Bono is at the centre of one of 2022’s most emotional cinematic moment

We're as surprised as anyone.

It is so incredibly easy to jump on the "Hating Bono" bandwagon. It doesn't help that Bono himself recently revealed that some of U2's old songs make him cringe, and that he doesn't even like the name of his band anymore. This lead to some Very Clever People to wade in with their Very Clever Opinions about finally having something in common with Bono, and not liking U2's songs very much either. Yep, very clever, well done all round. Discounting forty years of albums, so many incredible songs, for the sake of a not-even-all-that-funny punchline. Sure, this writer would consider himself a fan of U2, but would still have trouble naming a single album or single that U2 might have had in the last decade. But these things, they're cyclical. There was a time when openly admitting to liking some musical acts was considered horrendously uncool, only for the tides to turn, the act to get re-evaluated, and get the love they deserve. From Duran Duran to Kylie Minogue, acts can suddenly undergo a transition in the eyes of the public, and that could be happening very soon for Bono and U2, and from an incredibly unlikely source... animated musical sequel Sing 2. Alongside a roster of some incredibly hip acts including Halsey and Pharrell Williams, it does seem like adding Bono to that voice cast sticks out like a sour thumb. Sure, Bono has had some mild flirtation with movies in the past, having co-created the story for the Mel Gibson-starring flop The Million Dollar Hotel, as well as appearing in jukebox musical Across The Universe, but in Sing 2, he isn't just appearing as a singer, he's a central and integral character to the plot. And, perhaps most surprisingly, he's really good in it! His retired musician lion Clay Calloway sounds a lot like Liam Neeson voicing Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia movies, and it is only when he starts singing that you realise it is actually Bono. The use of Calloway's songs (which, in our reality, are U2 songs) are necessary for a Vegas-esque stage show to go ahead, with Ash (voiced by Scarlett Johannson), one of Calloway's biggest fans, sent to his isolated mansion to attempt to coax him out of retirement. It is here, during a very tender moment, that Sing 2 practically matches Up in terms of emotionality. Without giving too much away, the movie's writer and director Garth Jennings sets the scene beautifully, soundtracked by Johannson performing a very stripped back version of 'Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of'... and yep, the tears will flow. Elsewhere in the movie, Johannson and Bono duet on 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For', and between them both, the movie will likely open up a brand new demographic to the music of U2, defiantly holding its place alongside tracks on the same soundtrack by the likes of Billie Eilish and Mercury Rev. Yes, it does result in U2 having a brand new song on the soundtrack (you can listen to it below), co-produced by Martin Garrix, who was also behind Bono and The Edge's instantly forgettable Euro 2020 track 'We Are The People'. I guess they can't all be classics. Sing 2 is released in Irish cinemas on Friday, 28 January. Clips via U2 and Universal Pictures