Children’s film franchises usually follow the trusted timeline of releasing as many sequels as possible in the quickest amount of time possible. It makes sense since once a kid becomes a teenager their interest in their childhood favorites has probably waned a bit, unless that movie is Shrek because those are the best. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs had a four year break between the first film and the new sequel. But it just so happens the cast contributing their voices to the film have all become more famous during that time, so maybe that break wasn’t so bad.
Cloudy 2 has Flint (Bill Hader) getting a job at his idol’s company. But when he finds out his food machine is still working and making living food, he has to return to his home island and try to stop it. The plot borrows heavily from Jurassic Park, but these similarities come across as intentional since the menacing dinosaurs are replaced with creatures like the “toco-dile supreme” and the “double bacon cheese-spider.” For a while seeing the different “foodimals” is fun, but naming them off takes up entirely too much time on screen.
The voice cast led by Hader and Anna Faris does well to give the characters personalities beyond their own comedic tendencies. It may seem like that goes without saying. They are actors after all. But very often famous voices overwhelm their animated counterparts. That’s not the case with Cloudy 2. Overall, it’s a pleasant movie that lacks a bit of depth in terms of plot development. They wander around Jurassic Park, I mean Swallow Falls, for a long time both admiring and hiding from the “foodimals.” But it has the fun concept that will draw in young viewers. Plus the long break between the two films is solved by some quick exposition early on. So there’s no issue with that.
Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.
No comments:
Post a Comment