"The Angry Birds Movie" is based on this shaky idea that an app game might translate into a successful movie. I wish that were true, but instead we get a movie that is too frantic to work and will appeal to kids and kids alone.

Jason Sudeikis provides the voice of Red, a bird who works as a clown on Bird Island. One day, his antics cause him to lose his temper at a birthday party, and he’s sentenced to anger management therapy. During his therapy, he meets other birds, including Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride) and Terence (Sean Penn, who only makes low grunting noises).

Some pigs travel to Bird Island, claiming to be explorers who come in peace and are looking for new settlements. Immediately, Red doesn’t trust them, and he and his comrades try to enlist the help of the wise bird known as the Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) to see what their motives really are.

The movie does bits and pieces of good wit and humor, but then the climax unnecessarily turns into an action flick as the birds invade the pigs’ territory. It also occasionally rips off other action movies, such as "Avatar."

"The Angry Birds Movie" has some nice moments, but it never reaches for anything else. Kids might be lured to it if they’re fans of the game. They might also be attracted to the animation and its goofy energy, which almost makes up for its sheer inconsequentiality.

This movie is mildly amusing and relatively harmless, but mostly it’s just too manic for my taste. I have a feeling that this will only amount to a missed opportunity.

Grade: B-

(Rated PG for crude humor and action.)

Hall is a syndicated columnist in South Georgia.