Visually appealing and hyper-kinetic energy that will thrill young movie buffs, and those who are still young at heart, The Angry Birds Movie is an animated movie that manages to be highly entertaining while never really coming close to becoming a classic. It might sound like a back handed compliment but the film's energy (it moves like a hungry child who's been let loose in a all you can eat candy buffet) and creativity make the original digital game besides the point. There is lots of fun to be had with this movie and fortunately it doesn't really matter if you are one of the few people on earth who never played the game. But it's precisely the production's ambition to be appealing to everyone that leads to the movie's main weakness.

The humor is all over the place. The film is on solid ground when it's exploring the funny dynamic between Red (Jason Sudeikis), Bomb (Danny McBride) and Chuck (Josh Gad), three birds who for different reasons have to attend an anger management class. But the script pushes to an obligatory showdown with the Pigs who have invaded their island and it's in that moment where the writers confuse letting loose with trying any joke you can think of. Will a six year old catch a visual reference to The Shining? Will that six year old's parent think that reference is funny? Why is one of the character's randomly listening to Rick Astley? Who is supposed to think any of this scatter shots of pop culture are funny? That part of the script shows a movie that wanted to be quirky like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs but it's not edgy or risky enough to do so.

To this you have to add a secondary plot line that has the three main characters seeking the help of The Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage), a heroic figure from the island's past who is now a has been. That section has a truly hilarious gag concerning "the lake of wisdom" but the rest feels like unnecessary filler which could be said of most of the jokes in the movie's second act.

The film regains its comedic footing during the third act when the main character's ability to loose their cool becomes a major asset in their battle with the pigs. In this section of the film the jokes match the fantastic animation on display. The other thing that is extremely easy to admire is how the script is not forced into a PSA-family friendly message and Red and his buddies are cute in their anger but not generic (or classic Disney) sort of way.  So even though their film is not remotely on the same league with a lesser Pixar movie, it's still a fun time at the movies.

The Angry Birds Movie in theaters May 20.