Films > DVD Reviews

Sing

by Drew

24/04/17

What? DVD of the month? That shit X-Factor with animals movie? Is Drew having a mental breakdown? Let's address all that now. Firstly, this month’s DVDs are pretty rubbish and I didn't have much to choose from. Secondly, Sing is actually pretty good. And lastly, I may well be having a mental breakdown but it's not affecting my ability to enjoy good films.

Sing tells the tale of a down on his luck, yet eternally optimistic koala named Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), who hosts a singing contest to raise the funds to save his beloved, ailing theatre.

Despite its obvious parallels to X-Factor, this plays out more like the Muppets in its "let's put on a show to save the theatre" set up, and owes a great debt to vintage Hollywood musicals. The contestants are interesting enough despite being well worn character archetypes; Johnny (Taron Egerton), a gorilla who is reluctantly following in his criminal father’s footsteps, Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), a mother of 25 piglets who is so busy she doesn't even notice that she likes to sing, Ash (Scarlett Johannson), a porcupine currently in her boyfriend’s shadow in a punk duo, shy but talented elephant, Meena (Tori Kelly) and Mike (Seth McFarlane), a greedy and selfish sax-playing mouse. All have fun back stories and different character arcs, brilliantly with some not learning any life lessons along the way at all.

If you don't like any kind of pop music then it may be best to skip this one altogether as the knockout stages of the competition are like a rapid fire wall of song, and even though the performances are great and a good, varied selection of songs are used, it just begins to resemble white noise after a while.

Due to a couple of films that failed to get off the ground and a long production on this, it's been a whopping 10 years since writer/director Garth Jennings last full-length feature, Son of Rambow. Along with that and the much maligned with flashes of brilliance The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, this is only his third film. Hopefully the success of this will help pave the way towards getting future projects off the ground as I feel he is a great British talent in making accessible heartwarming films with a heart and brain that are suitable for the whole family.

Now go away and let me continue my breakdown.