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Angry Birds Movie 2, The

7/10

Stars: Voices: Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Jones, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Rachel Bloom, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Eugenio Derbez, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Tiffany Haddish, Nicki Minaj, JoJo Siwa, Zach Woods, Dove Cameron

Director: Thurop Van Orman; co-director: John Rice

If there's one genre that Hollywood favours above all others, it's surely the sequel, a genre that, hopefully, guarantees box-office profit by delivering more of the same to more-of-the-same-seeking filmgoers

So here comes the inevitable follow-up to the first hit animated extravaganza, delivering even more crazy action and zany situations with yet another tall tale of overbearing island-dwelling pigs and, of course - read the title - flocks of foul-tempered fowls.

At the start, the flightless (and not yet furious) birds are living peacefully on Bird Island.

Crazy comic chaos soon sets in, however, when King Mudbeard, the monarch of the bad Piggies, seeks violent vengeance against the birds for having devastated his homeland. And, worse still, the mysterious purple bird Zeta is planning an evil conquest in order to escape sad life on a remote polar island.

There's more than enough plot (credit screenwriters Peter Ackerman, Eyal Podell, Jonathon E Stewart) to keep the comic chaos going by piling on action rather than logic in charting the zany adventures of their anthropomorphised non-human protagonists.

Director Van Orman ensures daffy action comes fast and furious, while the vocal cast gives it their all and then some, resulting in computer-game-based, fast-and-furious action and assorted lunacy, all making for lively, family-friendly fun that allows intellect to be switched off while watching.

Alan Frank

Finland/USA 2019. UK Distributor: Sony. Colour.
96 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: U.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 10 Aug 2019