Anthony's Film Review - The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)

The second Angry Birds movie is definitely an improvement over the first...

When I saw the first Angry Birds movie a few years back, I thought it was just OK. It mainly had to do with the fact that the jokes didn't surprise me too much and included a bit of crude humor, namely a notable urination joke. Naturally, I wondered if I would enjoy The Angry Birds Movie 2. Then something happened. I was looking online to see what critics and audiences thought of the movie and happened to notice that the majority actually liked it, saying it's better than the first. I nodded with surprise and made a note to see it with more positive expectations.

You can now add me to the growing group of people who say this Angry Birds movie is better than its predecessor. Keep in mind that, for me, the improvement is only one step higher, not a huge boost, but it's still enough for me to say that it is definitely a fun movie. Plus, I'm willing to bet that lessons were learned and feedback was taken into account after the first Angry Birds movie. Whatever they did, they were wise to do it.

The plot is quite simple and straightforward, to say the least. In the beginning, the birds on Bird Island and the green pigs on Piggy Island are launching attacks on one another, in comical fashion. But out of nowhere, a third island, Eagle Island, is attacking both Bird Island and Piggy Island, using a cannon to shoot giant balls of ice. The leader of Eagle Island is a disgruntled purple lady eagle named Zeta (Leslie Jones). She is so upset with living on a frigid island where every drop of water is frozen that she is willing to take out her rage on the more comfortable islands with birds and pigs.

So now the birds and piggies have to team up to stop the eagles. Yes, the warring birds and pigs actually agree on a truce for a common good. With that, a team of hero birds and pigs is formed. From the bird side, we have angry Red (Jason Sudeikis), superfast Chuck (Josh Gad), explosive Bomb (Danny McBride), and brainiac Silver (Rachel Bloom). From the pig side, we have leader Leonard (Bill Hader), inventor Garry (Sterling K. Brown), and intelligent Courtney (Awkwafina). At one point, there's the possibility of Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) joining the effort, but sadly, he is too cowardly.

Similar to the humor in the first Angry Birds movie, the jokes here are of the simple slapstick kind. What's notably different here is that they somewhat less predictable. There were plenty of times where I saw the joke without ever expecting it. And they are funnier than in the first movie. Also, the humor here isn't as crude as before. Believe it or not, this movie also has a urination joke. However, unlike the urination joke in the first movie, this one is silly enough to even make a tough audience member at least smile. For me, though, it definitely made me laugh.

Over the course of the movie, the jokes get funnier and funnier. Not hugely funnier. It's more of a slight upward incline. But at least there's never a decline. Thus is a good time for me to mention one particular source of humor in this movie. There is a side plot involving three little birds who accidentally lose three sibling eggs, and they're scrambling to save the eggs before their parents find out. I won't go into detail about what happens. Just know that these scenes will definitely make you laugh and smile.

In case you forgot, Angry Birds was first created as a series of video games on mobile devices, involving the use of a giant slingshot to hurl birds at green pigs. I am amazed to say that the best thing about The Angry Birds Movie 2 isn't that it follows the premise of the video game. Rather, the best thing is that it turns the concept upside down, by following the notion of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." It sends the Angry Birds film series, and perhaps the franchise as a whole, in a new refreshing direction. The way this film ends is quite delightful to say the least.

So am I angry about this movie being a disappointment? Not at all. Am I happy that I've seen it? Absolutely.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about The Angry Birds Movie 2, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of The Angry Birds Movie.