The Secret Life of Pets 2

For the rest of June, I've decided to give a guest co-spot to characters from my debut poem, http://jethrotcat.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-original-jethro-cat.html. Vance was in the last review, and here is Baxter the Dog.

Howdy, fellas. Baxter here. My first collaborative review is on The Secret Life of Pets 2. It's a sequel to that animated movie from three years back. Let's get to describing it.

Max (Patton Oswalt, replacing Louis CK due to certain circumstances) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) the dogs love their human, Katie. But then, she brings home another human, Chuck, and then, a littler human, Liam. The dogs love Chuck, but aren't certain about Liam. But they warm up to him. Max gets so overprotective of Liam that he starts itching. Then, the whole family goes upstate to a farm. Max meets Rooster the Sheepdog (Harrison Ford), a gruff old guy who teaches him courage.

Meanwhile, Gidget the Pomeranian (Jenny Slate) loses Max's favorite squeaky toy in a cat lady's apartment. Chloe the Cat (Lake Bell) teaches Gidget how to be a cat so she can infiltrate the place.

And also, meanwhile, Snowball the White Rabbit (Kevin Hart) decides he's a superhero. Daisy the Shih Tzu (Tiffany Haddish) asks "Captain Snowball" to help her save a white tiger, Hu, from an abusive circus ringmaster, Sergei (Nick Kroll). Liberating the big white cat's easy; hiding him is another issue. 

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It's only 86 minutes, but it feels longer than that. Its three storylines would make great shorts. But they slow the plot down when it switches between them. That's because there aren't that many looming stakes until the end. That's when Sergei shows up at the Pets' neighborhood to find Hu. Still, the resulting climax on Sergei's train is a fun romp. Any more positives?

Unlike the first film, there were a few surprises the trailers didn't spoil. Snowball and Daisy's rescue of Hu involves a silly battle with Sergei's guard wolves at the circus. Where Hu ends up was blackly hilarious. The Cat Lady is more proactive than we think. And finally, the "main storyline" with Max and Duke showed their bonding with Liam in a great montage. They're pretty stable when Liam goes to Pre-School for the first time - unlike his parents.

For the new characters. Daisy's assured and commanding presence made her the best new character. It's a shame we didn't get to see her normal life. Sergei is a vile villain, but the film doesn't let him go even further. At least he got humiliated in the end. Rooster was fine. Just fine. The Cat Lady's cats were a fun and eclectic bunch of kitties. The pets Max meets at the Vet's lobby - including the pyromaniac cats - were creepy and hilarious. 

Its narrative bark is still quieter than its bite; but it still tries to bite. You'd be surprised with the risque humor from returning character Pops the Basset Hound (Dana Carvey) and his obedience school pups. Still, if you're in the mood for The Secret Life of Pets 2, it's an OK matinee to start the actual summer with. Don't expect too much before you go in and you'll do fine.