Welcome to the rebranded Dark Corners Lockdown, Dark Corners Streaming Reviews.
Because we have just that little imagination.
I could tell you that we’re reviewing A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon because it is technically science fiction,
but really it’s because it’s Aardman, it’s brilliant and I want to.
And anyone who tells me that this is just for kids...
#flustered panic noises#
is going to have an argument on their hands.
For those who don’t know, Shaun the Sheep was a character in Wallace and Gromit short, A Close Shave,
off the back of which he got his own TV show and this is his second movie
after 2015’s Shaun the Sheep The Movie.
The plot is basically ET,
#whooohoo!#
but with sheep, as a lost alien turns up at Mossy bottom farm and Shaun tries to get her home.
#Excited wonder noise#
Along the way there are threats excitement...
and more science fiction references than we can fit into this review
from the obvious...
#Close Encounters sounds.. ,ike James Bond used to get into the lab in Diamonds Are Forever.#
to the less obvious to the downright niche ,
the supermarket Miliways is named after the Restaurant at the End of the Universe from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy –
'So again, welcome one and all to Milliways the restaurant at the end of the universe.'
Again, not for kids.
#Loud burp that echos and reverberates around the globe.#
Okay not just for kids.
This film has two things I love; firstly stop motion animation
and no one does this kind of animation better than Aardman,
the loving detail lavished on every aspect of this film is a joy to see,
yet it remains refreshingly low-fi and another thing I love about Aardamn is that you can see the fingerprints.
Also, how is it possible to achieve such metronomically perfect comic timing working one frame at a time?
The second thing the film has that I love is silent comedy.
Or at least wordless, all the characters make noises...
#Excited noises you might make when a plan comes together.#
and the actors do deserve massive credit for their work here
- but even the humans don’t speak so the film is a sort spiritually silent comedy
proudly referencing its influences and deftly telling a story without words.
#Sad noise. Like heartbreakingly sad#
Because this is Aardman it’s as good-natured as it is funny,
as English as an Ealing comedy and, even when it goes all science fiction, wonderfully down to earth.
While other animation studios push the boundaries of technology,
#Sound of a hardworking robot giving up on life#
Aardman reminds us that all you really need is a good script, a camera and a lump of plasticine.
#Boo boo#
I can’t think of a better time for a film like this that is sweet and good-hearted and stresses how important it is to be kind to each other
but which is also utterly hilarious.
#Sppoky storytelling noises#
Thanks for watching. We’ll be back with more traditionally Dark Corners subject matter next week.
What are the kids’ films that are too good for kids? Let us know in the comments below.