- Release year: 2024
- Director: Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park.
- Producer: Richard Beek.
- Screenplay by: Mark Burton.
- Cinematography by: Dave Alex Riddett.
- Music by: Lorne Balfe and Julian Nott.
Synopsis: one of Wallace’s inventions goes rogue due to the intervention of an evil mastermind, leaving Gromit to clean up the mess.
Shotgun Commentary: the cinematic equivalent of a warm cup of chocolate at the end of the day.
(Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park, 2024).
Review
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest instalment to join the Wallace & Gromit franchise. This time, the couple are struggling to pay their bills when Wallace (Ben Whitehead), in an attempt to help his dog with the garden chores, invents a gnome that becomes incredibly popular in the neighbourhood.
As a result, he sets up a business of robotic gnome gardeners, leaving Gromit out of it. The dog, feeling rejected, resents the gnome, and constantly watches over him, an attitude that pays off with time.
Wallace & Gromit have been a successful product for decades now, and by the looks of it, this is not going to change any time soon. They seem to hold the key to cosiness, an atmosphere of calm capable of lowering your stress levels better than any meditation. Unless you really get into it, that is. If that is the case, you may want to tear your hair off during the first half of the movie.
One’s best friend
The dynamic of dog-owner portrayed by Wallace and Gromit is one of the most accurate to reality, maybe not in form, but in sentiment. It is easy to judge Wallace for his neglect of Gromit or how their relationship seems mostly one-sided, but how is a dog owner to compete in terms of affection with the pure, unadulterated love that a dog provides?
(Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park, 2024).
Gromit is smarter, has better instincts, and his loyalty is unwavering, qualities that any dog owner will recognise in their own dogs. At least, those with well-trained pups. Overall, Gromit is nothing more than a faithful representation of how Wallace feels about him. Dogs might not actually sit at the table to read the newspaper for breakfast, but it does feel that way when they eat next to you and keep you silent company.
As for Wallace, he has suffered a lot of criticism over always ignoring Gromit when things are shady, but do you really pay attention every time your dog starts barking to the wall? Thought not. Still, his love is more than obvious with all the inventions he makes, not only to make his life easier, but also Gromit’s. After all, Gromit doesn’t even have to go all the way up every morning to wrestle Wallace awake, he only has to push a lever. Granted, the gnome is a needless solution to a non-existent problem, but it still shows that he cares for his dog, misled as his intentions might be.
Against the current
Other than a really entertaining adventure, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl also proves, once again, that stop-motion can be welcoming and warm. As a person who shudders at the mere mention of said animation technique, this franchise has always been the exception to the rule.
Usually, stop-motion is used for horror and thriller. The unnatural movements of the puppets making for the perfect twisted characters. However, not all stop-motion is Coraline (2009) or Mirror (2009). Sometimes, people try to make cute stories with this technique, and most of those times, they end up with creepy looking characters regardless, at least from this critic’s perspective. So, to be able to enjoy a stop-motion feature without feeling the need to look over one’s shoulder every five minutes feels like a true gift.
(Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park, 2024).
All in all, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a huge shot of warmth and peace at a time when we could really use some. If the world gets too much, do give this wonderful feature a chance.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Cheese is always a good idea. Except as a password, that is.
- A warm cup of chocolate is the best way to end a day. Damned be any diet!
- Get a dog, be merry, hakuna matata and all that.
(Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park, 2024).
What’s your take? Have you watched Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