Review: Sing 2

Sing 2, the sequel to the 2016 Illumination animated film Sing, released Dec. 22 in theaters. With big names such as Tori Kelly (Meena), Scarlett Johansson (Ash), Matthew McConaughey (Buster Moon) and Pharrell Williams (Alfonso), among others, Sing 2 sought to captivate the musical, cartoon, animal-loving audience of all ages. This movie received a lot of positive attention on social media; however, to me, it was nothing outstanding.

Since Sing 2 is a sequel, it does help to know the plot of the first movie. The storylines of the two movies are separate, however, various background details carry over between movies. Sing (2016) ends with Buster Moon’s theater performance being a huge success and the town becoming interested in the group of talented singers. Sing 2 begins with the reuniting of the same group in hopes of making their big debut in Redshore City. 

An aspect of the film I particularly liked was the soundtrack. Since several of the actors are well-known singers, the songs felt very authentically done. Additionally, the songs sung in both Sing and Sing 2, “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” by Shawn Mendes for example, are modern, yet the execution is different from the original songs, making them more personal to the movie. 

Another detail I appreciated was the relatability of the characters. Whether it be with Meena, an elephant with stage fright, Johnny (Taron Egerton), a gorilla who struggles to learn how to dance or Buster Moon, a koala with big dreams, each character had something relatable about them which minimized the fact that they are singing animals⸺it made the film more realistic. 

Something I didn’t enjoy about the movie was the often predictable, and sometimes far-fetched, plot. One of the major goals of the movie was to get a retired singer, Clay Calloway (Bono), who lives in a remote, heavily gated house, to be in the show the group was putting together. There were various moments where I could predict what would happen and several times where the movie lost me because of the plot’s improbability. 

Additionally, I found myself bored at points during the movie. Because the characters are working towards a goal that they don’t achieve until the end of the movie, there are parts that feel repetitive and dull. 

Although nothing is confirmed yet, there is expected to be a Sing 3 sometime in the future that will likely feature many of the same voices and may even feature singer-songwriter, Dolly Parton. However, all in all, Sing 2 was a fine watch. It is a well-put-together film that has the potential to teach valuable lessons to kids. While the movie is geared towards younger audiences, I would recommend watching this if you enjoyed the first Sing movie, or if you would like to see your favorite actors and singers in animal form.