|
Directed by: Nick Park and Steve Box Starring: Voices of Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter. The latest feature from Ardman Animation is another tour de force, this time starring the characters that brought Nick Park and his crew fame and fortune in the first place. In their latest adventure, Wallace (Sallis) & Gromit (no voice, but he says so much) have formed Anti-Pesto, the humane pest removal service, in order to rid the town of maruding rabbits before the big vegetable contest on Lady Campanula Tottington's (Carter) estate. But things start to get out of hand when the titular beast of the title appears. I won't give anything away, though. It's worth the wait. Everyone is in grand form, from Ralph Fiennes as the hunter and gold-digger Victor Quartermaine, through Carter's work as Lady Tottington, and of course Pater Sallis' return to form as the befuddled genius Wallace. There's also supposed to be a short based on characters from "Madagascar" in front of the movie, but it wasn't part of this screening. What was part was a two-minute short showing a tiny bit of how the film was made. A reminder that one doesn't need a computer to animate. Just a few tons of plasticine. Go see it. You'll be glad you did. RATING: 5 PROS: Fast, funny, and smart. It's Wallace & Gromit, for god's sake! CONS: It'll be years before we see another film with the duo. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0312004/
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2005 03:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 02:42 |
|
|
I (26) saw this last night with my stepfather (58) and my neice (4), in a special sneak preview. I should say, we watched this at the Cine Capri, the largest screen in Arizona. Regardless, the film itself is fantastic. With 3 distinct generations sitting next to each other, I was not entirely amazed to find that all of us were giggling for 85 minutes straight. I mean, this is Wallace and Gromit, it's classic. The story is wonderful, with a twist that I didn't necessarily see coming but thoroughly enjoyed. Ralph Fiennes is quite hilarious. Several times there were jokes that popped up which were obviously intended for older viewers, which worked very well. Three nerdly fat ladies with too-curly hair and fanny packs sitting next to my stepfather giggled like they were on nitrous at certain points (I wanted to kill them, actually). I'll admit, the trailers didn't seem to make it all THAT funny to me. I thought "maybe Nick Park had lost a little something in the years between the short films and this..." But I was proven very wrong as soon as I actually saw it. As an artist, I find it very appealing that you can, many times, see the fingerprints from the animators on the characters. It really makes the viewer (well, me at least) feel just a tad closer to the creators. RATING: 5 PROS: Wonderful to see with little kids, no matter what age YOU are. Clean humor, but slightly edgy at times, in a refreshing way. Animation is simply marvellous. See if you can find all the subtle references to other films! CONS: Wasn't 10 hours long. I could watch W+G all day! edit: the showing that I saw DID have the Madagascar Penguins short in front of it. It was pretty amusing, even though I never saw Madagascar. Obviously the penguins were the funniest part of that movie. Funny, but can't hold a candle to W+G.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2005 19:20
|
|
|
Well, classic Wallace and Gromit really. Very funny with slapstick for the kids and subtle humour for the grown-ups (ey up magazine instead of 'Hello!' for example). But they did the grown up jokes without relying on pop culture references as in films like Shrek and... well pretty much every other dreamworks movie. The stop motion animation is superb and Aardman have managed to outdo themselves yet again, although this time they did use a bit of cga, it was only for stuff like fog which is understanable. infact, out of the 122,000 (approx) frames of animation they made, only 770 were cga. PROS Superb animation, fun for all the family. Also a great score as usual. CONS possibly a bit too extreme on the old puns, but bah who cares. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2005 19:20
|
|
|
I'm a 22 year old male. I went to see this film on Saturday with a 21 year old female. So we're not necessarily the target audience for this film. Yet it's obvious from the first 10 minutes that Aardman have done everything they can to make sure that "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is accessible to ALL generations. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for all ages, and the kids that were in the theatre were in stitches for most of the film. There is lots of silly "over-the-top" physical comedy, plenty of subtle jokes and puns hidden in the background for us detail-lovers to appreciate, and a fantastic finale that really shows off how skilled the Aardman team are with their plasticine. The voicework is great, with Peter Sallis making a triumphant return as "Mr. Wallace" (I always thought his first name was Wallace, seems not) and with excellent performances from Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, and even Liz Smith (from the Royle Family) as Mrs. Mulch. Each character has a very distinct personality and I think it's incredible how those personalities are put across with such limited resources. The storyline is fairly typical for a film of this type, with the heros having to fix a situation whilst up against a rival trying to do the same. There is a bit of a twist in the story which most older people will probably see coming from a mile away, but the kids couldn't see it and all gasped in astonishment when it was revealed. The animation is incredible, and it never ceases to amaze me how skilled Nick Park and his team are with those little bits of plasticine. CGI was apparently used to some extent, which is understandable as there are some parts of the film that would be very difficult to do with plasticine alone. You absolutely HAVE to see this film. Whether you're 5 or 50, you'll enjoy this. You don't even need to see the other Wallace and Gromit shorts, although they do help you get more into "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" as there is very little characterisation in this film. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2005 13:27
