- Starring
- Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson
- Writer
- Garth Jennings
- Director
- Garth Jennings
- Rating
- G (Canada), PG (United States)
- Running Time
- 110 minutes
- Release Date
- December 22nd, 2021
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Now it may come as a surprise to some that Illumination is an animation studio that does more than just the Despicable Me films. Out of their other franchises, the original Sing was arguably their best effort. The singing animal underdog story made for a compelling film but was a sequel necessary? Nevertheless, a sequel is now upon us. As far as Sing 2 is concerned, it essentially offers more of the same. While it’s basically another singing animal underdog story, its heart and inspirational underdog story is sure to still resonate with audiences both young and old and the music will also entertain. The animation is also more of the same though still high qualkity. However at the end of the day, it’s the film’s cast that truly delivers with the majority of the cast from the original returning alongside some nice additions. That being said, nothing that the film does here hasn’t been done before in countless other animated films and suffice it to say that those who are not fans of musicals and/or the soundtrack will probably not enjoy this.
Sing 2 saw the ambitious koala manager named Buster Moon (McConaughey) attempt to take his stage show on the road, first hitting the dazzling mecca that was Redshore City (a version of Las Vegas). A bunch of relative unknowns, they would need to prove themselves on the big stage and that would not be easy. Needing their big break, they got it in the form of the Crystal Tower Theatre but that also meant dealing with its ruthless owner and entertainment mogul, a wolf named Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale). In the end, the key to whether or not their show would work was if they could persuade an infamous rock star and current recluse named Clay Calloway (Bono) to join the show that they just made up off the top of their heads or face some dire consequences.
Wanting to get his troupe their big break more so than his own, the journey from idea to stage show certainly had its ups and downs along the way but it was still compelling and entertaining to watch and was a group effort as is with most art. Getting so close to their dreams while in such an intimidating new environment made for a tough adjustment period for all the characters as they now found themselves in the big leagues. This also meant some fun subplots which allowed the film to go deeper with certain characters as it followed them over the course of their journeys, building upon arcs from the previous film while giving others expanded roles. Nevertheless, the underdog theme was still a powerful one as one can’t help but want them to succeed thus adding another dimension to the story in spite of its predictable nature. If there was one disappointing subplot, it was that of Calloway and his troubled past that the film glazes over.
With heart came moments of humour to break it up as Sing 2 did a decent job at balancing it all. Hitting more than missing, the film was hilarious at times thanks to various gags and quirky characters that may not sit well with everyone. Its heavily pop-influenced musical numbers are likely to entertain audiences of all ages though some of the music may come off as dated. This sequel builds on those sequences by making them feel more like a spectacle which makes for a more entertaining experience. They are definitely more of a group effort this time around compared to the first film. Meanwhile, the animation played into the spectacle nature of those numbers as the work behind the performances and their scale was impressive.
Ultimately, the best part of Sing 2 was its performances and in this case, that means a lot more as they brought energy to the film, with the exception of Nick Kroll’s Gunter who perhaps brought too much energy, and they could all sing. McConaughey and his neurotic energy of course led the way as Moon while Johansson’s Ash, Taron Egerton’s Johnny, and Tori Kelly’s Meena had moments of their own though some character were treated more favourably than others. Pretty much being himself it was enough to make Cannavale a menacing foil as Crystal.
Overall, Sing 2 won’t be for everyone but sometimes we just need to smile.
still courtesy of Universal Pictures
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.