Director: Garth Jennings
Writers: Garth Jennings
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Edgerton
Synopsis: Buster Moon and his friends must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show.
Let me be the first to tell you, on the surface, the Sing movies should not work. They are basically pop musicals sung by Hollywood actors with flashy visuals and simple jokes that are designed to make tons of money and have kids coming back for more each time they see it. Illumination is a animation studio that doesn’t carry the prestige of a Pixar or Studio Ghibli, thus they aren’t considered serious animated films by critics and film fans across the landscape. Yet, with Sing and Sing 2, I must admit, I think these are the first films in their studio’s history to find the balance of being popcorn entertainment while carrying some emotional weight behind them for audiences to invest throughout the film’s run time. These movies leave a smile on your face, and even better, grab you by the heart, thus making it a big surprise when it all comes together.
Sing 2 picks up a couple of months after the events of the first film, where Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and his talented team of animal singers are putting on sold out shows in his renovated theaters. But on one night, a talent agent is in the audience, judging if the small-ish act can make the move to the big leagues, a showcase in Redshore City, which is this universe’s version of Las Vegas. While they are rejected, this doesn’t stop Moon and the gang from getting on a bus and sneaking into an audition. Though they fail, it is the mention of bringing back a legendary singer, Clay Calloway (Bono), from retirement that gives the opportunities for our protagonists to live out their dreams and put on a life altering show that would catapult their stardom.
As tension rises for Moon and company, so do the stakes they are under. Moon basically makes a deal with the devil in the form of Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale), a media mogul who will destroy Moon if he doesn’t get what he wants. At the same time, each member of the team, Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), Ash (Scarlett Johansson), Johnny (Taron Edgerton), and Meena (Tori Kelly), all have obstacles in their way, from learning how to conquer their fear of heights, figuring out how to dance for the first time in front of an audience, facing your musical ideal, to even falling in love for the first time. Through these various situations, we are able to establish the core message of the film, which is somewhat carried over from the first installment, which is conquering your fears, and becoming the person you or others thought you could be. It’s not revolutionary in the slightest, but it’s effective.
Beyond its rounded, sweet message, Sing 2 understands how to be entertaining. This is a far cry from the Despicable Me films, where cheap jokes and annoying characters run amuck. Instead, pop songs and needle drops move the action forward, thus leaving us tapping out toes from scene to scene, never wanting it to end. In a cinematic world built on the nostalgia of past musicals and ideas dominating its property, Sing 2’s tactics fit for the world we see on screen.
Now this is not to say that this is a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination. It is too long, by about fifteen or twenty minutes, and the darker elements with the wolf villain, while terrifying, go a little too far in its intense execution. Plus, the story, while it works thematically on the same level as the first film, doesn’t really reinvent the wheel and we never sense any real danger for these characters. Plus one has to question, why are they even leaving their sold out theater, in what seems to be modern day Los Angeles, for a gig in Vegas? While that might seem like a nitpick, it’s a central question I had throughout the film, and couldn’t shake. Moreover, we don’t get time to sit on emotional decisions long enough for them to matter to the extent director Garth Jennings wants us to, thus for a movie that is too long, it feels rushed to get to where it wants to go. It may sound like a weird juxtaposition but this is what the film presents, and will work for kids, but will leave adults puzzled as they are sitting in their seats watching this animated pop musical. That being said, Sing 2 is an overall harmless time at the theater and I highly encourage Illumination to make more films like this in the future, just for the pure joy factor only.
Grade: C+
