Angry Birds 2 movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Angry Birds 2

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 36 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Does anyone play this Angry Birds Classic app game anymore? Sony Pictures is hoping so. They raked in $350 million in 2016 for the first The Angry Birds Movie (Theatrical) and would love a repeat for their sequel. Did you like the first one? If yes, then you might get a kick out of this one. If not, then skip it. Do you even remember anything about the first movie? Nope, neither do I.

This animation is very colorful, filled with pop culture references, and directed by Thurop Van Orman.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Bullying
Name-calling
No profanity but there are a lot of “cleanish” versions of profanity. In one scene, it shows a bird spewing profanity but a horn bleeps out all of the words. Some religious exclamations.
A comical mating dance. Your kids might ask what that means.
A lot of the birds are angry often.
Some signs with misspelled words on them.
Jokes about body fluids and sounds. One scene shows male birds peeing in urinals in a bathroom.
Talk of “toxic masculinity.”
A “love child” is revealed, which seems very odd for a children’s movie, right? Your kids might have questions about what that’s all about.
Kids will love the hijinks and shenanigans. Do they even know those words or am I sounding really old just now? The story is a bit confusing, so they may not understand what’s going on, but they’ll be entertained nonetheless.
Some of the birds drink alcohol.
Many shots of pig and bird rear ends.

THEMES:

Unity, teamwork
Love, friendship
Selfishness
The importance of being liked
Tolerance for others not like you
“We are strongest when we all band together.” – Red (Jason Sudeikis)

THINGS I LIKED:

The talented voice cast includes Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Awkwafina, Sterling Brown, Peter Dinklage, Zach Woods, Nicki Minaj, David Dobrik, Tiffany Haddish, and SNL favorites Maya Rudolph, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, and Pete Davidson. I got a kick out of the gifted Rachel Bloom when she starred in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The Complete First Season so I was happy to see that she got a role in a movie. What’s interesting is that many of the actors tried to change their recognizable voices.
Lots of cute visual and musical gags. Many of them will go over your kid’s head and, in some cases, it’s a good thing. Some of them made me laugh out loud.
Lots of fast-moving action.
There’s a side story with 3 hatchlings that is pretty cute. Their little voices are adorable.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Audiences are mostly wondering why this movie exists. This sequel seems like an obvious cash grab and a desperate attempt to revive the app.
There’s really only one line in the beginning that sums up what happened in the first The Angry Birds Movie (Theatrical) movie. If you haven’t seen it, you might be a little confused in the beginning. I’ll catch you up: birds vs. pigs.
Some of the humor falls flat.
Parents will quickly become annoyed by all of the frantic yelling.
The plot wanders around and appears easily distracted.
Act 3 went a bit scientific and technical, so young kids won’t quite understand what’s going on, but they’ll still be entertained.
Some of the characters are more annoying than funny.
Gross worm ice cream cone!
No need to race out to theaters to watch this movie. This is one of those movies that plays in the background at your house to keep the kids occupied while you try to pay your bills or mop the floor. You know what I mean?