Back in 2016, The Angry Birds Movie became the first film based on a phone app. In 2019, The Angry Birds Movie 2 delivers the first sequel to a film based on an app.

And probably not the last, though if we get an Angry Birds Movie 3, I suspect it’ll go straight to video. While the original film didn’t do much in the US, its international sales allowed it to turn a good profit.

With a budget of $65 million, Birds 2 snagged $142 million worldwide, a drop of more than $200 million compared to the prior film. That’s “yikes” territory. Birds 2 probably came close to the break-even point, but Sony surely expected much better returns.

In the first film, outcast bird Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) endeared himself to his fellow Bird Island residents when he stopped the threat led by Leonard (Bill Hader) of Pig Island. As the second flick starts, Red continues to enjoy his newfound popularity.

Events shift when a new enemy emerges: Eagle Island, as its leader Zeta (Leslie Jones) attacks both Bird and Pig Islands. This forces Red and Leonard to grudgingly form an alliance to battle their shared foe.

At no point did the original Angry Birds turn into an actual good movie, but it offered something wholly, perfectly watchable. That seemed like a minor victory, as the project probably should’ve been a total disaster – in the face of that, “watchable” exceeded expectations.

Does Birds 2 elevate the material? Nope – once again, we find a film that remains moderately enjoyable and no better.

Because I didn’t love the prior movie, I can’t call this a disappointment, but I do think that the sequel should’ve probably found a more creative path. Given the complete lack of backstory from the app, the filmmakers enjoyed a huge, open palette on which to paint, yet they find little creative to do with the roles.

Again, this doesn’t mean Birds 2 lacks entertainment value, as it musters a decent array of laughs and moves briskly through its 97 minutes. It touches the expected bases and brings some fun along the way.

Still, it never rises above that level, and it fails to find much creativity on display. It offers a parody of spy movies that feels rehashed from other spoofs and not especially original.

Most of the original actors return, though sadly, Sean Penn doesn’t come back as the dialogue-free Terence. They all do fine, and some new actors fit in with the proceedings.

All that, and once again, we get another fairly mediocre animated tale. If you go into Birds 2, you’ll find a minor diversion and not much more.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. As I expected, the transfer looked terrific.

Sharpness was fine across the board. Virtually no softness appeared, as the movie delivered satisfying definition.

No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge haloes were absent. Of course, print flaws never manifested themselves.

Birds 2 came with a palette that mildly emphasized blue, with a general pastel sense as well. The colors showed a good sense of vividness and worked well.

Blacks were dark and deep, while low-light shots offered nice clarity and smoothness. This became an appealing visual presentation.

Downconverted to DTS-HD MA 7.1, we got a DTS X soundtrack that offered a lively soundscape, especially during the action sequences. Those fleshed out the spectrum in an involving way and gave us nice chances for movement.

This allowed the surrounds to play an active role. The track worked well enough in the early stages but it picked up more as it went, especially as the film neared its climax. The various channels got a good workout in this engrossing soundscape.

Audio quality seemed pleasing. Speech always sounded distinctive and concise, while music was peppy and rich.

Effects offered solid reproduction, with clean highs and deep lows. I liked this mix and thought it gave the movie life.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The DTS X audio added some breadth not found on the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix.

As for visuals, they got the usual boost in terms of definition, colors, blacks and contrast. While the Blu-ray looked very good, the 4K UHD topped it.

On the included Blu-ray Disc, Birds 2 comes with a slew of short extras, and we find seven Mini-Movies. Six of these involve the Hatchlings, and they run a total of eight minutes, 48 seconds.

Accessed on the main menu, the seventh “Mini-Movie” – “Live Stream” – goes for two minutes, 41 seconds and features Silver (Rachel Bloom), Red (Jason Sudeikis) and the Hatchlings as they broadcast online. “Stream” boasts minor laughs, and the Hatchling clips follow suit. None of these dazzle but they come with some entertainment value.

Under DIY Fun, we find three segments: “Popcorn Balls” (3:01), “Crafty Volcano” (4:31) and “Pig Snot” (2:47). Meant as activities for kids, they may boast some value.

With Bird Watching, we locate a 10-minute, four-second clip with LA Zoo keepers Allison Rigger, Katie Vincent and Cortney Vargas. We also get occasional pithy pop-up remarks from various movie actors.

The zookeepers introduce to some of the real birds behind our animated friends. Another piece meant for kids, adults will get some use from “Watching” as well, even if the show comes with a youngster-friendly tone.

Meet the New Birds and Pigs spans seven minutes, 58 seconds and involves production designer Pete Oswald, producer Josh Cohen, director Thurop Van Orman, co-director John Rice, head of character animation Peter Nash, head of story Sean Charmatz, and actors Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Jason Sudeikis, Sterling K. Brown and Rachel Bloom.

Like the title implies, “Meet” tells us about the design and execution of the movie’s new roles. Though it leans toward fluff, it comes with some good design and performance notes.

Next comes Hatching the Hatchlings, a five-minute, 19-second clip with Cohen, Rice, Oswald, Van Orman, Charmatz, Nash, co-producer Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews and actor JoJo Siwa.

“Hatching” looks at the Hatchlings and their use in Birds 2. It offers enough light but moderately informative piece.

After this we find Flocking Together. It goes for 11 minutes, 33 seconds and features Jones, Sudeikis, Van Orman, Gad, Cohen, Bloom, Oswald, Nash, Andrews, Charmatz, Rice, visual effects supervisor R. Sterling Duguid, editors Kent Beyda and Ally Garrett, and actors Eugenio Derbez and Peter Dinklage.

“Flocking” becomes a general “making of” show that looks at characters/story, set/location design, and animation. Like the other programs, it mixes happy talk and insights, though it leans more toward the former.

Two holiday-related clips follow: Happy Thanks-Pigging! (1:25) and Jingle Birds (1:32). In the first, Zeta urges us to eat pork for Thanksgiving, whereas “Birds” brings Sudeikis and Bloom as they sing a movie-themed version of “Jingle Bells”. Both offer minor entertainment.

The disc opens with ads for Jumanji: The Next Level, Men In Black International, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music and Overcomer. No trailer for Birds 2 appears here.

Like the first film, The Angry Birds Movie 2 provides a passable piece of entertainment. Nothing about the flick flops, but it also can’t turn into anything memorable. The 4K UHD brings excellent visuals, very good audio and a decent array of bonus materials. Expect passable amusement here but nothing special.

To rate this film visit the original review of ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2