'The Angry Birds Movie' Review

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
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   Hollywood is turning almost any property they can get their hands on into a film nowadays. There are so many films in development out there that are beyond ridiculous that it’d take an entirely separate article to cover them (*hint *hint). The latest of such properties is the popular mobile game Angry Birds.
   The Angry Birds Movie is directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reily. It features the voices of Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage, Sean Penn, and Keegan-Michael Key. When the birds of an island paradise are surprised by a visiting ship full of pigs, they are very quick to trust them. That is, except for one bird with anger management issues named Red. When the pigs steal all of the birds’ eggs, these angry birds must make the journey to the pigs’ island to steal them back. Many people were hesitant when this movie was announced, but then the first trailer looked surprisingly good. So, how is the actual movie?

   The Angry Birds Movie is exactly what you’d expect it to be, a film that is half-heartedly put together in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of everyone’s favorite mobile game of yesteryear.
   Yes, even with loads of talent attached to it, The Angry Birds Movie fails to fly. While it does have small glimmers of a good film hidden throughout it, they aren’t enough to make for an overall enjoyable experience. The attempts at humor in the film are either too adult for children to understand or the obligatory toilet-humor that seems to come with every kids’ film nowadays. Adult humor in kids’ movies only works if it’s done subtly, a word in which I’m not sure the writers grasp the concept of. It’s so on-the-nose that it causes awkwardness for the parents and confusion for the children.
   Where this film excels, for the most part, is with its three main characters, the birds Red, Chuck, and Bomb. Those three characters were very well realized, and they each brought their own specialty to the table. When Angry Birds focuses on these characters it is actually a good movie. However, these characters are only given about twenty minutes to make their mark until the film introduces the pigs. Oh, the pigs. The pigs serve as the antagonistic force in The Angry Birds Movie. These pigs are so incredibly annoying and over-the-top that every minute they are on screen is cringe worthy. They’re not just bad, they’re terrible.
   The voice actors in this film did good jobs overall, specifically Sudeikis, Gad, McBride, and Key. They were all noticeably having fun with this film. It felt as if they actually wanted to be there doing their jobs, which is encouraging. That being said, the film’s script isn’t nearly strong enough to make their efforts worthwhile. I’m sure that the voice-actors that took part in this movie are just as disappointed with the final product.
   The story in this film is very linear. Pigs show up. Pigs take eggs. Birds get angry. Birds take eggs back. Those four sentences just completely summarized a film that is over an hour-and-a-half long. The film never truly dives into what motivates any of the characters. One could say a film like this doesn’t need to, but once filmmakers are given a pass for something like that, it’s a slippery slope.
    At the end of the day, The Angry Birds Movie is not very good. It features an interesting trio of leads, but once the pigs show up, all of the films’ potential gets thrown out the window. It ditches plot for toilet humor and adult jokes that don’t even cause a giggle. It may be an enjoyable film for children, but if you’re the parent taking them, prepare to be bored.

3/10

   So what did you think of The Angry Birds Movie? Did you think it was any good? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!
 
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