Film Review Week - Day 3

Time to pull out a themed double header to get us through the mid-week slump. (“Hump day.” Eurgh. There’s just something unappealing about that phrase, isn’t there? “Hump day.” I’ll just leave that lying there like a stinky word turd for you.)

The theme? Stop-motion animation.

Early Man
Dir. Nick Park
In A Nutshell:- Stone Age meets Bronze Age in the world’s first football tournament

I love Aardman animation. Ever since I first saw A Grand Day out on Channel 4 many, many years ago, I was hooked on their style and humour. I’ve always had a fondness for stop-motion animation, probably starting with early exposure to Ray Harryhausen classics like Clash Of The Titans, etc. (and Harryhausen gets a nice little reference in the opening of the film, too, courtesy of a pair of familiar-looking fighting dinosaurs, named in the credits as Ray and Harry) and Aardman have really cemented that. Their films always have a combination of appealing character design, sneaky moments of more adult humour and a hefty dollop of heart. Early Man is no exception but, for me, there was something lacking in this one. It doesn’t have the over-the-top silliness of The Pirates or the manic inventiveness of Wallace And Gromit; to be honest, the whole “underdogs going up against the arrogant champs to win back their home” story felt fairly hackneyed.

This may make it sound like I didn’t enjoy it - not the case as there’s still plenty to enjoy. It’s just not up to the very high bar that they themselves have previously set. However, even a sub-par Aardman is still head and shoulders above your average animated fare. Worth a watch, certainly, but unlikely to go down as one of their finest.

Isle Of Dogs
Dir. Wes Anderson
In A Nutshell:- A boy searches for his cast-away dog on an island of exiled canines in future Japan

Having turned to the world of animation for Fantastic Mr Fox, Wes Anderson clearly loved it enough to head back there for a second go-around. It’s very much a Wes Anderson film - symmetrical framing, stylised on-screen titling, quirky characters and a selection of the usual casting suspects (Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman) - and if you enjoy any of his previous films, the likelihood is that this will be up your street too. It’s probably a bit more overtly comic than his other non-animated works but, much like Fantastic Mr Fox, I still wouldn't describe this as entirely a children’s film as there’s plenty in there that would go over the average kid’s head.

As I am a Wes Anderson fan, this one definitely went in the “worth watching” column.

More filmy goodness to come, same time, same blog...