‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ review: Star power from Awkwafina, Nicki Minaj and YouTuber JoJo Siwa can’t make up for the eyeroll-worthy potty humour
Sequel has the birds teaming up with pigs, and also stars Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader and Peter Dinklage
The birds team up with the pigs against a new enemy in 'The Angry Birds Movie 2'.Hit mobile game Angry Birds is back with the second instalment of their movie franchise; The Angry Birds Movie 2. The sequel returns with a larger cast of characters and is filled to the brim with plenty of gags. However the slapstick humour is targeted at a much younger audience and the jokes aren’t very original.
The plot follows Red (Jason Sudeikis) teaming up with his former nemesis, the pig chieftain Leonard (Bill Hader) in taking down their mutual enemy Zeta (Leslie Jones), the leader of the newly discovered Eagle Island. The birds and pigs have to put aside their differences and work together to save their islands from destruction.
A new adventure requires a new team, especially now that the pigs are joining forces with the birds. Red’s old friends Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride) and Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) are back, and Silver (Rachel Bloom) joins as the brains of the operation.
As for the pigs, new characters Courtney (Awkwafina) and Garry (Sterling K. Brown) tag along for the journey as well, and there is a fun cameo by Nicki Minaj as speed date guru (Pinky) With the likes of Awkwafina, who recently rose to global stardom through Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and acclaimed Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage together in this star-filled cast, it gives audiences not familiar to the series a reason to give it a go.
Despite the new inclusions to the cast, the humour is unoriginal due to the frequent use of slapstick and toilet humour. The silliness and visual gags are very similar to the Looney Tunes cartoon series, which is great for the younger generation. However teenagers might find these jokes childish and trivial.
A side story of three bird hatchlings on a quest to retrieve three misplaced eggs also runs parallel to the main plot line. Even Though the hatchlings are very cute, the extra storyline seems redundant and gives off the feeling that the movie is trying too hard to fish for reactions from the audience.
Though The Angry Birds Movie 2 won't disappoint fans of the first film or the mobile games, newcomers might think it’s too silly. However, one saving grace is that it is a good film to watch with a younger sibling