“Oh, cwap!” exclaims one of the adorable
baby hatchlings.
Who’s sending these ice bombs? It’s Zeta, over
on Eagle Island, a new and formidable villain
(voiced by a hilarious Leslie Jones, a welcome
newcomer to the franchise.) Like in a James
Bond film, her plans involve ultimate global
destruction — at least in the vicinity of
Pigcific Ocean.
So the former enemies become “frenemies.” But
they need a crack team to thwart Zeta. They
especially need an ace engineer, which they find
in Chuck’s whipsmart little sister, Silver (Rachel
Bloom), a star student at Avian Academy.
But can Red, whose ego remains highly
sensitive, become a team player? Even more
difficult, can he cede authority to ... a girl?
And what’s with Zeta, who’s plotting to seize the
other islands to create her own paradise? Might
her anger have anything to do with her history
with, say, Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), the only
bird who physically can fly, but remains deeply
challenged in the bravery department?
Meanwhile, there’s the sweetest little subplot,
involving the adorable hatchlings, who get into
serious trouble while playing around with their
younger siblings — who are still eggs.
So there’s the story in an eggshell. What propels
it forward are the often genuinely entertaining
jokes. These take the form of both wordplay —
“Flockbuster Video!” “Crazy Rich Avians!” “Plan X? I
thought you said Spandex!” — and visual gags. Try
not to laugh watching Red lying on the floor inhaling
popcorn, pouring melted butter into his mouth
with one hand, shaking salt into it with another.