Review: Sing 2!

The beginning of 2022 has been rather quiet theatre-wise; but for now, I have a film review for you; one that I thought many may not have thought about - Sing 2. 

When the original was released back in 2016, many thought it would be, to quote Animat "nothing more than celebrity karaoke disguised as a kids movie with cartoon animals". To which yeah, they're technically right. 

Having said that, or despite that, it is one of my animated guilty pleasures. And it is not a bad film; far from perfect, sure. But a lot of fun with some great characters. 

It also has an unusual place in film history: it is the highest grossing film of all time that NEVER made it to No. 1 at the box office. 

So I guess thinking about it, it was inevitable that Buster Moon and co. would be back for an encore. 

Now that the Moon Theatre is now thriving, Buster aims to take his small troupe to the next level. So they travel to put on a much bigger show in Redshore City (a play on Las Vegas). However, typical Buster has to tell a white *cough cough* lie or two to put the show on, walking a very thin line. And if he steps over it and disappoints Crystal, the producer.... he dies... * gulp*

Similarly to the first film, it has the same problem that the first one does that while what writer/director Garth Jennings has written is a lot of fun, it has too many plot threads and too many characters to be able to have one sole focus (or one main and one on the side). A real shame as ones like Jonny, Rosita, Ash and Meena really are great characters but not given the proper time they really deserve. And in among the new characters, Clay Calloway is the best example of how it suffers. 

However, again similar to the original, that does not mean it is a bad film. It is still a lot of fun, and Jennings brings in quite a few laughs; esepcially when the character he voices, Buster's assistant Miss Crawley, is on screen. I've forgotten how much I love that chameleon! 

What I also need to bring up is that the ending show may just be the best animation I have seen from Illimitation. If this studio name itself doesn't ring a bell, then their most prominent franchise, the Despicable Me films, certainly would (who doesn't love the Minions?!). They made the ending a massive spectacle, with two things in particular. 

One is the effects, particularly, with the space effects as Gunther and Rosita fly around. The other is in the choreography. This, like the first Sing, is a jukebox musical; and just like the songs are the opportunity for the big name celebrities to show off their singing chops, they're also the moment for the animators to show off what they can do in terms of choreography, and it is so smooth. My favourite has to be Jonny's big number at the end, Coldplay's A Sky Full Of Stars. His whole side plot was related to the choreography in this number and seeing him let loose was so satisfying. 

Yes the Sing franchise has it's issues. And no, we are no clearer as to why this whole world is made up of anthropomorphised animals... But it is still a fun film not to be taken too seriously. And try not to watch the trailers... they spoil WAY too much. 

For my advise on seeing this adventure, I would definitely recommend watching the original first. But that's if you like the sound of a fun jukebox musical with some A List celebs such as Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton (Rocketman) and Scarlett Johansson sing some popular songs. If that's not your cup of tea, then stay clear. 

Also if you are looking for something for the family, this is a great choice, better than most of the rubbish that will be coming out soon, if the trailers are anything to go by... Let loose, dance in the ailes/seat and have some fun.