|
|
|
My girlfriend and I(both 20) went to see this over the weekend and had a blast. You'll enjoy it no matter how old you are and it will really make your day. This will probably be the last of Wallace and Grommit sadly, but that's more reason for you to go see it. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2005 03:35
|
|
|
^^^ Huh? It's doing well, it'll probably have good legs... I'd imagine that if there is another W&G movie, it'll be at least another 4-5 years, but I don't know what makes you so sure that there won't be. Funny. Charming. Awesome. If you don't like this movie, you have a cold, dead heart. 5/5 PS. Hutch is such a loving great character... definitely up there with Feathers McGraw and Shaun the Sheep. vv The fire has no effect on Aardman's future output. All the sets for current productions are kept elsewhere. FoneBone fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Oct 17, 2005 |
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2005 00:05
|
|
|
Ah, I'm pessimistic and rather sad since I read this http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/aardman.fire/ But no, I really do hope there will be another movie in a few years nonetheless.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2005 22:26
|
|
|
Im 34 years old and longtime W&G fan. I simply loved this movie, and will predict that WareRabbit toys will be this holiday seasons must have item. Like most Dreamworks animation, the pacing is great, never a dull moment. I cant imagine any child not liking this movie, they will go absolutely apeshit with laughter. I hope they make more W&G movies, this is exactly what parents groups are asking for, so they better pay up. 5.5
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2005 00:39
|
|
|
I went out and saw this today and was absolutely glad I did. Pros: Everything. Seriously. Also, I think I almost started hyperventilating with laughter during this film. Cons: Since the characters are so likeable, the film could have strengthened itself by being about 5-10 minutes longer. Not much of a con, is it? Bottom line: Possibly one of the greatest stop-motion animated films ever made, and one of the greatest comedies ever made. 5/5 (Will bump to 5.5 when I see this movie again to see if I like it even better the second time through.) DanSTC fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Oct 15, 2005 |
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2005 06:42
|
|
|
This is totally hilarious. I laughed out loud, a lot. Do non-Brits get the Ay-Up magazine gag?
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2005 14:42
|
|
|
I went into this movie against my will, totally prepared to hate it. Throughout the whole movie, I was wishing I could have been present at the filming, just to watch the astounding animation, and to take pictures of the sets, as computer wallpaper. The art direction is amazing. And I noticed something that was subtle, but depresing. This is a movie meant for children, bur it is still smart. It includes no obvious and retarded pop culture references, and does its best to avoid stupid and cheesy laughs. It didn't even go for any super cheap merchandise-selling 'wise cracking' characters. (See: the moronic penguin short before the film). Its been forever since there was a kid's movie that didn't take every single easy way out. I'm going to give it 4.5, and I'll probably buy it so my kids can see it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2005 05:14
|
|
|
This movie has renewed my interest in Wallace & Gromit's past shorts. I wish I had more money to watch them all again  5.5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2005 08:09
|
|
|
A solid 4 from me. A great story, a lot of fun, several laugh-out-loud moments and as expected technically brilliant. However I think it lacked some of the invention of the shorts (Especially The Wrong Trousers). The chase scene for example, just didn't match the model train chase in awesomeness. Likewise, I don't think either the human characters or the rabbits where on par with Feathers and Shaun. I did like all the fairly unsubtle movie references and again, as expected, there was a lot of very subtle background jokes and I'm assuming many more I'll need a repeat viewing to spot.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2005 19:00
|
|
|
Beeeeeh. There was nothing wrong with the film, it's just the writing was thoroughly different from the 3 shorts; subsequently the personality/character of the film was just different to their original outings. Perhaps it was the extended focus on the townsmembers rather than W&G, the bland love interest (Something just didn't feel right about Tottington) or just the way the film was set out in general, but it felt like any cast of characters could've pulled off the same film with little penalty. The lack of original W&G dialogue/situations is what let it down for me. Wallaces cheese love was only really funny in small doses, as well as due to it's randomness in the sorts. The HUGE obsession with it throughout the film just felt artificial (ironic in a film made from clay harr). Either my excessive W&G love is rating it higher than it should get simply because it's W&G, or lower than the film should get, due to the film in my eyes not living up to the Nick Park standard. 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 20, 2005 02:16
|
|
|
As the person above me said, there is nothing wrong with this movie, but I have to give it a 3. It just didn't do much for me. the laughs seemed to be too far spread out compared to the other movies in the same category. The comedy really only got chuckles out of me, nothing laugh out loud funny. but it is good to see the name getting some big recognition, loved the original shorts.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2005 09:01
|
|
|
I enjoyed this movie more than any other in the past three years. A must see for animation fans and everyone else.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2005 15:22
|
|
|
An overabundance of bad puns ("What's up, dog?", out-of-place innuendo, and a pretty bland female lead stop me from giving this an extremely high rating, but this is still probably the best animated film I've seen since The Incredibles. A ton of effort went into every aspect of it, and it shows. 4.
