Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

2009's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was based on a beloved book that turns out to be a really good and undeniably endearing adaptation, and that's satisfying enough for us to live without any sequel of it. But here it is, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, a film that gives Flint Lockwood and the gang an extra journey to this whimsical world. And surprisingly, it turns out to be all fun with wonderful animation and some memorable humor, especially when it involves puns. It's still extravagant for it to have a sequel, but if you're hungry for more of these delightful characters and their preposterous adventures, then this film is a worthwhile treat.

The main plot itself is immediately stale, focusing on that point gives the film a hint of tastelessness. There's even hardly any meat to its subtext which it rather mixes its random messages; it started with the childhood idol trouble cliché, then to Flint's relationship issues to his father and friends, and eventually tells an environmental friendly story. There's also an irony at the third message that the fact the animals, which are made of food, shouldn't be harmed, but eating sardines is fine. I understand what kind of analogy they're pulling off here, but then it gets a bit awkward when you give it a second look, at least it's not a sour remark. It sparks best when it simply explores around the context, which seems to be the only thing the film is interested in. It also works better when the "Foodnimals" were introduced, mostly because the characters are giving them names out of puns and that's pretty much of the film's humor. Puns may be annoying for some people, but it adds flavor to the gags.

Even a half-baked plot can't keep this from being entertaining, the world itself is already a pure delight. Many of the cast from the first movie returns; Bill Hader, Anna Farris, James Caan, and the rest still got it by bringing plenty of charm and sweetness in their characters. While the new ones; Terry Crews replaces Mr. T as Earl, but it seems perfect enough for him to fill these shoes. And Will Forte also gives a fun performance as Chester V. The visuals brings it to the table, it has become even more eye candy than before which makes a good recommendation to be seen in theaters. It's all deliciously adventurous and utterly whimsical that made things a lot lively.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 is a piece of cake blockbuster that is easy enough for anyone to swallow. I believe this is good for people who need a little light entertainment in a while; as long as you're able to not chicken out from the film's numerous amount of cheesy puns. But in the end, you may get use to it, sometimes contagious, which made me pretentiously use some in this review. It's still undercooked regards to the plot, but the amazing technical work and great voice acting covered that up. It's no means to be perfect, we just sometimes need a simple funny and purely imaginative film to spend in our time, and this is one of the good choices.