★★★☆
Will kids like The Angry Birds Movie? It’s a cartoon that’s injected with toilet humour and slapstick comedy. Of course they will. But what about us adults?
Warning: this review is not (entirely) suitable for children.
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I had genuine concerns going into this thing. Video game movies are rarely any good outside the realms of irony – just look at any of the attempts from the ’90s. It also didn’t bode well that I couldn’t even give away my spare ticket. I had to brave an onslaught of screaming children with names like ‘Mason’ and ‘Jax’ alone.
But despite my best efforts at cynicism… I had a damn good time.
The story follows Red, a literal angry bird who is kind of a dick. He lives on the outskirts of town because he has allowed his life to be dictated by growing up as an orphan with comically large eyebrows. Red does stuff like yelling at senior citizens and ruining children’s birthday parties while blaming everyone but himself for his failures. After nearly killing a child, Red is sent to anger management class, where he meets other social outcasts who teach the audience the meaning of friendship.
In a move that’s reminiscent of the vast majority of Western history, the pigs sail up to the birds’ island nation to indulge in a spot of colonisation. They pretend to be chill and introduce fun stuff like trampolines and slingshots to the local population before stripping them of their most precious natural resource – their eggs. Only Red sees through their bullshit until it’s too late, and the birds finally realise that it’s OK to be different and sometimes it’s beneficial to get pissed off.
This movie could have been a complete shit show. Flightless birds hurling themselves at pig fortresses isn’t exactly narrative gold. However, characterisation saves the day, and following Red, Chuck and Bomb on their journey to becoming unlikely heroes is both funny and delightful. There are plenty of dirty jokes to satiate the parents, overt game references for the fans and a genuine sweetness to the entire film. Also, I approve of any movie that drops a mad beat while a character rubs his non-existent bird nips to the thought of Mighty Eagle.
The Angry Birds Movieis in cinemas from Thursday May 12.
