Greetings,
I've mentioned this quite a few times recently, but I'll say it again. I am not thrilled with Hollywood at the moment. Gee, I wonder why. And this is all very sad, because I do, indeed, love the cinema and I enjoy a trip to the theater on occasion. On rare occasion, as of late, but still. So, I must go elsewhere to find some entertainment. Enter Aardman Animations, which is happily based in the U.K. Alright, I may also have some issues with the U.K. at the moment as well, but not where their artistic endeavors are concerned. Also, I love this studio. They gave us Wallace and Gromit, for crying out loud. And now they have given us Early Man. Here's a quick and spoiler free synopsis.
So, the story takes place during the Stone Age in a valley where a bunch of lovable cave people live and hunt rabbits. This is where we meet our protagonist Dug, his pet wild boar, Hognob and the leader, Chief Bobnar. One night, however, their lives are disrupted when Lord Nooth, from Bronze Age City, invades the valley to take over and mine for more bronze, driving the cave people out. After some shenanigans, Dug decides to challenge them to a football game (soccer to you Americans!) to gain back control of the valley. Because that's just what they did back in the prehistoric times. And that's pretty much it.
Okay, look, here's the thing. I've always thought that, with Aardman, the plot isn't that important. Well, it is, but it isn't. I'll say that the plots are rarely complicated. It tends to be more about the great characters they've created as well as really funny and clever jokes throughout. The plot is just kind of a thread to hold those things together and give them a reason to exist. And that's fine with me, because they are so good with the characters and the jokes that I don't mind that the plot was basically that of a 80's and/or 90's sports movie. Ya know, those ones that you can get four to a disc at Wal Mart for like $7. 50. But again, don't care when everything else is so great. Oh, and speaking of the characters, let's talk about the people whose voices brought them to life.
The casting in this is fantastic, as per usual, and what I like best is that pretty much all of the well-known actors altered their voices. That's a good thing, because hearing the familiar voice of a celebrity you know can be distracting in something like this. But by changing it up, they managed to create something that fit the characters they played. Dug was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne, and he sounded about ten years younger and ten years higher pitched. Maisie Williams provided the voice of Goona (my future child's name!), a young and awesome lady that Dug befriends during his journey. The chief was voiced by Timothy Spall, perfectly, I might add. And even the director, Nick Park, got into the action by voicing Hognob. And, then, we have Lord Nooth, voiced by Tom Hiddleston. I have some things to say about this, twofold. First, as much as I love this studio, I will admit that this particular cast member may have had something to do with my putting this film on my "Must See" list. Because I do like him as an actor, and I like him being funny, which he needs to do more of, professionally speaking. Second, what is up with Aardman casting handsome, British guys as their doofy villains? I mean, first, it was Ralph Fiennes in the were-rabbit thing, and now this? I'm not complaining; I'm just wondering. But to be honest, all the voice acting was phenomenal.
Anyway, I'd like to say one more thing. Specifically, about the animation in this. It's just heartwarming. I love the way that they create their films. I love how everything is handmade. Like, you can literally see fingerprints a lot of the time, which isn't a bad thing. It serves as a little reminder of how much work went into it. I love that, even with the option to use computers and make things easier, they don't do it, because it's not who they are. In short, I love the integrity they have to their legacy.
In closing, I highly recommend seeing Early Man. Much like everything that comes from Aardman, it's witty and fun and, again, heartwarming, and it just makes you feel happy. Sometimes that is all I need from a movie and, most times, that is way more than enough.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
