and distributed by Sony Pictures Animation.
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