A softly spoken gorilla sings an impassioned cowl of Coldplay’s EDM banger ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’, wearing a leather-based jacket with spikes, whereas duelling a proboscis monkey in a literal ring of fireside. It’s only one tiny element of Sing 2, Garth Jennings’ sensorially overwhelming but unusually 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 seek out main stars for a expertise present within the first movie, the secret right here is, nicely, one other present. It’s enjoyable within the particular person musical numbers, as each performer confirms that they will certainly sing, however whenever you take a step again from the blinding spotlights, it does make you surprise what the purpose of any of it’s.

Additions to the solid embrace Bono, who lends his voice (nice in music, unconvincing in any other case) to play reclusive musician Clay Calloway, who Buster and co consider will ship their new manufacturing into the stratosphere. It will be thrilling if he was even barely extra convincing emotionally, and had been blessed with extra character than the drained clichés of a grumpy, grieving man. In the meantime, Halsey steals the present because the deliciously entitled and amusing princess Porsha Crystal, the producer’s daughter with a middling quantity of expertise however an enormous coronary heart.

There are some acquainted pleasures in these head-spinning vignettes — a sundown 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 at all times beautiful, weak elephant Meena — however the ridiculous novelty of the primary movie has pale. Temporary glee fills the air with each absurd music, however the lasting sound is considerably off-key.