On one of our most recent nights out at the movies, we went to see The Nut Job 2. To tell you how popular this is/was, there was only four of in the entire theater, the girlfriend and I, as well as a dad and his daughter. She obviously enjoyed the movie the most out of all four of us because you could hear her laughing through out. As for the adults, I don’t think the same could be said.
I was really excited for this movie because on some levels I really enjoyed the first one. I may not agree with all the voices behind the cameras, but there are some likeable characters in this squirrel universe. The Nut Job 2 picks up where the first leaves off and after a really terrible accident, these guys are forced back into the park, only to learn it is about to be destroyed for circus land. Everything started with a bang, before you know it I couldn’t stop laughing as a bunch of small animals did everything they could to stop the human construction crews from demolishing the land. I think I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard, which got me even more excited for the rest of the movie.
That’s where my hopes and dreams got crushed and I came to realize this movie was pretty stupid, pointless, and did not need to have a major release. This kind of sequel could have got the royal treatment from Netflix and I bet more people would have watched it.
Despite being a kids movie, there is a lot violence, whether it animals beating on other animals, or the crazy psycho daughter of the mayor ripping plastic heads of dolls. I get the movie needed a “bad guy”, but even these kinds of movies need a line and shouldn’t cross it. Realistically I could come up with a long list of things wrong with this movie, but I’d hate to take away the great job the guy at CinemaSins does (look him up on YouTube, you’ll thank me later).
By this point you are probably confused on whether or not I enjoyed The Nut Job 2, and all I can really say is there a few things to like and a few things to hate. It wasn’t the worse animated movie I’ve seen in 2017, but isn’t anywhere near the best either. Take the movie, characters, and story for what it is. A small-scale budget who can never compete with the Pixar and Dreamworks companies of the world, but still have a desire to try to entertain little kids.
star rating: 3/10
Ten Stars or Less 