‘ANGRY BIRDS’

If you’ve ever played the mobile video game “Angry Birds,” you might have found yourself wondering — why am I sling-shotting cartoon birds at grinning green pigs? Why are these birds so angry? What have the pigs done to deserve this destruction?

“Angry Birds,” the movie, is here to fill in that backstory, to answer the questions that may or may not have been asked, and to provide motivation for the avian rage. The film, directed by Clay Kittis and Fergal Reilly, from a screenplay by “Simpsons” writer Jon Vitti, proves to be more than just a gimmick, and doesn’t skimp on any of the quirky wackiness that you might expect from a film about blob-shaped flightless birds battling pigs.

Jason Sudeikis lends his voice talents to the angriest of the birds, Red, and his snarky, sardonic delivery is perfect for the character. He’s the red one, per the name, with the perpetually V-shaped eyebrows. Those brows are the source of some angst, having been teased about them as a kid. That early torment has led to his current worldview, as a perpetual victim whom the world is out to get, an oddball and loner with a short fuse who doesn’t fit in on the happygo-lucky paradise island where he Rated PG for rude humor and action. ★★★

and all the other flightless birds live.

He doesn’t even fit in during his court-mandated anger management classes. “Angry Birds” somehow balances those recognizable real-world elements with all-out fantastical silliness, and that contrast lends itself to the film’s weird charm. Zennedout Matilda (Maya Rudolph) teaches the island’s other angry birds in attendance — the speedy motormouth Chuck (Josh Gad), uncontrollably explosive Bomb (Danny Mcbride) and intimidating but silent Terence (Sean Penn), who only growls.

The emotional foundation of bullying and loneliness is almost too humane for a film that features a razzle-dazzle cowboy dance number performed by enthusiastic and energetic green pigs. The porky pirates arrive one day in an enormous ship, led by the swaggering, Southern-accented Leonard (Bill Hader), bearing tropical banquets and dance parties with DJS named Daft Piggy, sweeping the birds off their feet with entertainment and hoopla.

Red’s the only skeptic in the bunch, trained by years of expecting the worst from others. Also, he’s finally in a position where he’s actually being oppressed — the pigs parked their boat right on his house. But his suspicion is ignored, and soon the overbearing porcine partyers make off with the birds’ precious eggs, their children, for a feast on Piggy Island.

So while the plot just might put some kids off eating eggs (are they baby birds or protein-rich snacks?), the themes at play in “Angry Birds” are surprisingly somewhat nuanced. The story demonstrates how certain traits — Chuck’s speed, Red’s anger, Bomb’s, well, bombastic qualities — might be looked down upon by society’s norms, but can be strengths when harnessed in the right way, like in a bird slingshot.

Peter Dinklage voices the fantastically vainglorious, over-the-hill Mighty Eagle, whom Red idolizes and hopes will save them from the pigs. When it turns out he’s just a paunchy braggart who can’t fly, Red realizes with exasperation that, “the fate of the world relies on idiots like me.” That message is all too relatable — the fate of the world relies on idiots like all of us. Descriptions and starred minireviews by John Beifuss. Angry Birds (PG, 97 min.) The video game app inspires a computer-animated comedyadventure. Cineplanet 16 (in 3-D), Collierville Towne 16 (in 3-D), Cordova Cinema (in 3-D), Desoto Cinema 16 (in 3-D), Forest Hill 8, Hollywood 20 Cinema (in 3-D), Majestic, Olive Branch Cinema (in 3-D), Palace Cinema (in 3-D), Paradiso (in 3-D), Stage Cinema (in 3-D), Summer Quartet Drive-in. Brahmotsavam ( Not rated, 150 min.) A Telugu-language family drama. Collierville Towne 16 The Meddler (PG-13, 100 min.) Widow Susan Sarandon interferes in the life of daughter Rose Byrne. Ridgeway Cinema Grill. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (R, 92 min.) Chubby dad Seth Rogen enlists cut frat nemesis Zac Efron to combat a party-hearty sorority. Cineplanet 16, Collierville Towne 16, Cordova Cinema, Desoto Cinema 16, Forest Hill 8, Hollywood 20 Cinema, Majestic, Olive Branch Cinema, Palace Cinema, Paradiso, Stage Cinema, Studio on the Square, Summer Quartet Drive-in. The Nice Guys (R, 116 min.) Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, in a private-eye comedy-mystery set in 1970s Los Angeles. Cineplanet 16, Collierville Towne 16, Cordova Cinema, Desoto Cinema 16, Forest Hill 8, Hollywood 20 Cinema, Majestic, Olive Branch Cinema, Palace Cinema, Paradiso, Ridgeway Cinema Grill, Stage Cinema, Studio on the Square. Sarbjit (Not rated, 150 min.) A fact-based Hindi drama about an innocent Indian farmer jailed in Pakistan as a spy. Wolfchase Galleria Cinema 8. Journey to Space 3D (Not rated, 45 min.) Experience space flight history and the space shuttle program. Through Nov. 11, CTI 3D Giant Theater, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets: $9 adults (13-59), $8 seniors (60+), $7 children (3-12). Call 901-636-2362 for showtimes, tickets and reservations. Living in the Age of Airplanes 2D (Not rated, 45 min.) Experience the age of flight and its impact upon commerce and culture. Through June 3, CTI 3D Giant Theater, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets: $9 adult (13-59), $8 seniors (60+), $7 children (3-12). Call 901-636-2362 for showtimes, tickets and reservations. National Parks Adventure 3D (Not rated, 45 min.) Robert Redford narrates this ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation’s great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Filmed in more than 30 national parks, the movie features mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl hiking, climbing and exploring their way across America. Through June 3, CTI 3D Giant Theater, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets: $9 adult (13-59), $8 seniors (60+), $7 children (3-12). Call 901-636-2362 for showtimes, tickets and reservations. Prehistoric Planet: Walking with Dinosaurs 3D (Not rated, 45 min.) Experience a year in the life of dinosaurs. Through June 3, CTI 3D Giant Theater, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets: $9 adult (13-59), $8 seniors (60+), $7 children (3-12). Call 901-636-2362 for showtimes, tickets and reservations. Soledad O’brien: The War Comes Home (Not rated, 105 min.) The celebrity broadcast journalist hosts a “hard-hitting, emotional” documentary that follows two Iraq war veterans as they struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Paradiso. Tickets: $16. Visit malco.com. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (PG, 92 min.) The annual outdoor “Movie Night at Carriage Crossing” series continues with a 2015 mostly animated comedy that finds Spongebob and pals transformed into Marvel Comics-esque superheroes. “Pre-movie fun” begins at 7 p.m., and films start at dusk. Families are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Friday, Central Park at Carriage Crossing, 4674 Merchants Park Circle, Collierville. Admission: free. Visit shopcarriagecrossing.com. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (PG, 113 min.) Nicholas Meyer, who directed series-best “Wrath of Khan,” returns for this 1991 adventure in which Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) are accused of assassinating a Klingon leader. 4 p.m. Saturday, CTI 3D Giant Theater, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave. Tickets: $9 adult (13-59), $8 seniors (60+), $7 children (3-12). Call 901-636-2362 for showtimes, tickets and reservations. Star Trek Generations (PG, 118 min.) The Pink Palace’s