Overall Thoughts: Flashier, more colorful sequel is funny and occasionally moving, but falls short of the original.
I've gotta say, it's really hard to have lightning strike twice. The original Sing was one of my favorite films of 2016. I remember seeing it in theaters very well. I brought a couple of young boys along and it was a really, really fun experience (it's honestly pretty bittersweet writing this today as both boys are in high school now!). I got the soundtrack for Christmas, and played it in my car for months.
Does Sing 2 live up to the first film? Not quite. But is it still a fun movie experience? Yes.
Why? For one, Sing 2 doesn't have the same emotional pull as the first film. The first film brought personal stakes for each character, and relatable, interesting development to all of them. Here, some of them have some interesting challenges to overcome. But, it's not as grounded or personal as the original film had. For example, instead of living a double life as a criminal wanting to be a singer, Johnny (voice of Taron Egerton) finds himself trying to learn dance moves for a snooty instructor, and looks elsewhere to boost his confidence. That's a decent character arc, but not quite as moving as the first film.
The only plotline in Sing 2 that manages to work at pulling at the heartstrings is the re-emergence of Clay Calloway. In a strong voice performance from U2 frontman Bono, Calloway's story of dealing with the loss of his wife and finding the courage to come back into the spotlight after 15 years is pretty moving. The story doesn't spend a whole lot of time on it, but it works.
Another issue I had with this sequel was that it didn't really have a genuine musical score. The background music is often populated here with hip hop and R&B songs. True, Joby Talbot returns here, but I don't recall much orchestral music at all. I would have cut back on the different types of songs and allow a little bit of a musical score to come into play.
That being said, the animation here is a couple of steps up from the original. Overall character design and creativity is very solid here. The backgrounds shimmer with a mix of Las Vegas and Dr. Seuss-inspired enthusiasm. And like the first film, the overall stage show is a hoot, with several well-choreographed sequences as well.
The voice acting and singing are terrific as well. Similar to the first film, Matthew McConaughey portrays his character with a convincing showman's attitude. Reese Witherspoon, Tori Kelly, Scarlett Johannson and Taron Egerton are also on point with their characters as well, with each one getting at least one spotlight musical moment. Out of the new characters, Cannavale portrays the villain quite well, while Letitia Wright and Bono are fantastic in their roles (though the former seems a little bit sidelined here). Halsey has a couple of scene-stealing singing moments, but her character wasn’t necessarily my favorite. Thankfully, her character does go through some maturing as the film progresses.
The overall soundtrack isn't quite as strong as the first film overall, but has a couple of standout moments. Bono and Johannson nail a duet version of the U2 classic, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", while Halsey has a couple of great covers ("This Girl is On Fire" and "It Could Have Been Me"). U2's original song, "Your Song Saved My Life", is alright, but not quite as memorable as the Stevie Wonder-Ariana Grande duet from the first film's end credits ("Faith").
The script is full of laugh-out-loud funny moments for kids and adults, with several Muppets-style gags throughout. A couple of effective twists late in the game add some much-needed extra suspense. The pacing mostly remains light on its feet. And despite a large cast, director Garth Jennings does a nice job giving his cast relatively enough time to shine, including most of the new characters.
Ultimately, while the first Sing was a home run, this is more of a solid double to a triple. It works as a good companion piece that kids and families can watch and enjoy together. Don't expect an instant classic. But, it's still a pretty solid watch. Grade: B Is this movie family-friendly? Sing 2 is rated PG for "some rude material and mild peril/violence". The rating is pretty accurate. Light violence includes a villain threatening Buster on a handful of occasions, snarling at him and eventually throws him from precipitous heights a couple of different times. Characters are hurt by wooden sticks, paintball bullets, and other slapstick situations. Someone crashes a car. In a questionable moment, Meena is asked to kiss someone on the show, a decision she is against. Mr. Crystal wakes up naked in one scene (only see a chest and legs, and his assistant screaming from seeing him). One narcissistic character is introduced with a sultry, hip-swaying musical intro, and comments on how girls can’t get enough of him. A few suggestive dance moves. The villain is selfish, rude, and cruel. Characters lie and deceive. A few songs in the playlist ("Look What You Made Me Do", "Heads Will Roll" and "She Bangs" are a few examples) might raise some eyebrows. Someone says, "go to heck!" and there's some name-calling. In the end, this is fairly clean choice for ages 6 or 7 and up.