|
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2005 16:50
|
|
|
Just got back from watching it. Loved the short movie at the beginning, but it ran a little long. Movie was clever, I laughed a lot. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2005 00:11
|
|
|
Pros: Two lead characters, fun for both adults and children, delightful voice acting, Hutch. Cons: Could've been longer. Great movie; 5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2005 00:54
|
|
|
This film makes me wish I had kids so I could take them to see it with me. I've been a fan of Aardman since I saw Chicken Run during High School. It's not the same sort of film, it's much more staid. The emphasis is on charming and bemusing rather than madcap comedy action, and it's no bad thing. Plus it has Nicholas Smith, the big-eared manager from Are You Being Served as the local vicar. In short, it's a wonderful film. See it in a cinema if possible, if only to see the tremendous detail up close (I especially liked how you could see the animators' fingerprints on the characters in certain shots). 4.5/5
|
|
#
?
Oct 30, 2005 04:03
|
|
|
The absolute pinnacle of the form. Best Claymation feature ever made in my opinion. I absolutely loved it. It'll take days to recover from the cuteness overdose. 5.5
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2006 22:08
|
|
|
I loved watching this movie and it's hard not to like it. It was a very uplifting movie with a lot of cute characters and scenes that made you chuckle, and the plot wasn't lame! 5/5
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2006 04:31
|
|
|
Another excellent Aardman production. I love the humour and was glad they could keep it going throughout the film. The visual gags more than make up for the lack of continuous slapstick (which can get wearing) and verbal gags. W & G has always been about subtle gags and this doesn't let you down. I watched it (33 yrs old), my partner watched it (42), our daughter watched it (8) and my father in law (70) and we all laughed out loud. 5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 26, 2006 20:24
|
|
|
I was a big fan of Wallace and Gromit since I fisrt saw "A Grand Day Out" over a decade ago, and their first feature film is everything you could hope for from the duo. It is, in short, thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable and will appeal to all ages. The characters are very likeable and the cuteness factor - especially for the bunnies - is pretty incredibly high. The humour, romance and plot-points are all handled with a delicate hand and a respect for the intelligence of the audience. A lot of the humour is tongue in cheek, puns and double-entendres, not to be taken too seriously. There are a few in-jokes that will only make sense if you've seen the previous W&G episodes, but these don't detract from the show. 5/5 - Simple, silly fun. Well worth watching.
|
|
#
?
Mar 27, 2006 05:04
|
|
|
I think this is perhaps one of the most charming clever and witty comedies I've ever seen, as well as one of the most delightful animated films I've ever seen. Also - the wry witticisms throughout the film that got me the most were the especially subversive insertions. "Watch out! There may be a giant rabbit dropping!" and "CAUTION! May contain nuts!" Oh yeah, and I must warn people: If you see this film, you WILL catch yourself whistling and/or humming the Wallace and Gromit theme tune. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 5/5
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2006 15:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 02:42 |
|
|
"In my opinion, this is arson!" "Arson!?" "Yes! Someone was arsin' around!" A great, fun movie. I laughed a whole lot and the climax of the movie was exciting and funny at the same time. So very fun. 4.5/5
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2006 23:28
|
|
