Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2

A machine with the ability to turn water into delicious food may sound like the world’s greatest invention, but after the disastrous spaghetti and meatball tornado wreaked havoc on the tiny town of Swallow Falls in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Flint Lockwood’s FLDSMDFR becomes destined for the scrapheap. At least, that the townspeople were made to believe.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up directly from where the first film left off. Swallow Falls has become overgrown with all kinds of food items, and genius inventor Chester V and his Live Corp Company have come to clean up the mess. When they find out that the FLDSMDFR is still producing food, which has now become sentient, Flint is sent on a secret mission to shut down the machine for good. But is it really the machine he should be worried about?

If you’re a fan of the first film and let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you be, then you’re going to love Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. The film is full of witty humor and gags that work for audiences of all ages. And the puns; practically every food animal on the island is a play on words like the tacodile or shrimpanzee. They’re cheesy but good for a laugh and work well with the style of the film. It can feel like a sensory overload at times, with slew of jokes and visual humor bombarding you from every direction. It’s definitely one of those films you’re going to need to watch multiple times to take everything in. It doesn’t matter, though, as you should be doing that regardless. Yes, it’s that good.

In addition to Flint (Bill Hader), characters including Sam (Anna Faris), Flint’s dad Tim (James Caan), and of course Steve the Monkey (Neil Patrick Harris) make their return. Each has his or her own quirks, and it’s hilarious to see how they interact with each other. Cloudy 2 also introduces Chester V (Will Forte), and his ape assistant Barb (Kristen Schaal), who brings some tension to the close knit group of friends with his larger-than-life Steve Jobs-esque persona. Apparently his noodly appendages have a mind of their own as well, because they’re always doing something strange. It’s quirky, and I love it.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is just plain fun. It doesn’t weigh itself down with an overcomplicated plot forced jokes. There’s a consistent flow of uninterrupted humor that leave a constant smile on your face. The film is cute, hilarious, and everything you want out of an animated feature.