It's not easy being a teenage idol - and that goes double if you're a rodent. Enrolled in high school and entrusted to the hazardous care of an immature gamer (Zachary Levi), the lead singer Alvin lets the adulation go to his head. He is "adopted" by the jocks and is such a hit with the girls that he shuns rehearsals. Meanwhile the boys' arch-nemesis, their former manager Ian (David Cross), hooks up with a female copycat band, the Chipettes, and enters them in a battle of the bands against the Chipmunks. The "squeakquel" (that's the movie's best gag right there) to the 2007 pre-schooler hit seems intent on making its furball heroes as human as possible. It wouldn't take much tinkering to adapt the story into a vehicle for the Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana - who may be equally pre-fabricated (and squeaky-clean), but at least they can look their co-stars in the eye. The digital work here is efficient - it's not like Alvin has two heads or anything - but the chipmunks' slapstick antics never really catch fire. The joys of hearing Beyoncé covered in a high-pitched squeal have to be weighed against the sheer tedium of watching mediocre actors mugging, struggling to steal a scene or two from such dedicated ham-sters. Jason Lee - who played their friend Dave in the first film - obviously learnt his lesson; hospitalised in the first scene, he phones in his performance from the relative safety of the emergency ward.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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