Sing 2 – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Garth Jennings
Starring the voices of: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Bobby Cannavale, Tori Kelly, Nick Kroll, Pharrell Williams, Halsey, Chelsea Peretti, Letitia Wright, Eric André, Adam Buxton, Garth Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Jennifer Saunders, Nick Offerman, Bono

In cinemas January 28th

This sequel to 2016’s Sing boasts probably the most impressive cast list of the year. Admittedly, it only takes advantage of their voices but garnering such acclaimed talent for a project is quite impressive. You may have noticed that a certain Irish singer has also crept into the lineup. Yes, Bono makes his big-screen voice debut. There is a collective that has turned Bono bashing into a full-time job and if you’re one of them this probably isn’t for you, but if you’re not, read on.

This is set one month after the events of the first movie. Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily have to have seen that to follow this. I won’t rehash the plot here other than to say that this sees the once ragtag group of performers blossom into fully fledged professionals. Tasked with putting on a space-themed musical show the gang get to work. There is only one problem, their producer believes that the show will star Clay Calloway (Bono), a former rock star who has been a recluse since his wife’s death some 15 years before. They try and rehearse the show and keep the producer in the dark about their casting dilemma while hoping that they can persuade Clay to come out of retirement and save the day.

This doesn’t reinvent the wheel and sticks to the formula that made the first one such a success. There are plenty of well-known songs peppered throughout that will have you tapping your feet (and infuriatingly many of them will remain stuck in your head for days). There are plenty of U2 in-jokes that fans will get and everything here is designed to bring a smile to your face. The slapstick comedy is tempered by the gorgeous animation and although it does have some underlying messages it is not in your face about them.

This is sweetly entertaining and should make for a lovely family trip to the cinema. Adults should enjoy it while the kids will delight in the colourful characters (and yes, there is a toy line!) and catchy music. It is inoffensive and its only agenda is to leave its audience with a smile on their faces and a spring in their step.