Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
After enduring his master Wallace's (voice of Ben Whitehead) Rube Goldberg-esque morning rituals, Gromit finds peace and quiet gardening - or so he thinks, because Wallace introduces his latest invention, the smart gnome Norbot (voice of Reece Shearsmith) to 'help.' 'Nice and tidy!' proclaims the gnome-bot as it turns Gromit's flowers and vegetables into a green cubist nightmare. Things become more dire, however, when it turns out that Norbot and an entire army of evil smart gnomes are being controlled by an old foe incarcerated in the local zoo in "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl."
Laura's Review: B
Aardman's Nick Park has come up with a story (screenplay by "Shaun the Sheep Movie's" Mark Burton) that not only features his most beloved duo from his very first short, but their nemesis, the greatest screen villain of all time, Feathers McGraw, this time in a feature length adventure that once again finds Gromit saving the day. But while it is always a pleasure to spend time with Wallace and Gromit, Aardman's narratives have become repetitive. Feathers is after the same loot he was jailed for the first time around, revealed to have been hidden on West Wallaby Street all along, and the climax recalls but cannot match 'Wrong Trousers'' train sequence. Evil armies have been around since "Curse of the Were-Rabbit," repeated in the "Chicken Run" sequel. We also see the return of "Were-Rabbit's" PC Mackintosh (voice of Peter Kay), now a Wallace-like Chief Inspector with his own Gromit in PC Mukherjee (voice of Lauren Patel).
What delights here are such small details as a TV reporter named Onya Doorstop, Wallace calling his new business Gnome Improvements and Feathers using a cheese knife to foil the inventor and his dog. In addition to trampling all over Gromit's gardening, Norbot will trump the dog's love of knitting by spewing out an entire one piece knitted suit patterned with Wallace's shirt, tie, vest and pants. It's fun to watch McGraw sweat in stop motion as he tries to outwit a sleeping guard or master an elaborate organ a la "Phantom of the Opera." And then there is that swipe of a straight razor, "A Close Shave" indeed. But while Wallace has always underestimated Gromit, it really stung to hear him report a robbery adding 'even my dog's gone,' as if Gromit was an afterthought.
Directors Merlin Crossingham (TV's 'Creature Comforts America') and Nick Park ("The Wrong Trousers") display exceptional craft in the very time consuming art of stop motion animation, saving some by replacing much of the original clay with silicone without losing that handmade look. One of Park's most noteworthy talents is his ability to evoke expression from such characters as a mouthless dog by waggling its eyebrows and to invest a conical penguin with black dots for eyes with malicious intent (a gift shared with cartoonist Charles Schultz and 'South Park' animators Trey Parker and Matt Stone). He's also got a gift for sight gags, such as Feathers removing a brick to climb through a wall, a public service warning to be on the lookout for such crimes on the other side. And if Feathers can transform himself with a red rubber glove, just watch Gromit disappear within a nun's habit. "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" is brimming with surface pleasures, but the scaffolding beneath them is getting a bit rusty.
Robin's Review: B
Gromit is concerned that Wallace (Ben Whitehead) spends too much time working on his inventions. That concern goes into overdrive when his latest, a robotic garden gnome to do all the chores, and an evil force secretly takes control of the ‘bot, to dastardly ends, in “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.”
Like anyone that knows them, I have been a fan of “Wallace & Gromit” since “A Grand Day Out (1989)” and have loved every one since. Which brings me to the criticism of the latest from Aardman (and its previous feature, “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)”). W&G work best as shorts, versus features.
Do not take this criticism wrong. It is a pleasure, in short or feature, to watch the dynamic duo and their amusing antics, but the shorter versions work better and give more bang for the buck. Still, anything with Wallace & Gromit has got to be fun and “Vengeance Most Fowl” is that.
Co-directors Merlin Crossingham and Nick Park (the “W&G” originator) put together two stories to make one. Gromit is worried about his human’s over-reliance of technology to do the chores. Then, Wallace introduces his most ambitious project ever – Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), the working garden gnome designed to keep things “neat and tidy.”
The other story brings back one of the greatest villains of all time – Feathers McGraw. If you remember way back to 1993 and “The Wrong Trousers,” the diminutive penguin, and master criminal, used Wallace and his invention to perform a huge heist. Well, Feathers is back and uses his criminal mind to hack into and take over Norbot. The useful mechanical yard ornament becomes a mechanism of evil, especially when an army of ‘bot gnomes are built for very bad purposes.
I am not sure what audience – beside the rabid fan base, me included – the filmmakers are going for. Younger kids may find the evil machinations of Feathers to be to scary, but older animation fans will have a good time. Rather than fresh and new, “Vengeance Most Fowl” feels more nostalgic, which is not a bad thing.
Netflix releases "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" in select theaters on 12/18/24. It begins streaming on 1/3/25.
