Review of the Latest Wallace & Gromit film[Spoilers]I went to the first screening of CotWR this morning at the unprecendent time of 11am. However, the pay-off was to keep the mewling and puking ones down to single figures.
Had the Bristolians sold out to Hollywood? This film was made under the Dreamworks banner but was it sewn up by them? Their earlier feature length film, Chicken Run, a remake of the Great Escape was derivative and lacklustre.
This film has taken 5 years to make, at a rate of 2s of footage a day!!.
Things started badly as their was a short bundled with the main feature: the Madagascar Penguins got their own 10 minute short "A Christmas Caper". The puking ones were clearly the target audience. The timing seemed odd, considering there are 77 shopping days left.
The film started well with the credits metamorphosing into the eponymous beast.
The first half-hour was a riot with hilarious puns, steam-punk machinery including a typically ingenious wake-up system and funny background details. It exceeded the high standards set by The Wrong Trousers & A Close Shave.
However, the film seemed to sag in the middle half-hour and the identity of the duo's foe was easily figured out. However, the film had references to contemporary issues such as obesity, hunting protests, genetically-engineered crops & behaviour modification. It also satirised English country life which I am sure will make an impression on American audiences in the same way that Love Actually educates them about London.
The final reel got my sides splitting with film pastiches and the inevitable chase, which gets put on hold when the protagonists coin-powered vehicles need to be refueled.
All in all, a funny film showing that Nick Park et al. have survived the transition to the big screen and to Hollywood whilst preserving their artistic integrity.
