Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl just had its screen debut at the AFI festival, and the reviews from it suggest there’s something very special ahead.
Vengeance Most Fowl is a brisk 80 minute film. Viewers in the UK will be able to catch it “this Christmas” on the BBC — broadcast date TBC — and everyone else can watch it on Netflix from January 3.
We're steering clear of spoilers but the critical response so far has been incredibly positive, including fistfuls of 5-star reviews.
Digital Spy’s 5-star review calls Vengeance Most Fowl “another cracking outing for the loveable duo that you'll want to watch again and again".
Slant Magazine's review says the film feels like some of Wallace and Gromit’s earlier, beloved, adventures rather than the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. And that's no criticism. “This is more like a very long Wallace and Gromit short film. That’s a wonderful thing to be,” it says.
IGN’s 9/10 review says Vengeance Most Fowl “stands shoulder to shoulder with some of Aardman’s best work.”
Radio Times’s 5-star review talks about how all the classic Aardman traits are here in spades. “The time and energy spent on crafting each individual moment is proof of the care that goes into every frame… which translates to the film as a whole too,” it reads.
A 4-star write-up is about as low as the reviewers are going at present.
The Guardian’s 4-star review suggests there’s a bit too much script in this one. “Fowl isn’t top-tier Aardman. There’s just too much talk, and though Ben Whitehead does pitch-perfect Peter Sallis, you can grow weary of the codswallopping verbosity,” it says.
And Empire’s 4-star review, while largely positive, says Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl isn’t quite as funny as some of Aardman’s classics.
“If the jokes don’t come quite as thick and fast as before, the beating heart beneath the clay remains intact,” it says.
Don't mind some plot spoilers? Here's the film's trailer, from Netflix.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is clearly a must-watch for the festive season, whether you’ll be able to catch it early on BBC One or BBC iPlayer or not.
The film will also be released in a limited number of cinemas from December 18, although we have no details on which cinemas will be blessed with a screening yet.
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