Review: Aardman’s patented British drollery returns with top-notch ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’
As a seasoned cinephile with decades spent traversing the vast landscapes of cinema, I can confidently say that “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” is a triumphant return to form for the beloved British duo and their creators at Aardman Animations. The film’s blend of timeless tropes with wacky characters, coupled with its potent philosophical undertones, makes for a visually stunning and intellectually stimulating cinematic experience that resonates deeply with audiences.
Feathers McGraw, a cunning villain skilled at disguise and possessing an arsenal of tricks, is one of cinema’s most formidable antagonists despite his silence. All his menace lies in the expressionless visage of this famous clay penguin.
McGraw has been slow-cooking his revenge against Wallace and Gromit, Aardman Animations’ inventor-and-dog duo, while serving time at a zoo since “The Wrong Trousers” back in 1993. His plan finally unfolds in “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” the beloved British pair’s first feature-length adventure since the Oscar-winning “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” almost two decades ago.
As a devoted movie enthusiast, I must say that this fresh and meticulously designed clay-animated adventure, “Vengeance Most Fowl,” takes me back to the days of Wallace and Gromit’s daring escapades, particularly their successful thwarting of McGraw’s earlier attempt to pilfer a priceless blue diamond. However, it’s not just the feisty, vindictive bird without wings who presents a threat in this film. The overzealous use of technology in everyday mundane tasks is another menacing presence that looms large here. Things get even more complicated when McGraw manages to lay his hands on this very technology.
In a new collaboration, Nick Park, known for creating Wallace and Gromit, teams up with Merlin Crossingham, an experienced animator at the studio, as co-directors. The story unfolds with the usual chaos typical of these adventures. This time around, Wallace, now voiced by Ben Whitehead following the death of Peter Sallis in 2017, constructs Norbot (played by Reece Shearsmith), a comically eerie, artificially intelligent garden gnome designed to aid Gromit with his gardening tasks. However, when Norbot’s hardware is manipulated for criminal activities and replicated to create an army of mischievous, evil gnomes, Gromit steps up to defend Wallace. Being a dog who enjoys work for enjoyment rather than efficiency, the gnomes grate on Gromit.
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Another extraordinary year for animated films finds me graced with offerings from Japan, Australia, Great Britain, and the cybernetic world of Cybertron. Each unique contribution leaves an indelible mark on my screen-gazing experience.
One distinctive feature of Aardman’s films is their skillful blending of well-known story elements with their quirky characters. For instance, movies like “The Terminator” and “The Matrix” might have influenced the more conventional crime-and-punishment narrative structure. Beneath the playful clay antics lies a profound philosophical message about the unique value of human connection. This aligns perfectly with the labor-intensive process of stop-motion animation, which is entirely dependent on the artists’ craftsmanship. Notably, the bond between Wallace and Gromit often symbolizes the tension between sticking to traditional methods and the yearning for continual advancement.
Title “Vengeance Most Fowl” maintains the charm of its quirky, handcrafted world – Gromit continues to be sharp-witted and Wallace remains oblivious yet well-meaning. It also aims for more complex visual elements. Jokes embedded within set pieces (the books Gromit reads or the signs around) and an abundance of puns related to gnomes keep the humor layered throughout, sometimes overt, other times subtle, making each frame a comedy goldmine.
As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but be tickled pink by the ingenious humor of Aardman Studios. A simple scene like Feathers McGraw casually swiveling on a chair with his new pet in tow could have me laughing out loud. It’s a classic Bond villain introduction twist, yet the playfully serious tone and absurd surroundings make it utterly hilarious. The bumbling Chief Inspector Mackintosh (played by Peter Kay) and the diligent Mukherjee (Lauren Patel), who is trying to stick to the book while conducting her investigation, perfectly balance out the chaotic ensemble.
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Park, along with his longtime partner Mark Burton, intelligently spaced out the “Wallace & Gromit” series to avoid feeling like they’ve overstayed their welcome, instead making it feel as if we’re reuniting with beloved friends from the past. They masterfully balance maintaining the original formula and introducing fresh elements to keep it contemporary, without sacrificing its appeal through shallow pop-culture references.
Although Aardman may use more digital tools these days, their characters – whether heroes or villains – are undeniably operated by humans. As Wallace humorously notes, “There are some things a machine just can’t do,” and this is evident in the tender affection he shows his dog and in the art of animation itself.
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2024-12-19 14:38