Directed by : Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly
Written by : Jon Vitti
Starring : Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Bill Hader
Release Date : May 11, 2016
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that "Angry Birds" is kinda all over the place. As a movie based on a video game, I can say that I've seen much much worse than this. This movie, I could actually tolerate and find some entertainment value to it. However, the super colorful visuals, the hyper pace, and the throw everything at the wall comedy, may be too much for some people to handle. Kids will probably love it, but adults need to consider what they are getting themselves into.
Story-wise, you may as well throw logic out the window. The plot is like a mix of being a tribute to the game's premise, a take on how to make the game's world come to life, and to poke fun with pop-culture references and self-aware meta humor. It's like a series of comedic skits, stitched together into one whole movie. Although there are a lot of lowbrow humor that you'll have to put up with, some clever comedic bits can be found in this, as well as some adult-humor that kids likely won't get (pigs "stripping," reference to The Shining, Sean Penn's casting). I did catch several thematic sub-text to what's going on in this movie, that only makes the plot even more twisted than it should be, but I won't get into that here...
As an animated movie, I thought the visuals are pretty spectacular, and the last act of the movie is just a wonder to watch. The soundtrack also surprised me, with it including songs by Black Sabbath, KRS-One, The Who, mixed in with the more pop friendly fare. The game's original theme music being used multiple times in the film is admittedly a nice wink to the fans. As for the characters, I thought they were enjoyable enough. Red as played by Jason Sudeikis may be the most fleshed out as a character, but I also truly enjoyed the characters of Chuck; played by Josh Gad, and Bomb; played by Danny McBride.
Fans of the game should enjoy watching "Angry Birds," while those who aren't should proceed with caution. I liked it more or less, but basically the movie is hit or miss.
loveditenjoyedit IT'S OKAY itsmehitsterrible
P.S. This is the first movie I can think of that makes you use your smartphone to see the after credits scene.
