Storks (2016)

This is my review of Storks (spoiler free)

*** (3/5)

MOST OF US in our lives as youngsters would have asked our parents the question of "Where do babies come from?" and they would look embarrassed and try to give a less graphic and more child friendly answer "Babies come from storks in the clouds." Storks is a computer-generated animation that brings that reality to life or as close to life as we as youngsters imagined it. Although in Storks it shows that delivering babies became a hassle but they always gave their word by their creative motto and try to deliver the babies as best they could, they now run an international cooperation donned by Kelsey Grammar's Hunter (who interestingly has the same sounding voice as The Simpsons' Sideshow Bob, without the English accent) that delivers other products by pods, those products will be computers or even something that may be a necessity.

This was written from the mind of Nicholas Stoller who earlier this year gave us the clunky sequel to Bad Neighbours his story about the storks delivering other types of products is good at first filled with a few jokes that deliver a few laughs and that goes on throughout but as it gets to the half way point it seems like he ran out of ideas as he delivers one unfunny to another unfunny line. So as he tries to make an entertaining fit to The Lego Movie as shown with the enjoyable and quite funny Lego Ninjago short before the film starts. But instead it thrives on mediocrity and incessant, brainless writing that may entertain audiences under the ages of six essentially this isn't for every audience as the adults may get a headache. The pacing is relentless but again as it thrives on mediocrity it feels like this type of film has been done before. Familiarity is another point to settle as it has the same animation style as Illumination studios with their last attempt The Secret Life of Pets if it had wings mixed with a part of Pixar Animation like Toy Story if it had feathers although it's not nearly as clever or as ingenious as those two films, and delivers fewer laughs than Donald Trump's hair when he walks into a political debate.

Filled with flaws from the start however all of which can be forgiven with wonderful voices behind Junior (Andy Sandberg, on his second best form this year) and Tulip (Katie Crown in only her second feature in nine years) or 'Orphan Tulip' as the storks call her. Tulip has a unique story she is a spirited and hyperactive 18 year old girl who has lived with the storks her entire life and she calls them family she doesn't know any other life, however the storks want her gone as Hunter shows Junior a very creative graph that profits go down when she tries to help, in that way it's a lot like Elf so Hunter tells Junior that he has to fire Tulip or take her to her family who have no idea she exists. He has to fire in order to become his lifelong dream to be boss of the company with quite a fun montage showing what will happen when he is boss.

The best parts of the film are the beginning and the finale but in-between those parts is a rather messy flop journey with Junior and Tulip as they go on an adventure with the baby and they are overrun by many obstacles, including wolves with the leaders the Alpha and the Beta voiced by the brilliant Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele who have a good time arguing with each other until they see the baby and they get very big-eyed and simply say "awww," at the baby who has a rather florescent pink hairstyle unfortunately that joke is repeated it's funny the first time but that isn't the first joke that is repeated, it seems to go with that theme throughout. Through the second act there is also a pigeon named Toady (Stephen Kramer Glickman) who finds out what Junior is really doing by tasting a bit of baby powder that he left behind, and he goes into detective mode with the title credits of either Sherlock or Magnum P.I. and he goes to tell Hunter who turns into the villain and tries his best to catch Junior with a well thought out capture. From then on the story thrives on predictability still delivering a few laughs but not as many as before and still keeps the theme of repetitive jokes that are now lumbered and over-used. As we fly into the third act there are quite a few of funny scenes but that manage to shy away from flying hilarity, there is a rather funny fight scene with some baby protecting penguins and they try to be very quiet while the baby is sleeping, this scene is rather inventive and seems to be the funniest and the best scene.

Despite all the large holes and silly brainless dialogue all of the flaws can be forgiven with great voices and original plot at the start but instead throughout runs out of ideas and soars mostly lumbered babies which look the same as if they were cloned and broken winged. Storks is okay but mostly an ambiguous mess.

VERDICT: Occasionally soars at points, but mostly it's filled with large holes, repetitive jokes and brainless dialogue that fails to deliver a huge amount of hilarity, and instead is flying broken winged and delivering bouncing bundles of mediocrity.

6/10 okay.