The Angry Birds Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

In The Angry Birds Movie, poor flightless bird Red (Jason Sudekis) has a hair-trigger temper and although he tries to fit in with his fellow birdies, nobody likes him. When the whole flock is threatened by evil porkers from Piggy Island, can Red channel his anger and save the day?

Sad Red eats lunch aloneCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Bird Island

On Bird Island, Red (Jason Sudekis), a usually ticked off and unhappy bird ,has been trying various jobs to no avail. He is late to a “hatchday” party where he is unsuccessful dressed as a clown and he falls on an egg causing the hatching inside to bond with him as “daddy”. The parents are so pissed off that they take him to bird court, where the honorable Judge and Mayor Peckinpah (Keegan-Michael Key), sentences Red to anger management class.

Adorable hatchlings at EasterCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Anger Management Class

The class is taught by Matilda (Maya Rudolph), who was an angry bird herself once. Classmates are Chuck (Josh Gad), a super fast-moving and talking yellow bird in trouble for pranks on police, Bomb (Danny McBride) , a sweet but dangerous bird who explodes (literally) when he’s angry or upset and Terence (Sean Penn) a giant, round red bird who just growls. The class doesn’t improve Red's attitude in the least.

Anger Management coach MatildaCourtesy of Sony Pictures

The Porkers Arrive

One day, a large boat arrives and crashes to shore on Red’s house semi-crushing it. The gangplank goes down and out steps a fat, bearded, green pig named Leonard (Bill Hader). He’s from Piggy Island and claims to just be a peaceful explorer who wants to be friends. The gullible birdies accept him and his piggy minion and they enjoy as the pigs give them a giant slingshot and trampolines for a fun gift.

Lead pig Leonard and his minionCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Sneaky Search

Red, angry at the pigs for smashing his house and thinking they are up to no good, sneaks aboard their boat with Chuck and Bomb and find it loaded with lot of other hiding pigs. Red reports this to Peckinpah who believes piggy Leonard when he says they are there to put on a surprise show for the birds. Again Red looks like a complaining idiot, is rejected and leaves.

Chuck, Red and Bomb decide to get angryCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Mighty Eagle

With Chuck and Bomb by his side, Red sets off to find the hero of the island who disappeared long ago. Mighty Eagle (voice of Peter Dinklage) can save them. They find his lair but he turns out to be a lazy, self-centered braggart who looks through a telescope at lady birds below like a perv. Looking through the telescope, Red also sees that the pigs are planting TNT all over the island and they are stealing eggs, the birds’ children and putting them aboard their boats!

The angry Judge PeckinpahCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Rescue the Eggs!

Red and Bomb attempt to retrieve the eggs while Chuck runs to alert the rest of the island's residents who are busy partying, about the theft-in-progress but the pigs get away with the eggs. Finally Peckinpah and the others believe Red and ask him to lead them to save their young. After some effort Red, Chuck and Bomb convince the birds to get angry and take action!

The birds react to invading pigsCourtesy of Sony Pictures

To Piggy Island

The birds construct a boat from the supplies left behind by the pigs and take the giant slingshot they were “gifted”. They make it to Piggy Island but see a giant town and fortress before them. How can they rescue the eggs before the pigs eat them? They start slinging birds at the city using the big slingshot. Each bird has a unique skill for destruction and this helps but the castle still isn’t breached. Will Red and new friends be able to save the eggs? Will Mighty Eagle get it together enough to help?

During the credits, it is revealed that all of the pigs have survived as well and they sing along to the song "I Will Survive".

The pigs entertain with Western musicCourtesy of Sony Pictures

The Angry Birds Movie Trailer

Wrapping Up

The Angry Birds Movie does a nice job of fleshing out the game while remaining true to its basic operation and thin storyline.  We know why the birds are angry and are charmed by Red and his tweety cohorts. There are a few jokes for teens and adults and the tiny chicks are drawn and animated with such cutesy and colorful skill that all ages should warm to them.

Bombastic birdie BombCourtesy of Sony Pictures

Voice actors do good work with “Saturday Night Live” and “Bridesmaids” alum Maya Rudolph doing a great job as anger management maven Matilda and Josh Gad talking mega-fast as the over-revved Chuck.

Bomb and Chuck swim in Mighty Eagle's polluted lakeCourtesy of Sony Pictures

The story is super simple but then so is the game. Those who have played will most likely get a kick out of the film but it’s okay for audience members who aren’t that familiar with it. Nothing classic here but for a film based upon a gaming App, Angry Birds isn’t that bad and has its charming and silly/fun moments. We go 3 stars.  Stick around for more cute action under the credits and a mid-credits scene in which three tiny hatchlings climb into a slingshot and launch themselves out to sea.

The Angry Birds Movie Rating: 

The Angry Birds Movie PosterCourtesy of Sony Pictures

The Angry Birds Movie is in theaters now!

Have Your Say

Have you played and enjoyed the Angry Birds game or do you think it’s lame? Are you up for enjoying a more complete story about these tiny, flightless birds? Comment below!