Chicken Run – Film Review

Cast: Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, Benjamin Whitrow, Timothy Spall, Phil Daniels, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson

Directors: Nick Park and Peter Lord

Synopsis: When a hot headed rooster seemingly flies into their lives, a desperate group of captive chickens see him as their best chance to escape their captivity…

Review: What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Aardman Animations? It’s quite likely that one would think of a man, and his faithful canine accomplice. With several Wallace and Gromit shorts enhancing their reputation as the undisputed champs of stop-motion clay animation, the transition to full feature film-making for Aardman was bound to happen sooner or later. Yet the studio’s star duo would have to wait their turn for the full length feature treatment. Instead, a plan was hatched, to take a humorous spoof of The Great Escape, but switch Steve McQueen out for some plasticine chickens, and the end result is poultry perfection.

On a farm run by the cruel Mrs Tweedy and her bumbling husband, dwell a deeply unhappy group of chickens. The birds’ lives are dominated by the fact that the must lay a sufficient amount of eggs, else be taken to meet a rather grim fate. The leader of this flock is Ginger (Sawalha) whose determination isn’t quite matched by her flock of hens as their numerous attempts of escape all end in disappointment. However, when the charismatic Rocky, or Rocky the Rhode Island Red to give him his full title (Gibson) by chance flies into their coop, Ginger realises that the power of flight represents their best shot at seeing their dreams of freedom come to fruition.

Poultry plotting…

Aardman showed to the world what they were capable of with their Wallace and Gromit short films. As such they made a seamless transition into into feature length film-making seamlessly, and their debut feature proved that they are the champs of claymation film-making. With every frame, it’s crystal clear that a considerable amount of care and effort that has gone into the frame’s creation. Each moment of the film has a plethora of detail, serving as a real testament to those animators who help bring these films to life. This in turn, is made all the more impressive, considering the sheer amount of time consuming effort that is required to animate each scene.

Ginger is certainly the star of the show here, but she’s given plenty of support from an array of colourful supporting characters. Ginger’s best friend, (and flying the flag for Scotland) is Mac, who is the brains behind many of the escape attempts. The dim-witted yet lovable Babs definitely utters the film’s more memorable and hilarious lines. Rounding out the core group of hens is Bunty, a hen with a sometimes aggressive streak to her character, who’s not afraid to say what she thinks about the plans to escape. As for the cockerels, there’s Fowler, the coop’s leader who enjoys a good reminisce about his RAF days (what, what!) who is left rather peeved when Rocky, with all of his cockiness and charisma, bursts onto the scene. This can also be said for Ginger, who’s left notably unimpressed by Rocky’s charismatic charms, which by contrast gets all of the other hens in a flap.

The plot is straightforward. However, it’s told in a very entertaining manner and the script gives the core group of hens, roosters, and a lovable pair of crafty rats, considerable depth that you care about each and every one them, and will them to escape the confines of their coop/prison. The film never fails to be consistently hilarious with lots of witty jokes and a handful of really impressive action set pieces with no shortage of fun nods to some cinematic classics of the past. While Aardman have made numerous films since Chicken Run flew into cinemas, it’s a testament to their debut feature, that it remains their most egg-ceptional, as well as still being their most successful film to date.

Exquisite animation, combined with colourful array of characters mixed in with some witty dialogue. A poultry perfect feature film debut for Aardman.

Hacksaw Ridge – Film Review

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Vince Vaughn, Rachel Griffiths

Director: Mel Gibson

Synopsis: Telling the incredible true story of Desmond Doss, a Devout Christian who signs up for the US Army and serves as a medic in the heart of World War II, all while refusing to carry a gun.

Review: For many of us, the horrors of war are something we are all too familiar with. From learning about terrible wars of the past to the brutal wars of the present, war is rarely anything other than a very dark time for humanity. Yet undoubtedly in such dark times, acts of incredible bravery and selflessness are committed, and for director Mel Gibson, the telling of one remarkable true story is in many ways his redemption, and a superb return to form for a man who it would be fair to say had something of a fall from grace, never being too far away from controversy.

Yet, despite all that controversy, Gibson has come out fighting with his first stint in the director’s chair after directing 2006’s Apocalypto. Set in the heart of Japan in 1945, the USA is battling the Japanese at the Battle of Okinawa and after some troubling times with his training Desmond Doss enters the fray of war, and never fires a single shot or carries a gun. It seems such a ludicrous decision to enter the hell of war without anything to protect yourself but the screenplay, penned by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan helps you understand where Doss is coming from, he’s a man who resolutely sticks to his principles. His superhero days may be behind him, but with this performance and his sterling work in Silence, Garfield is showing himself to be a tremendous actor and his performance is extremely powerful, ensuring a well earned Oscar nomination as well.

Garfield is the leading light of an extremely well polished cast, that includes Hugo Weaving as Doss’s alcoholic father who witnessed the devastation of World War I and is loathed to lose his sons to the horror of warfare. Teresa Palmer is equally excellent as Doss’s love interest Dorothy. The scenes between the two could have been a real stumbling block and detriment to the plot, but the chemistry between Garfield and Palmer is superb and their romance is far from a hindrance, instead adding real depth to Doss’s character. Vince Vaughn also turns in an excellent performance as Doss’s stern Sergeant who certainly does his best to add the humour while all of the recruits undergo some intense army training. At the same time, all the new recruits look down on Doss for his beliefs, and make his life a hell on Earth, and this is before they are even in reach of the war zone.

For Gibson, a nomination for Best Director might have seemed far-fetched but his work here is extremely deserving of a nomination. He helms the film superbly well, the action is extremely tense to watch and the work that he achieves, along with his sound team, fully capture what it must be like to be in the middle of a war zone. The film’s editing also helps add to the gritty realism. The violence is not glorified in the slightest, it’s just very frighteningly realistic. Be under no doubt, this is not a film for the squeamish, the bullets fly by their thousands and the blood and guts flow. Yet through all of this, the film shows to the audience that it can really pay to stick by your principles, even if everyone is trying to belittle you for holding on to those beliefs.

Though this is for all for all intents and purposes a war film, the themes of anti-war and pacifism are strong, as well as being true to one’s beliefs, and the themes and messages that the film conveys should hit home with the audience and leave a lasting impression on them. War certainly is hell, but the actions of brave men like Desmond Doss should and will hopefully never be forgotten. Furthermore, they can serve as a great lesson for all, of the true valour of bravery and heroism, even in the most desperate and hopeless of situations.