Early Man

Aardman Animations have been part of my life. I will forever remember the moment Wallace wore the wrong trousers or Mrs Tweedy obnoxiously making chicken pies. Their animations are quintessentially British, and I'm somewhat patriotic about that. So it comes with no pleasure that I have to say I really didn't enjoy this. A small tribe of cavemen have been brutally kicked out of their valley. The rise of The Bronze Age creates a pivotal and existential question: who is better at football? Of course, you have your memorable characters that range from a bronze obsessed Lord to a sheepish hog...and there we have our film. Consistently, their animation style knocks it out of the park...Nick Park...*cough* everytime! Stop motion is a skill, an incredible talent and it's great to see fully fledged motion pictures are still being produced. The British voice cast were stupendously well suited, particularly Redmayne and Hiddleston who clearly had fun. Occasionally the witty script, filled with both football satire and ancient puns, did bring a smile on my face. It's just...not enough, I'm sorry to say. Look, Nick Park and the gang are endlessly inventive and provide great family entertainment value. Children will love this no doubt. It just wasn't for me. The plot was ridiculously predictable to a point where I could estimate accurately how the story would unfold. Guess what? I was right. The over reliance of crude slapstick humour (farts, annoying sounds etc.) was far too excessive and seemed dated. It's as if the studio haven't evolved whereas rivals Pixar, Laika and even Dreamworks are way ahead of the game. The story's execution felt primitive. I felt nothing towards the characters, wasn't moved by the plot and the clear moral of the story was forced down my throat. Teamwork...if you didn't get it. I just don't think football was the way to go. A real unfortunate misfire, I hope the studio bring it back with their next motion picture.