★★★★☆

As a long-time aficionado of animated cinema, hailing from the days of hand-drawn cells and stop-motion wonders, I must say that Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a delightful addition to the duo’s timeless adventures. The film masterfully blends humor, suspense, and visual ingenuity, making it an absolute treat for both newcomers and seasoned fans alike.

Add Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl to your watchlist

Remarkably, the world of Wallace & Gromit remains much the same since their last adventure with “A Matter Of Loaf And Death” in 2008. As ever, Wallace’s ingenious contraptions continue to dominate their lives, and it won’t be a shock when, yet again, his inventions get our heroes into some trouble.

Building upon a foundation of comfort and heritage, they launch into their second full-length escapade, bursting at the seams with laughter, peril, imaginatively absurd physical humor, and side characters who offer far more than simple backdrops.

Notably, Feathers McGraw, the duo’s troublesome bird adversary, makes a comeback in this story. He was locked up in a top-security zoo following the events of 1993’s The Wrong Trousers. An early scene hints at Feathers being Robert De Niro’s jailbird character from Cape Fear, one of many pop culture Easter eggs scattered throughout (be on the lookout for references to Captain Nemo, The Flintstones, and local TV personality “Anton Deck”).

Wallace’s latest profitable venture is an automated garden gnome named Norbot, a cheerful, industrious little character voiced by Reece Shearsmith. This innovative invention forms the basis of Gnome Improvements on West Wallaby Street, and it can effortlessly transform an entire backyard into a beautiful landscape within mere minutes.

Spotting a chance, Feathers devises a wicked scheme while in his cell. He manages to gain access to Wallace’s awkward basement computer network and mass-produces Norbot (changing it to an entirely malevolent mode) until he has a large group of these robots at his command, ready to carry out his nefarious commands.

The ultimate goal is to plan another robbery to snatch the Blue Diamond that almost escaped during the initial encounter with man and dog. However, before executing this heist, it’s necessary to orchestrate a series of crimes attributed to gnomes, which will invariably be pinned on the creator of Norbot instead.

In the opinion of Chief Inspector Mackintosh, portrayed by Peter Kay, this appears to be a clear-cut case. However, his ambitious junior officer PC Mukherjee (played by Lauren Patel) senses that there’s something far darker at play. It falls on Mukherjee and the clever Gromit to unravel the mystery and, in doing so, rescue Wallace from confinement.

There’s a lot happening in this episode, much more than could fit in their earlier 30-minute sessions. The complex storyline flows more smoothly compared to the other series installment, “Were-Rabbit.

Nick Park and Aardman Animations have mastered the intricacies of longer storytelling, refining their skills over the production of Shaun The Sheep movies in 2015 and ’19. This expertise allows them to provide plenty of hilarious, edge-of-your-seat excitement while preserving the authentic, down-to-earth appeal of their characters.

Ensuring that the essence and character of the original performance by Peter Sallis as Wallace remains intact is particularly important when Ben Whitehead takes over the role. Whitehead has previous experience with the character from various video games dating back to 2009.

With remarkable precision, Whitehead flawlessly captures the excitement, frustration, and subtler characteristics of the character, making it challenging for even the most attentive listeners to discern any noticeable variation. This finesse becomes crucial as the character’s reactions to the chaos surrounding Wallace play a significant role in the story.

Read more film reviews:

Wicked review: Ariana Grande steals the show in bewitching blockbuster
Nosferatu review: This creepy and compelling new take on vampire myth is a thing of beauty
Gladiator II review: A sturdy sequel that revels in its more ludicrous qualities
Emilia Pérez review: A musical that redefines what’s possible in the genre
That Christmas review: Richard Curtis’s animation is twee but with a winning formula

If some brief, witty remarks seem insufficient or fall short, rest assured that Mark Burton’s script, supplemented by contributions from Holly Walsh and Barunka O’Shaughnessy, offers a wealth of high-quality humor to maintain the flow.

The scenarios and environments remain as daringly imaginative as before, providing characters with stunning settings reminiscent of Tex Avery cartoons, Hitchcock suspense films, and everything in between – quite an accomplishment for a movie deeply embedded in the charm of stop-motion animation.

In this animation, minimal computer trickery is used as the intricate world built by Aardman speaks for itself, requiring no enhancement. Even with advancements in technology, Wallace & Gromit remain highly respected figures.

2024-12-20 21:04

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl review — A banquet of jokes with storytelling as audacious as ever

★★★★☆

Read More