Review of Sing (2016) by James K — 01 Jan 2017

We all have this great ambition to stride for perfection, and be whomever or whatever we so desire. Unfortunately, there's a thing called reality that gets in the way of our goals. Nonetheless, there is still that dream that one day can be found. And that's where this movie called "Sing" comes into play. This little animated film features a wide array of anthropomorphic animals that to their best to win a singing competition. While the movie doesn't present itself with the greatest story, it does make up with its characters and musical numbers. "Sing" may not be perfect, but it does have a memorable tune to its tone.

The story involves a koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) whose theatre is running through some tough times. Mostly in the financial department. So, Buster holds a singing competition to hopefully get his theatre up and running. This attracts a pig named Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a porcupine named Ash (Scarlett Johansson), an elephant named Meena (Tori Kelly), a gorilla named Johnny (Taron Egerton), and a mouse named Mike (Seth MacFarlane). The question is: who's going to win?

"Sing" has some good intentions; let's take a look at them. The direction by Garth Jennings is admirable at best, plus, the action sets in the movie do work within the movie's favor. The animation from Illumination Entertainment is good as each of the backgrounds and characters look really intriguing, and have a unique personality to them. And speaking of the characters, they are the ones that really make the movie stand out. That and the musical numbers which really stand out. While most of the songs that are showcased in all of the trailers and promotional material, mostly comes in the audition part of the movie, the final act where our main characters perform, is truly the standout of the entire film.

But with that being said, the movie does have its fair share of problems. For one thing, the movie does run a bit long. Because there are so many characters, the film tries desperately to cram a wide variety of side stories into one major plot. And' that's the biggest issue with the film: the story. Sure, most if not all of the motivations from our wide array of characters are understandable, but they feel like plots that could be resolved quicker than the film lets on. Especially Mike's plot; that feels a lot like filler, and gives Seth MacFarlane to showcase to vocal talents. There also could have more drama put into the story, something that puts all of the characters into a sudden realization of what their purpose is in the movie. Without purpose, there is no conflict; no conflict means no reason for a story.

In conclusion, while "Sing" more than definitely shines through with its characters and music, the lack of focus and motivation just makes the film feel okay at best. The has good intentions with what it is trying to accomplish, but it is somewhat tone deaf.