You know, I really enjoy angry
protagonists.
There need to be more main
characters like Red (Jason Sudeikis)—blunt, cynical, grumpy, not afraid to
punch back…or to throw the first punch in some instances. Red’s similar to the Grinch if, after growing his
heart three times, he kept the snarky attitude.
It’s thanks to Red, in addition to some unexpectedly entertaining
features, that I enjoyed The Angry Birds
Movie a lot more than expected. The
film’s simple, spirited, at times funny, vibrant in animation, and has a few
surprisingly sweet moments towards the end.
While I’ve grown away from them in recent years, I was a huge fan of The
Angry Birds video games. I owned the
demo, original, Seasons, Space and Star Wars versions (they were all sadly wiped
out when my iPhone broke). It got to the
point where my wife bought me Angry Birds Space pajamas, which I still own and
wear from time to time.
The film embraces its video game’s
nonsensical plot and goes along without ever stopping to try and make
sense. There’s a scene where the pigs—to
lure the birds into a false sense of friendship—give them a large slingshot as
a gift. Why do the pigs own a large slingshot with seemingly no practical purpose for themselves? Because it’s in the games of course! The Angry
Birds Movie is ridiculous and unashamed of it: the plot doesn’t make sense
and the film spares no effort to make it.
Instead, there’s a focus on energy and wackiness, which ultimately works
in the film’s favor.
For decades, directors have tried and failed
to make a successful video game film both critics and audiences enjoy—The Angry Birds Movie will not be
converting any doubters, but it’s certainly a step closer towards a universally successful
video game adaptation. Until such day
comes, however, The Angry Birds Movie stands
as one of the finest video game films made, in addition to one of the few I
give a thumbs up in approval.