We all know about video game movies. They are routinely terrible, and there are very few exceptions. Oh sure, some have their defenders. I know plenty have people who enjoyed recent effort Warcraft while Mortal Kombat has managed to get a fanbase for itself because at least it’s a fun sort of bad. However the vast majority, the Max Paynes, the Alone in the Darks and Hitmans (Or Hitmen I suppose), just stink out the place. But some film makers still persist in making them, because the person who gets it right will be very rich. So, is The Angry Birds Movie the video game movie that gets it right?
On an incredibly happy island, Red (Jason Sudeikis, We’re the Millers) stands out due to being very angry and is ostracised by the rest of society because of it. Things get worse for Red though when pigs lead by Leonard (Bill Hader, Inside Out) come to the island and give the birds new technology and parties. And with Red being suspicious of these pigs, he is further pushed away from the rest of society.
This seems to be one of the toughest adaptations you can actually do. I’m sure we all played Angry Birds at some point, we all need the toilet after all, and while it was enjoyable enough, it wasn’t exactly narrative driven. Yet credit to the directors Clay Katis and Fergal Reilly, both of their first time in the director’s chair, they do manage to get a workable story out of it. Oh sure, stuff is borrowed from other films, the way Red acts and is treat by the rest of the island is very similar to the Shrek films, but the fact they managed to get a coherent narrative together out of a forgotten mobile game is testament to their ability. I imagine after this Sony will be given Kaytis and Reilly a call to get something out of that stupid Emoji film they are doing.
However I do have to address a controversy that the plot caused. Because the story sees foreigners, the pigs, come to an island with a resident saying that they are ruining everything and shock horror, that resident turns out to be right, some critics have accused the film of having an anti-immigration message. I can totally see it too, some points of the plot are eerily similar to the message that anti-immigration parties spew. However I don’t think that was the intention. With the pigs bringing lots of technology and essentially using that as an excuse to steal resources, in this case the birds’ eggs, it feels more like a parable against colonialism, which is bizarre in an animated film, but is fair enough. However the directors are clunky with the message, so it’s reasonable to be concerned with the message.
And to sort of tie in with all that, the biggest issue with the film is when the pigs arrive. Before that, the film is actually rather good. Red is sent to anger management and there’s a fun rapport with Chuck (Josh Gad, Frozen) and Bomb (Danny McBride, Your Highness) as they try to get over their problems. There’s also a hilarious character in the shape of Terence (Sean Penn, Mystic River) which is essentially Penn growling for any scene he is in, yet it never failed to get a laugh. However, when the pigs arrive, the narrative stops dead because we have to undergo the clichés of everyone loving the pigs and Red trying to show everyone they are wrong. And because we’ve all seen the trailer, we’re just waiting for the big reveal.
You’d think the film would pick up again when the birds start to invade the land of the pigs to get their eggs back. After all, this is stuff most similar to the game because we see the birds doing their powers from the game. Heck, we see buildings fall down, just like the game. However the movie never finds its footing again. The pigs aren’t a threatening villain and Leonard himself isn’t that funny or diabolical, so you never really feel like they are going to fail. And the jokes aren’t as good as the start of the film, so you aren’t even laughing as much.
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I’m trying not to be too down on this film as while two thirds of it are poor, there is still enough to like about. The animation is very bright and colourful and while there’s nothing in it than any other animated film of the last ten years does, it’s still rather lovely to look at. And we do have a good voice cast, I appreciate that they didn’t just try and get the biggest names possible and instead went for guys like Bill Hader and Josh Gad who are proven in this field and do well with what they are given.
I do have some annoyance at The Angry Birds Movie simply because it started off rather well and made me think I was going to get a video game movie I could fully recommend. As soon as the pigs show up, the film loses all of it’s momentum and it doesn’t have the same amount of humour to make you care until the end. This isn’t the disaster many expected because there is quite a bit to like, but it could have been a lot better. Yet despite that, I can declare one thing.
The Angry Birds Movie is the best video game movie ever made.
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