Grade: B-
Rating: PG, 89
minutes
In a Nutshell: If you’re
a fan of the Wallace and Gromit stop-motion, cheeky, clay animated series like
I am, then you’re always happy when the Aardman team creates anything new.
Unfortunately, this isn’t their best work. Still, it’s family entertainment that will make everyone giggle at least a few times.
Unfortunately, this isn’t their best work. Still, it’s family entertainment that will make everyone giggle at least a few times.
Tips for
parents:
- No profanity.
- Some gags and jokes that some kids won’t understand.
- It’s super silly.
Uplifting theme:
- Teamwork
- You
can be or do anything you set your mind to.
- Girls
can play soccer too.
Things I liked:
- Lots
of visual gags and puns.
- The
talented voice cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Timothy
Spall, and Richard Ayoade.
- I
thought all of the characters’ accents were funny and ridiculous.
- Wallace
and Gromit are actually in a couple of the crowd shots. Yay!
Things I didn’t like:
- How
sad that I was actually glad when the movie ended. I hate to admit I was bored at times.
- The
trailer doesn’t really show what the movie is about. As it turns out, it’s a soccer movie ala
Stone Age vs. Bronze Age.
- Americans
won’t catch a lot of the British jokes.
For example, there is a zebra pelt on the ground when Dug first
enters the Bronze-age village.
Apparently, it refers to the British term “zebra crossing.”
- Some
people won’t get the duck joke. I
didn’t.
- The
story is pretty thin with characters I didn’t feel very invested in.
- Visually,
it felt dark and rough. I suppose
that’s supposed to make us feel like we’re in the Stone Age, but it made
me sleepy and uninterested.
- Predictable
ending.
Funny lines:
- “Sliced
bread! That’s the biggest thing since…well, ever!” – lady in the market
Fun movies from the Aardman Studio:
@trinaboice
