Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
Starring Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte, Andy Samberg
Directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn

Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and his friends just saved their island from Flint's invention, which threatened to destroy the island with a deadly food storm.  Inventor Chester V (Will Forte), Flint's childhood hero, arrives shortly after and re-locates the inhabitants of the island to San Franjose, California so they can clean up the island, and Flint goes to work for his hero.

All is not as it seems, as Chester V has evil intentions for Flint's invention, which is hidden somewhere on the island.  He uses Flint's naivete to travel to the island to retrieve it, under the guise that his invention is now creating deadly food creatures who are trying to swim to shore.  Flint brings along his friends, much to Chester's chagrin, to retrieve the machine.

What I enjoy about most sequels is that there's not a lot of story, but mostly just action.  We already know the characters involved, we know what makes them tick, and we just want to see them travel on a wild adventure.  That's what "Cloudy 2" offers the viewers, as there's no new depth to the characters, and the only additions are Chester and his assistant, Barb the Ape (Kristen Schaal), who are both pretty much caricatures of your typical evil genius and misunderstood henchman. 

The visual aspect of the film is the driving force behind it, as the colors, the settings, everything about it is absolutely dazzling, and will definitely impress young and old alike, which makes it a great family movie - one that not just the kids will love, but adults as well.

The food creatures steal the show, especially the adorable strawberry they call "Berry" and a leek that does nothing but scream the whole time.  The dialogue is extremely cheesy, but delivered with impeccable timing and in a very funny way, so it doesn't seem as bad as it was.

Throw in a great moral story involving trusting your friends and never meeting your hero, and you got a decent sequel to a great original.

My Rating: A-

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