Fowl Play

Pros:

A scene-stealing villain
Many memorable, silent comedic gags
A reliably funny star duo

Cons:

A world that could be fleshed out more

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl proves that the 35-year-old franchise hasn’t yet lost its cheerful, hilarious touch.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl never quite matches its franchise’s highest highs, but it comfortably delivers many of the same kinds of laughs, visual gags, and cozy details that have elevated Wallace and Gromit’s kooky adventures from the very beginning.

You’d never know from watching Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl that it’s been nearly 20 years since The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the franchise’s last feature film, hit theaters. The long-running stop-motion animated series’ latest entry slips so effortlessly back into its signature screwball, charming groove that it’s hard to believe the Netflix film is technically a sequel to a movie that came out back when Netflix was still nothing more than a DVD rental service.

Feathers gets the chance he’s been waiting for when the ever-eccentric, aloof Wallace (voiced here by Ben Whitehead, who comfortably steps into the late, great Peter Sallis’ shoes) ignores his loyal companion Gromit’s growing dislike of his inventions and invents a robotic garden gnome named Norbot (Reece Shearsmith).

A lot has changed since viewers last saw Wallace and Gromit, but the pair remain — like so many other iconic screen duos — timelessly funny and endearing.

Netflix

This premise is utterly absurd, and Vengeance Most Fowl knows it. The film has a lot of fun running wild with its technology-gone-wrong plot — filling its second act with plenty of inspired, Silent Era-esque visuals involving an army of off-putting gnome robots.

Netflix

Feathers’ long-distance hacking of Norbot’s artificial brain, for instance, includes a quick shot of the villainous penguin scrolling through the robot’s attitude settings, which range from “pleasant” to “bit selfish” to “really nasty” and, ultimately, “evil.” Like the Paddington films and a few other, modern British comedies, Vengeance Most Fowl finds the right balance between its dry English sense of humor and the kind of blunt-edged, yet clever comedic gags that would make iconic screen comedians like Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields proud.

It isn’t long before Gromit ends up embarking on a solo adventure that, thanks to the character’s dialogue-free persona, allows Vengeance Most Fowl to let its visual playfulness take center stage.

This is due in no small part to Vengeance Most Fowl’s stunning stop-motion animation, which is employed particularly well in its opening 10 minutes. This section of the film reintroduces viewers to Feathers, Wallace, and Gromit, and the animation team’s masterful ability to communicate Gromit’s emotions and reactions using just his eyebrows, eyes, and ears makes it easy to grasp the distance, disappointment, and loneliness that he feels because of his owner’s obsession with technology.

Few could have ever predicted that Vengeance Most Fowl would explore AI of all things, but by showing the many deeply felt ways that automation and AI threaten to irrevocably separate its lovable leads, the film successfully highlights how easily and unnoticeably technology can come between us and even those we love most.

Conclusion:

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is an exciting, welcome jolt of fun and good humor to kick off the new year.

FAQs:

* Q: What is Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl?
* A: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest feature film in the long-running Wallace & Gromit franchise.
* Q: Who are the main characters in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl?
* A: The main characters are Wallace, Gromit, and Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin.
* Q: What is the plot of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl?
* A: The plot revolves around Feathers’ attempt to get revenge on Wallace and Gromit for foiling his plans and his eventual escape from a local zoo, aided by the use of robots.
* Q: What makes Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl special?
* A: The film features stunning stop-motion animation and clever comedic gags, while also exploring modern themes like technology’s impact on relationships.