Sing 2
While it doesn’t quite capture the magic of the original, Sing 2 comes close.
Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and the gang return in Sing 2. Desperate to have his show taken to the big time, but with the pundits not giving them a chance, Buster takes his team including Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), Ash (Scarlette Johansson), Meena (Tori Kelly), Johnny (Taron Egerton), Gunter (Nick Kroll) and the fabulous Miss Crawly (Garth Jennings) to petition Mr. Crystal (Bobby Canavale), owner of the biggest entertainment venue in Radio City. It’s only when the name Clay Calloway (Bono) is mentioned, however, that Crystal agrees to give them a chance. The only issue is; Buster doesn’t know the famously reclusive rock legend Calloway at all. While their massive stage show starts to come together, Buster, Miss Crawly and Ash have to find a way to convince the rockstar to come out of retirement to join their operatic space musical, all while Meena falls in love and Johnny learns to trust himself.
Written and directed again by Garth Jennings, Sing 2 again pumps a relatively simple tale full of absolutely banging hits, and comes up with success. The first Sing movie definitely had a stronger storyline, and in many respects this movie struggles with expanding the stories of its main core ensemble. Johnny and Meena’s tales in particular fall flat, as their trivial issues feel so minor as to be entirely dismissive.
The heart of this movie, however, is the story of Clay Calloway. As the grizzled old rockstar, and now reclusive heartbroken widower, his arc is so emotionally satisfying, particularly when paired with Ash’s assistance and understanding, that it carries a film whose plot is too often derivative. Sure, Clay’s story isn’t new either, but it is heartfelt and deep and told with nuance, and Bono surprisingly plays it to absolute perfection.
Visually, this is a stunning movie also. From the simple emotional moments, to the strong and aged, dangerous and kind visage of Clay, to the imaginative space theater moments, it all comes together in a visually thrilling scenescape.
A few of the songs are a little too modern or odd choices for this film, particularly in the first half, but by the end you’ll be bopping along no worries; particularly when the U2 hit comes on. Oh, and the kids in our cinema were entranced throughout, which is always a good sign if you are looking to take youngsters.
