I primitivi

If you want Park's best, see his Pirates movie, with Hugh Grant. I know Wallace and Gromitt is what put Park on the map, and W&G are treasured (for good reason), but The Pirates was absolutely brilliant: a laugh a minute, inspired adventure. The process of making a stop-motion movie must be laborious, so it's a shame we see so little from Park's studios. Even though Early Man won't blow you away, it's still worth your time.

Not Park's best work? Yeah. The setup and writing is kind of slow and stodgy compared to Park's previous work, but but it's still very, very, very good content: especially when you compare it to the numerous, mind-numbing 3D animated movies Hollywood pumps out. Off the top of my head, Early Man beats out The Nut Job, Over the Hedge, Turbo, The Boss Baby, The Emoji Movie, My Little Pony... Cars... good lord, I'm making myself sick. Listing all of these subpar movies one after another like this is like eating a bunch of empty calories. Nick Park's work easily stands heads and shoulders over this mass produced crap, even if it's not his best. Early Man is *fun.* It doesn't pander to children: it's clever, fun, and the stop-motion is nothing less than charming.

A year or so ago I saw an animated DC movie, "Batman and Harley Quinn," which was truly terrible. I watch animated shows and find that I don't enjoy them. "What's wrong with me," I think. "Can all animation I see be so terrible? Am I becoming jaded?" But, hey: no, it's not me: most of the animation presented to us *is* bad. You have to see excellent content like Early Man to draw a distinction.

I love to no end anything that Aardman has put out, including the traditional cartoons, and this one is no ecception: as usual, the stop-motion animation is flawless. Too bad that the screenplay seems rushed and underdeveloped, and the jokes did not always work. My kids (male of 8, female of 6) laughed a lot at the football match itself, but as an adult I felt that everything was dull and predictable.

Nick Park's claymation creations always manage to put a smile on my face. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of their 'Wallace & Gromit' franchise, 'Early Man (2018)' is a consistently clever and chuckle-worthy affair with plenty of laughs to be had at its typically home-spun humour that just gets better the longer you think about it. The beautifully tangible animation is compounded by awesomely ostentatious vocal work and a wonderfully written script, crafting a fully formed world just one-step removed from our own. It is also far and away the best football film I've seen. Though I'm not a huge fan of the sport and always find the formula of its features rather dull, the piece has me both riveted and grinning ear-to-ear during its ball-to-boots sequences with its wisecracking yet respectful, satirical wit which remains good-natured and suitably subtle even when taking the easiest, or sometimes most obscure, of hits. 7/10

Although it isn't Aardman at the top of their game, 'Early Man' is still a fantastically entertaining film with excellent stop-motion animation and a satisfyingly energetic cast. Their newest film from Oscar winning director Nick Park tells the story of a prehistoric tribe that have to work together in order to save their home from the impending doom of the Bronze Age. Aardman once again uses expert sight gags and word play to generate multiple laughs from the audience and, although the jokes don't always land, they are all genuinely clever and you can't help but appreciate the thought that has gone into them all. The film is however let down slightly by its somewhat generic and predictable story, but the fast pace and constant humour doesn't make this into a huge problem.

Overall 'Early Man' is a very well crafted, extremely entertaining family film that will appeal to all ages, which includes an excellent voice cast who are clearly having just as much fun as we are. 7/10.

Aardman Animations have been part of my life. I will forever remember the moment Wallace wore the wrong trousers or Mrs Tweedy obnoxiously making chicken pies. Their animations are quintessentially British, and I'm somewhat patriotic about that. So it comes with no pleasure that I have to say I really didn't enjoy this. A small tribe of cavemen have been brutally kicked out of their valley. The rise of The Bronze Age creates a pivotal and existential question: who is better at football? Of course, you have your memorable characters that range from a bronze obsessed Lord to a sheepish hog...and there we have our film. Consistently, their animation style knocks it out of the park...Nick Park...*cough* everytime! Stop motion is a skill, an incredible talent and it's great to see fully fledged motion pictures are still being produced. The British voice cast were stupendously well suited, particularly Redmayne and Hiddleston who clearly had fun. Occasionally the witty script, filled with both football satire and ancient puns, did bring a smile on my face. It's just...not enough, I'm sorry to say. Look, Nick Park and the gang are endlessly inventive and provide great family entertainment value. Children will love this no doubt. It just wasn't for me. The plot was ridiculously predictable to a point where I could estimate accurately how the story would unfold. Guess what? I was right. The over reliance of crude slapstick humour (farts, annoying sounds etc.) was far too excessive and seemed dated. It's as if the studio haven't evolved whereas rivals Pixar, Laika and even Dreamworks are way ahead of the game. The story's execution felt primitive. I felt nothing towards the characters, wasn't moved by the plot and the clear moral of the story was forced down my throat. Teamwork...if you didn't get it. I just don't think football was the way to go. A real unfortunate misfire, I hope the studio bring it back with their next motion picture.