Review of The Angry Birds Movie (2016) by Thequietgamer — 24 Aug 2016

Rovio's mobile game series manages makes the turn to movie form better than the average video game flick. The direction of family-oriented animated movie was a great move. Granted, that was really the only area they could go, but still.

The sense of humor is on point for the majority of it's running time. Given the lack of really any sort of narrative in the games, we do get stuck with a chintzy plot and some awkward characters, particularly in the villain department. These pigs are kind of a bland threat. However the movie more than makes up for it due to it's fun, imaginative, and energetic nature.

The jokes come a mile a minute. Just about any type of humor you can think of is here. Even some surprisingly mature jokes here and there for the parents. Every now and then some of the more questionable gags will drag on for a bit too long and there's a weird fascination the directors seem to have with their character's butts, but for the most part all of the humor nails the landing.

As far as the presentation goes it couldn't be much better. The animation is so stunning that it rivals the best of Pixar and the entire voice cast is almost perfect. The flaw comes from Bill Hader who hams it up (I'm so funny) too much as the main villain. The soundtrack is both surprising in it's choice of songs as it is fantastic.

It's a great movie for the kid fans of the game as well as their parents. With plenty of references to the series it's based off of, particularly in the finale, there's enough to bring a smile to the face of the clued in. For those not familiar with the games the hilarity and charm are enough to pull you in. It's got some shortcomings, but in the end these birds really soar.