Writer: Cinnamon LionWriter Ratings:Overall: Cast: Plot: Effects: Cinematography: Watch this if you liked: “Rio”, “Rio 2”, the “Angry Birds” game
The Good, the Bad and the Angry Birds: From the small (smartphone) screen to the big screen, will adapting "Angry Birds" into "The Angry Birds Movie" be a fowl move?
The pun is very much intended in keeping with the spirit of the pun-laden animated movie, which are not as cringe-worthy as most puns go. Since the movie largely features birds and pigs, the scriptwriters had their fun inserting as many bird/pig-related words as they could in the dialogues. For example: bird (birth) control, Jon Hamm (one of the pigs is bestowed with this actor's name), Daft Piggy (Daft Punk) - the list goes on but we're not spoiling the movie for you.
The story of the movie is simple enough: Red gets angry, Red gets sent to anger management class (which produces Free Rage Chickens, okay we'll stop spoiling the 'pun'), Red makes new angry buddies Chuck and Bomb, Red is suspicious of the green Pigs but no one takes him seriously because he's Red (whose backstory might tug at your heartstrings) but of course, in the end, Red saves the day.
Though probably the kids in the audiences won't care much for the storyline, as they would be mesmerised by the colourful plumes and fluffy hatchlings of the birds. The scenic background (an island is often beautiful) may only be animated but at least it's something the non-kids in the audiences can feast their eyes on.
There are several references ("Fifty Shades of Green") in the movie that might fly right over the heads of the younger ones in the crowd, which are probably only slipped in in an attempt to lure and/or pacify the adults who are unwillingly dragged to the movie.
The movie doesn't really elicit guffaws, though a chuckle or two can always be heard among the audiences since it does have its funny moments. One moment really tickles everyone's funny bones, however, one that causes endless ripples of laughter and involves a very horrified trio - Red and his tight birdies, Chuck and Bomb - finding out what really lies in Mighty Eagle's lake of wisdom (yes, a pun on this was immediately voiced out by Red).
The highlight of the movie is definitely the fighting sequence towards the end of it, where finally the audiences get to see the birds doing what they do best - shooting through the air with the help of a giant slingshot and knocking down whichever buildings they strategically aimed to destroy. This was a perfect adaptation from the much-loved game.
The movie is a fun one, bright and colourful for the kids but still peppered with entertaining enough dialogues for the adults.
Look Out For: • "The Shining" twins.
Trivia: • The first movie that was based on a smartphone game.
• The smartphone game, called "Angry Birds", has been downloaded more than one billion times across all versions and platforms of mobile devices since its release in 2009.
Cinema Online, 12 May 2016