Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

Now, the sequel, subtitled "Holy Chicken!", was supposed to come out all the way back in 2017 exclusively on YouTube, of all places. However, because of some controversy surrounding director and star of the film, Morgan Spurlock, it didn't end up coming out until 2019. I'm not going to get into the controversy here since it isn't relevant to the film, but I will briefly go over my thoughts on the first movie. While it is a well-made and entertaining film that raises some good points, the whole "eat nothing but McDonald's" experiment portion of the film is deeply flawed at best and possibly outright fraudulent at worst. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was. The sequel is not about eating nothing but, say, KFC for a month. It's actually about Spurlock opening his own fast-food franchise that sells "grilled crispy chicken sandwiches" using all the same tactics that other fast-food restaurants use to trick people into thinking their food is healthy. He doesn't try to hide any of it from his customers, in hopes to educate them about fast-food marketing tricks. He also becomes a chicken farmer in this documentary and exposes corruption within the chicken farming industry. He shines a light on how poorly the farmers are treated and how they really grow chickens for meat. I thought this documentary was very interesting and well-made. I'd actually argue that it's better than the original since it doesn't have the whole experiment aspect to it which has since been proven to be likely exaggerated or influenced by other factors. I'd recommend checking this out, it's very educational and a fun watch. Now, after the controversy that came out recently some might feel uncomfortable with supporting Spurlock's work, which I understand. Personally, I feel like I can separate the artist from the art on a case-by-case basis. This is a case in which I think I can. Spurlock personally came forward completely unprompted and confessed to what he did rather than getting called-out by someone else and denying it like so many others, which I do respect. Also, this documentary has nothing to do with his personal life, which is also a big factor. Anyway, I'm rambling and getting off-topic. This is a good movie. Check it out.

Morgan does a great job to showcase the different actors in the value chain of the chicken industry. The chicken are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the farmers are treated poorly so that they are in debt, the big chicken companies using clever marketing tricks to provide a false perception of the chicken product.

so now what? well, i think the consumers has the power by being active in promoting transparency and fair treatments of the people and animals in this value chain

In this eye-opening documentary, Morgan Spurlock strips away the curtain to reveal the monopolistic and dishonest practices of the chicken industry in particular, but also the fast food industry as well.

The film made me angry at times, but it also can be sad, funny, informative, and always engaging. I never knew a lot of the things that were revealed here and I found many of them quite fascinating.

Morgan Spurlock is back but thankfully is not again gorging himself on junk food to make himself sick to wean us all off junk food. Many may try to deny it but his first movie was seminal, and made a far bigger impact than many insiders are willing to admit. Not that it has stopped the junk food juggernaut, and this movie takes another step to raise points again on the inhumane parts of the industry.

To get it out the way, there have been allegations made against Spurlock from his personal life which are public which have overshadowed this documentary. This review is not the appropriate place to discuss them, but I can see why it led to a more muted response from some to its release.

Anyhow, Spurlock in this documentary is as affable and witty as ever, showing the chicken rearing and fast food industry reality, but also importantly the disgusting abuse of the farmers by the oligipolies who ultimately pull the levers. I liked the honesty and I respected the farmers in this too, but sadly there was no positive conclusion to the battle for the farmers. Hopefully that will come with support from this movie.

This film is not revolutionary as was the first one, mainly as Netflix has seen a huge growth in similar style documentaries in recent years which also have exposed the truth about the food industry. Nevertheless it's very informative and issue raising.

This film is not asking you to go vegan, it's just asking you in a friendly way to think again about our food industry. That is something to admire. I honestly would urge people to watch this. It has heart and is genuine. Biased maybe but the counter arguments are not going to wholly add up.

Go out, self serve and gorge yourself on this documentary. You'll learn something good, and hopefully will help play a part to direct the food industry into better practises.

My Rating : 7/10

Morgan Spurlock knows a thing or two about making a documentary film and fast food. 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!' is an excellent and necessary expose on the Big Chicken industry - it's a showcase of how unnatural the whole value chain of the chicken industry is, how the chickens are treated unnaturally to make them grow fast, the unfair treatment of the farmers and the clever use of marketing tricks to give a false perception of the final product.

Superb documentary - engaging, eye-opening and transparent filmmaking.