Film Review - Early Man (PG)

The Age of Stone is over. Long live the Age of Bronze.

I've loved Nick Park's work with Aardman Animation ever since the thirty minutes of comic perfection that is The Wrong Trousers. Since then Park has delivered full-length features Chicken Run and The Curse of the Were-rabbit, both of them achieving unalloyed magnificence through the resolutely old-fashioned technique of stop-motion. So when I say that Early Man doesn't match up in my affections, you'll understand that's not a condemnation. There's a lot to like in this merrily ridiculous stone-age tale - just not as much as usual.

The hero of the piece is Dug (voiced by Eddie Redmayne), youngest warrior in a loveable but useless tribe of bunny-hunters. Led by Chief Bobnar (Aardman stalward Timothy Spall), the oafish group find their valley overtaken by an advanced civilisation, which has discovered both the wheel and the forging of metal. The Bronze Age has officially commenced, and Dug's people must flee for their lives, so that the valley can be mined. Dug, however, is swept by fate and a big net into the City of Bronze, where he discovers what takes place within their gladiatorial arena - a game called 'football', one that has around for longer than anyone realises. And in football, he realises, may lie his tribe's salvation.

In technical terms Early Man is Park's and Aardman's biggest venture to date - the prehistoric vistas are impressive, with the pre-credits sequence providing the story a multi-millennial sweep. The sets are gloriously elaborate, created with the production team's usual attention to detail, while the stop-motion stunts (incorporating numerous clay-mation stone-age critters) are more elaborate than ever before. All that's needed, with that measure of talent on board, is a sharp, consistently funny script. Sadly - and I say this with a pang of sorrow - that's where the efforts are lacking.

It's not that the writers take liberties with history - the central anachronism of a bronze-age football league is potentially great fun. But there's a jumbled sense in the plotting, everything cobbled together from multiple time periods, so that none of it quite coheres. All of which wouldn't matter so much, if there wasn't such a reliance on too many bad, old jokes. And when I say bad, I mean substantially worse than in Chicken Run. I mean jokes that make your heart sink. Ultimately the central idea, while smacking of inspiration, ends up seeming like an opportunity to crowbar in as many Brit-friendly football jokes as possible. 

The characters and their antics are realised with the team's customary genius and there are real moments of slapstick joy, made all the more wonderful when you remember it's all hand-crafted, one shot at a time. Dug and the tribe are endearingly goofy, and Bronze Age pan-seller Goona (voiced by Maisie Williams), who sides with our gang, is an appealingly modern heroine. Meanwhile French-accented villain Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) is probably the most fun, rendered ridiculous as he is at every turn. And there's a very lovable sidekick pig named Hobnob (hashtag Britjoke), who steals many of the best scenes.

If Early Man suffers, it's from the high expectations that come with an Aardman film. Wallace and Gromit blazed quite a trail, with chickens, pirates and sheep all shining in their wake. This film is a technical triumph and boundary-pushing on those terms. However the deficiencies come in the form of an under-baked script, for which no amount of animation know-how can compensate. It's undoubtedly good. But when you've come to expect fabulous, good is a bit of a let-down.

Gut Reaction: Marvel at the state-of-the-art craftsmanship. And a constant state of liking what I'd hoped to love. There were laughs, but not as many as I'd hoped.

Where Are the Women?: Maisie Williams and Margolyes head up the feisty female representation. Go Bronze Age girls.

Ed's Verdict: 6.5/10. It would be churlish to label Early Man as anything less than great fun, and the young target audience will adore every exquisitely crafted frame. I'll try to be happy with that.