Review: Sing 2

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since the first 'Sing' film.

I do remember enjoying it. The amount of fun and energy it gave off made it a deserved crowd-pleaser.

But the rather large gap between the sequel and its predecessor had me concerned that its momentum and relevance might not be there to make this another hit.

This is the 11th feature to come from Illumination. Films from this studio are usually bright coloured affairs with enough noise and fast paced sequences purely on a surface level designed to distract young children.

Those types of films don't always work for me. On this occasion, it did. The timing of films like this is crucial I feel, and in the deep cold of January, this will be the warmth you will need to last you through to Spring.

Yes there is no depth or subtlety to the story, its themes or characters. But you can't help but accept how much fun it is to watch, how easily catchy their version of modern classic songs are and how pleasing and striking the visuals are.

The voice work as usual is a strong ensemble. All the original cast are back and do a grand job once again. Along with the solid additions of Bobby Cannavale, Adam Buxton, Eric Andre, Halsey, Letitia Wright and Bono, the cast really make this a really enjoyable watch.

So while there are big weaknesses in the writing department, everything else pretty much makes up for it. There are films like this that you need every so often for a pick-me-up and this does the job nicely. I would compare this viewing experience to going to a theme park. It's full of sugar and candy floss that rushes your adrenaline for a short period of time and that added concert vibe will have you re-living the soundtrack in your head for a while.

It doesn't have as strong of an emotional impact of the first one. But this a welcomed follow-up.

Rating: 7/10