Game – Movie Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

One of the more surprising things about the ‘video-game adaption’ The Angry Birds Movie back in 2016 was that it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible when expectations were that it would be. How could it not be? A computer-animated movie based around the hit mobile game where you launched birds at pigs with the aim to destroy them.

How do you make a movie out of that? Well, they did and it wasn’t terrible. Check out our full review of that movie here.

Roll on 2019 and we got the inevitable sequel, with slightly higher expectations this time round. A mistake as this follow-up is disappointingly poor. One aimed squarely at kids but with odd adult-themed jokes, innuendo and far too many pop culture references ensuring it already seems dated.

Since the events of the first movie, the birds and pigs continue their war constantly playing ‘pranks’ on each other from their respective islands. Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride) lead the defence against the pigs, lead by their king, Leonard (Bill Hader).

However, when a new threat emerges from the sea the two sides are forced to team up.

The threat comes from a new island, one made of ice and controlled by Zeta (Leslie Jones) who has had enough of her icy cold landscape. She wants to turn both bird island and pig island into her own personal paradises.

Will she succeed or will the unlikely pairing of the birds and pigs be able to stop her? And just what does Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) know about this new villain?

The main plot of The Angry Birds Movie 2 is nothing special and the writers seem to be aware of that so jam in a load of side plots to distract. Here we get some added new characters like Silver (Rachel Bloom) who serves as the somewhat ‘love interest’ of Red.

Then there are the three bird hatchlings who set out on their own accidental quest to rescue a trio of bird eggs. They will end up teaming with three piglets and showing both sides that if they work together they can accomplish anything. Meaningful huh?

Plot points like this would be if it wasn’t for the constant distraction of ‘comedy’ and out-dated pop songs. Haven’t had enough of Baby Shark yet? Well, good news! You’ll get a rendition of it here alongside the Dawson’s Creek theme song and many, many more. Does this sound like your idea of hell? You’re not far off it.

There is no original score, or if there is, it is completely buried in favour of ‘hits’ played over yet another failed attempt at comedy. The Angry Birds Movie 2 just isn’t funny, and it tries so hard to be. Kids might get a chuckle out of the animations of the hatchlings and piglets but adults will be left scratching their heads over the humour that is aimed at them.

The most positive thing that can be said about this sequel is the animation is really good. The overly cartoony colours stand out and the level of detail on things like the bird’s feathers is fantastic. It’s just a shame such time and effort was wasted.