fb-pixel‘Angry Birds’ doesn’t quite take flight as a movie - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
Movie Review

‘Angry Birds’ doesn’t quite take flight as a movie

From left: Chuck (voice of Josh Gad) and Red (Jason Sudeikis) in “Angry Birds.”Rovio Animation

If it doesn’t take a narrative of epic-poem proportions to make a hit video game, it takes even less to make a ubiquitous video game app. That’s the tricky reality confronting the makers of “The Angry Birds Movie” as they try to turn the smartphone phenomenon from a diverting pocket-size trifle into bona fide big-screen entertainment.

They do a creative job of it at points, but hardly enough to make this 3-D animated feature a big deal, especially for kids (and grown-ups) who aren’t hopelessly addicted to the game.

The action opens promisingly with stormy-browed Red (Jason Sudeikis) on a frantic, visually dazzling wilderness dash to some unknown appointment. The reception he receives when he gets there — and his over-the-top response — stirs some excitement that we could be in for an unpredictable ride.

Advertisement



Black Sabbath supplies the soundtrack for Red’s whole life and his latest outburst lands him in — wait for it — anger management class. Not only are there explanations for all that avian orneriness, but ramifications, too? We’re on board so far.

But once Red makes his still-raging arrival at the healing center run by precariously zen Matilda (Maya Rudolph), the movie turns routine fast. Our hero connects, or doesn’t, with mischievous yellow speedster Chuck (Josh Gad, in his “Frozen” Olaf follow-up), inadvertently explosive lunk Bomb (Danny McBride), and growling big bird Terence (Sean Penn, gamely delivering his non-verbal answer to Vin Diesel’s Groot). They figure to be an entertaining crew, but they’re underwhelmingly handled by first-time directors Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly and writer Jon Vitti.

The birds’ green-skinned arch-nemeses, the Pigs, are introduced. The bad guys cross the good guys, and familiar, elastically propelled payback ensues.

Game over.

The filmmakers do make a suitably flashy spectacle of their requisite slingshot sequence, pumping up and dimensionalizing the app’s visuals so that you and the kids will feel like you’re watching an Angry Birds movie. But they should try cutting loose without the rulebook more often, as they do in the opener, and in a sequence with Red, Chuck, and Bomb seeking out Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), their species’ legendary, enigmatic guardian. What starts out as a lowbrow gag very typical of a pedestrian ’toon gradually balloons into absurdity that Mel Brooks would probably love. Here, at least, the Angry Birds fly.

Advertisement



★ ★
THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE

Directed by Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly. Written by Jon Vitti. Starring Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Peter Dinklage. Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs. 97 minutes. PG (rude humor and action).