Early Man review: Legendary stop-motion helmer Nick Park directs his first feature since The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.
Early Man review by Andrew Gaudion.
Early Man review
An Aardman animated feature is always something to be cherished. The studio behind Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, and Shaun the Sheep understandably take a long time to release a film, otherwise you wouldn’t have that ever so charming claymation feel, feel being the operative word as it is endlessly endearing seeing the fingerprints of the animators within the movement of characters. Early Man is extra special as it marks Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park’s first foray into stop-motion since the Wallace and Gromit short A Matter of Loaf and Death. Early Man, unfortunately, doesn’t quite hit the heights of the Oscar winner’s past glories, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t plenty to enjoy from Park’s return.
Early Man tells the story of Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his tribe of cavemen who find their valley taken away from them following an invasion from the Bronze Age. They soon discover there is one way that they can get their home back, and that is by winning a game of football against the invading civilisation.
Early Man review
That premise may not seem too appealing to non-footy fans, but Early Man plays more by the rulebook of your conventional underdog story (or should I say ‘underhog’ in this case, what with the presence of Gromit-esque pal Hognob). It has fun blending in its prehistoric visuals with footballing puns, making this endeavour come across as Chicken Run meets One Million BC by way of Escape to Victory. But as a result, the film isn’t too full of surprises, playing to a very predictable beat all the way through its brief 89 run-time.
Related: Shaun The Sheep DVD review
That being said, there is still plenty to enjoy in Early Man, mostly thanks to the level of detail that is on display. The film is filled with the inventive wit one has comes to expect from an Aardman film. Be it baby crocodiles as pegs, a Zebra crossing made from an actual Zebra or someone’s exclamation at the discovery of sliced bread, Early Man has incredible fun adding quirks and puns to its prehistoric landscape. It is the football jokes which never quite seem to land, despite a seemingly never-ending stream of footy-based puns.
Early Man review
As is also usually the case when it comes to Aardman films, the voice cast has been carefully chosen to help these characters as endearing and as charming as possible. Tom Hiddleston is clearly having a ball as lead villain Lord Nooth but it is Redmayne’s performance which proves to be the most affecting as lead hero Dug. He delivers his vocal performance with a sense of kindness, naivety, and optimism that makes Dug an easy hero to root for. There is also support from the likes of Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall, Richard Ayoade and Rob Brydon on a number of voicing-duties!
Early Man may not quite hold its own when put against the likes of some of Aardman’s past triumphs, but there is enough of the hallmarks of the animation house on show to make Early Man as endearing and as charming as you like, taking you on an adventure that holds little in the way of surprises but is still a fun, sweet and enjoyable ride through Aardman’s prehistoric valley.
Early Man review by Andrew Gaudion, January 2018.
Early Man is released in UK cinemas on Friday 26th January 2018.
