The Angry Birds Movie 2: Much more to enjoy in this sequel

FILM REVIEW: THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2 (12A)

VOICE CAST: JASON SUDEIKIS, JOSH GAD, DANNY McBRIDE, BILL HADER, LESLIE JONES, AWKWAFINA, TIFFANY HADISH, RACHEL BLOOM, STERLING K BROWN, MAYA RUDOLPH, PETER DINKLAGE & NICKI MINAGE

RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 36 mins, DIRECTOR: THUROP VAN ORMAN

Better jokes than the ‘cheep’ ones provided in the first film?

I didn’t expect great things from the original The Angry Birds movie three years ago - and it didn’t disappoint on that score.

It was indeed a shallow film that refused to branch out beyond the confines of its source material (the popular mobile game) - and lacked an engaging storyline.

The jokes were simply too childish – and yes, I appreciate that children are the demographic - but it could have provided us with smarter humour nonetheless (much like in The Lego Movie and Captain Underpants).

Regardless, the first movie made a whopping $352 at the box office worldwide, so a follow up was inevitable.

In this sequel, I’m pleased to say that there’s more to enjoy. Co-writer Peter Ackerman (Ice Age) gives us something much more polished – providing gags that all ages will appreciate.

The story sees the angry birds and the scheming green piggies putting their ‘beef’ to one side after a new threat emerges that puts both Bird and Pig Island in danger.

Red (Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride), and Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) recruit Chuck’s sister Silver (Rachel Bloom) and team up with pigs to forge an unlikely ‘super team’ to save their homes - after Leslie Jones’ mysterious bird Zeta causes havoc.

This time round, the adult viewers have been taken into consideration, with nostalgic references to Back to the Future, Blockbuster Video, Rocky and more – with a David Bowie soundtrack thrown in for good measure.

Sure, there’s better family films out currently (Toy Story 4 and The Lion King spring to mind) but to judge this on its own merits, this time it spreads its wings - and ends up being miles ahead of its predecessor. 3/5 Mikey Clarke