Review of Early Man (2018) by Poppashane — 18 Feb 2018

I went to see “Early Man” today with a certain set of expectations. From a critical standpoint, I know I should go into any movie with a bit of a blank slate. Still, there will occasionally be one of those actors, directors, or producers of which I am a huge fan.

I feel like there cannot possibly be a bad product. However, Robert De Niro has taught me that for every “The Godfather Part 2”, there is an equal and opposite “The Comedian” – same artist, noticeably different results.

Having said that, I have not yet had that experience with Nick Park and Aardman Animations. The same folks that gave us “Wallace & Grommit”, “Chicken Run” and “Flushed Away” have once again had me either lightly giggling or chuckling uncontrollably in the movie theater.

Aardman’s clay animation techniques have transitioned quiet well into the digital age (as “Shaun the Sheep” has shown). This is balanced by the fact that Park and Aardman clearly know their roots as I could see things clearly influenced by “The Flintstones” and “The 2000 Year Old Man”.

Along with the great storyline and comic dialogue is a great cast which includes Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”), Eddie Redmayne (“Les Misérables”), Roy Ayoade (“The IT Crowd”), and Timothy Spall (pretty much every Aardman film).