A softly spoken gorilla sings an impassioned cover of Coldplay’s EDM banger ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’, dressed in a leather jacket with spikes, while duelling a proboscis monkey in a literal ring of fire. It’s just one tiny detail of Sing 2, Garth Jennings’ sensorially overwhelming yet strangely low-stakes sequel to 2016’s animated jukebox musical, Sing.
After plucky koala theatre-owner Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) proved to the world that he had what it took to find major stars for a talent show in the first film, the name of the game here is, well, another show. It’s fun in the individual musical numbers, as every performer confirms that they can indeed sing, but when you take a step back from the blinding spotlights, it does make you wonder what the point of any of it is.
Halsey steals the show as the deliciously entitled and amusing princess Porsha Crystal.
Additions to the cast include Bono, who lends his voice (fine in song, unconvincing otherwise) to play reclusive musician Clay Calloway, who Buster and co believe will send their new production into the stratosphere. It would be exciting if he was even slightly more convincing emotionally, and had been blessed with more personality than the tired clichés of a grumpy, grieving man. Meanwhile, Halsey steals the show as the deliciously entitled and amusing princess Porsha Crystal, the producer’s daughter with a middling amount of talent but a huge heart.
There are some familiar pleasures in these head-spinning vignettes — a sunset street-dance duet between Taron Egerton’s gorilla, Johnny, and Letitia Wright’s new character Nooshy, an impossibly cool choreographer cat; a dreamy romantic spin on ‘Say A Little Prayer’ courtesy of Tori Kelly’s always lovely, vulnerable elephant Meena — but the ridiculous novelty of the first film has faded. Brief glee fills the air with every absurd song, but the lasting sound is somewhat off-key.
