From the studio and filmmakers behind the Despicable Me movies comes a fun but lightweight second entry in what they clearly hope to be their next franchise.
Hardly a threat to the Despicable Me franchise, The Secret Life of Pets basically played out like an extended montage, getting plenty of laughs from its mini-skits for each and every animal on offer, but barely holding together its underlying plot of displacement when its lead character finds himself threatened by a new addition to the household.
A first film can be excused for this kind of lightweight approach, charming audiences with the novelty factor, which glosses over any inherent flaws. But a sequel needs a little structure, although the filmmakers here appear more than content to repeat their mistakes, abandoning the idea of telling one strong tale and, instead, going with a trio of rather weak ones.
The main arc focuses on Max the dog who, having saved the day and become best friends with his new flatmate Duke, faces a new challenge when his owner gets married and has a baby. Before long he's struggling to deal with the many threats that a child may encounter, taking a trip to a farm and finding strange mentorship in the form of a rugged sheepdog named Rooster, who is intent on teaching him how to be brave.
Back in the Big Apple, self-appointed superhero rabbit Snowball is tasked with a new mission - to rescue a tiger from a circus, whilst Gidget the Pomeranian - charged with looking after Max's prized toy while he is away - finds herself on a mission into a scary cat realm to recover it.
A first film can be excused for this kind of lightweight approach, charming audiences with the novelty factor, which glosses over any inherent flaws. But a sequel needs a little structure, although the filmmakers here appear more than content to repeat their mistakes, abandoning the idea of telling one strong tale and, instead, going with a trio of rather weak ones.
Like a series of sharp and funny Short Films which have been dragged out and inexplicably strewn together into a feature-length movie
The main arc focuses on Max the dog who, having saved the day and become best friends with his new flatmate Duke, faces a new challenge when his owner gets married and has a baby. Before long he's struggling to deal with the many threats that a child may encounter, taking a trip to a farm and finding strange mentorship in the form of a rugged sheepdog named Rooster, who is intent on teaching him how to be brave.
Back in the Big Apple, self-appointed superhero rabbit Snowball is tasked with a new mission - to rescue a tiger from a circus, whilst Gidget the Pomeranian - charged with looking after Max's prized toy while he is away - finds herself on a mission into a scary cat realm to recover it.
There are, again, plenty of laughs to be had in 'Pets 2, whether in its opening introduction to the baby, and Max's coping with the growing youngster, or in the various re-introductions to the bevy of supporting pets - perhaps the lazy fat tabby cat getting the most on-point humour throughout. It's easy to relate to the displacement story, even if that is hardly a change-up from the last film's similar themes (didn't Max already learn how to be courageous when he saved Duke at the end of the first movie?), and things get infinitely more interesting when we reach the farm, and Harrison Ford's gruff sheepdog comes into play.
Ford's first animated foray, and the only thing on his roster since Blade Runner 2049 and before next year's Call of the Wild (and the following year's interminably postponed Indy 5), and it's a decent extended cameo that sparks up the otherwise slow middle act.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 feels almost like a series of sharp and funny Short Films which have been dragged out and inexplicably sewn together into a feature-length movie - each character even had their own mini-trailer before the release, which easily gives you the highlights of the entire movie. Running at 86 minutes in length - and once you strip the credits out, that's probably little over 70 minutes - it knows that it has little to work with, and so tries desperately not to outstay its welcome.
Engaging enough for the kids - and thankfully short enough for them too - and intermittently laugh out loud funny, this is still a lightweight sequel for adults, filling the brief animated family movie void as everybody waits for Toy Story 4.
Ford's first animated foray, and the only thing on his roster since Blade Runner 2049 and before next year's Call of the Wild (and the following year's interminably postponed Indy 5), and it's a decent extended cameo that sparks up the otherwise slow middle act.
This is a lightweight sequel, filling the void as everybody waits for Toy Story 4
The Secret Life of Pets 2 feels almost like a series of sharp and funny Short Films which have been dragged out and inexplicably sewn together into a feature-length movie - each character even had their own mini-trailer before the release, which easily gives you the highlights of the entire movie. Running at 86 minutes in length - and once you strip the credits out, that's probably little over 70 minutes - it knows that it has little to work with, and so tries desperately not to outstay its welcome.
Engaging enough for the kids - and thankfully short enough for them too - and intermittently laugh out loud funny, this is still a lightweight sequel for adults, filling the brief animated family movie void as everybody waits for Toy Story 4.
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