Of course, what hatches out of the surprise animated hit that was The Angry Birds Movie is this colorfully, silly, very kid-friendly adventure from Thurop Van Orman.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 features the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, among an ensemble which includes Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, and Awkwafina (The Farewell).
Being in an avian milieu off of phone app Rovio could be a stretch, but this time the filmmakers increase the enjoyability factor, in part with the subtler issues touched upon through its snappy characters. The CGI also offers plenty of textured, ebullient scenarios which youngsters should embrace as the outrageous landscape is furthered even for accompanying older child-like companions.
Sudeikis’s Red is now the protector of his community on Bird Island from roguish swine on a nearby one with speed-demon, voluble chum Chuck (Gad) and eruptive Bomb (McBride). Leslie Jones of ‘SNL’ fame is the wildcard here as the zany Zeta, a magenta eagle who compromises both turfs apparently after much heartbreak.
Red unites with oink-oink boss Leonard (Hader) to form a unique unit. It includes the Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage, fondly remembered from The Station Agent before his Game of Thrones rise to fame), as well as Chuck’s smarty pants sister Silver (Bloom), not to mention Leonard’s kind in Garry and Courtney (Sterling K. Brown and Awkwafina). However, will Red be looking in from the outside as this scheme unfolds?
If the action and storytelling is fueled by its brand of entropy, the pandemonium isn’t disguising any key messages while getting mileage out of the various personalities. A cute inserted strand includes hatchlings voiced by the daughters of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.
Maybe Angry 2 isn’t for the birds as much as its predecessor because of the sneakiness of its comedic presence in its expressive cast that often makes for an amusing rapid-fire stand-up routine. While Sudeikis, Hader, and McBride are adept especially in this respect female counterparts like Jones, Bloom, and Tiffany Haddish have more panache in their deliveries. Especially, Jones in a feathery frenzy that instills some sustained laughter.
This flighty confection is hardly of the inspired variety as it has generated a bit of slapstick within its workmanlike set-pieces and doesn’t drag. Most notably for those who see amusing elements of Ice Age and Despicable Me they’ll want more deranged escapades from these Birds.