THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2: Sony Phones It In

I don’t believe animation is strictly for children. But you all knew that. Of course it’s a complex medium and is able to apply storytelling techniques that live-action films could only dream of utilizing. But the fact of the matter is that most of the animated films released by major studios are aimed toward children.

But who has to take the kids to the films? Who has to sit through the hour and a half feature just out of the sheer love they have for the person sitting next to them? The parents. So animated films made adjustments. They began referencing pop culture (see literally any line of dialogue spoken in Aladdin) or else began hiding jokes of an adult nature within the script (I direct your attention to any of Buzzfeed’s “Childhood Ruined” articles). But it seems like the scripts of children’s movies have become so turned around, so hellbent on pleasing both demographics in their audience, that they’ve become amorphous abominations, suited to neither crowd. And Angry Birds Movie 2 just shows how confused these films are.

Still Angry, Still Birds

After the presence of a new island threatens the pigs and birds’ way of life, the once-enemies must join forces to take down the sinister forces at work on Eagle Island. It’s a simple enough plot, and does make an attempt at breathing life into a sequel that by all rights shouldn’t exist. For example Red, the hero of the previous film, struggles with his need to be the hero, and his desire liked by default. The film attempts to make his insecurities a plot point, but is often too busy breaking out into pop songs to explore these emotions further than surface level.

In one word, this film is exhausting. Its tonal shifts, the few moments that it allows itself to have a tone that isn’t “LOL”, are breakneck, and leaves the viewer emotionally confused. What am I supposed to be feeling when Red imagines himself isolated from all of his friends while Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” pounds through the speakers? Is this a genuine moment of catharsis, or is it supposed to be a joke? To be honest, I’m still not sure.

Jobs for V.O. Artists

With an all-star cast of Jason Sudekis, Awkwafina, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Tiffany Haddish, Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, Sterling K. Brown *takes a breath*….and others, the film has no shortage of acting talent to draw a crowd to the theater. But studios relying on star power alone to elevate their films instead of, well, talent. The people I named are great actors! And to be honest almost any one of them could get my butt in a seat at my local AMC, but their voices are simply being used for the fact that it’s their voices. It’s so that, in the trailer, they can slam each name in rapid succession so that the viewer thinks “Wow! Look at this cast!”.

Voice-over work is a different form of acting than live action. It’s audio-based, not relying on physicality, but how much emotion can be portrayed through one’s vocal cords. It’s a profession bursting with talent in the video gaming industry, and for some reason hasn’t made its way into the world of cinema. How many talented voice-over artists were passed over for the sake of a well-known name to throw on a poster? I’d love for studios like Sony to take chances on talent in the years to come.

Who Is This For?

I mentioned Red standing alone while Celine Dion’s “All By Myself” plays in the background. It’s a quick cut, and the suddenness of the song is clearly meant for comedy, as the music jumps out at you with in the random, nonsensical style that is prevalent in every beer commercial on TV. But this is almost every other joke in this film. I thought I might be over-exaggerating when I typed this, but here are a few songs listed on the soundtrack of this film: “Turn Down For What”, “Space Oddity”, “Eye of the Tiger”, “Holding Out for a Hero”, “I’m Too Sexy”, “The Final Countdown”, “Happy Together”, “Baby Shark”, “Hello”-…well, you get the idea. These songs just start…playing. And that’s it, that’s the joke. The writers don’t have to trouble themselves with plot or any real jokes. Nope! Just break into a pop-song!

There’s nothing wrong with pop music, but when it becomes the crutch of your film, you need to find sturdier legs. The Angry Birds Movie 2 feels like Sony saying, “Well, we’ll never have the quality of Disney, so lets just phone it in”. But here’s the rub: Sony put out Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse last year. We know you have it in you. It was one of the highest grossing films of 2018, AND won the Oscar for best animated feature. It was hardwork, but it paid off. I’ll leave you with that.

What did you think of The Angry Birds Movie 2? Do you want Angry Birds 3? Let me know in the comments below!

Watch The Angry Birds Movie 2