It is no secret that I am not a fan of Illumination Studios. I find their films pedantic and unoriginal. While The Secret Life of Pets was a runaway hit a few years ago, it didn't speak to me. It was a clever idea for a premise which was executed in an extremely average manner, relying on gimmicks and caricatures to tell its story. When a movie makes this much money they make a sequel assuming we all want to see another chapter. But that often isn't the case. Sometimes an audience just enjoys a film (even if I didn't) but aren't necessarily invested in the characters or the story enough to want to see more of their adventures.
The Secret Life of Pets appears to be a good example of this.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 isn't really a story. It is a series of unconnected stories, forced together at the end into a rather anti-climactic finale. None of those stories are that interesting. Few of the jokes are that funny. It's really an example of a corporation trying to milk more money out of intellectual (haha) property without there being a creative reason or artistic motivation to continue the narrative.
So instead we are subjected to rather heavy handed cliches about cat behavior and dog behavior. We watch animals go through forced scenarios which are all too easily resolved. It's all a bit absurdist, which I wish made it better than it is. But by the end you ask yourself, why did I watch that?
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Harrison Ford, Ellie Kemper, Tara Strong
Director: Chris Renaud
Writer: Brian Lynch
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