Sing 2

There’s got to be a less painless way to honor U2 than sitting through Sing 2.

Arriving five years after its fresh, emotionally rich predecessor, the animated sequel suffers from writing and direction by Garth Jennings that has little in common with the original.

The lame story finds our beloved musical menagerie going to great lengths in order to land a residency in the animal world’s Las Vegas equivalent — efforts that strain to earn laughs yet are occasionally redeemed by impressive visuals.

And it’s not like the soundtrack is a dud, especially with songs by Bono, The Edge & Co. dotting the film. But with the vocalist himself voicing a reclusive artist that our heroes must lure out of retirement for the show to exist, it all feels overly laudatory for the band — a tribute that doesn’t require a blatant money grab like this to occur.

Grade: D-plus. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande

(Photo: Universal Pictures)