TL;DR – A fun blast of nostalgia and charm, but not much more than that.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Review –

One of the great joys, when I was a kid, was being stuck in my mother’s university library, bored out of my brain, but then discovering they had this VHS collection of wired animated stop-motion films. It was my first jump into the world of Aardman, and I have always looked forward to a new entry whenever they come out. Indeed, Chicken Run is still in my Top 10 Animated Films of All Time. Well, today, we get to dive into the latest entry and back into the world of Wallace & Gromit.

So, to set the scene, it has been years since the dastardly Feathers McGraw was apprehended by the eccentric inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his loyal beagle Gromit. Now, the two live together in a house full of inventions, but inventions don’t tend to pay the bills. That is when Wallace comes up with Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), a smart gnome that can clean and tidy gardens. But when Feathers McGraw spots this from their zoo jail cell, soon a plan of vengeance most foul is afoot.

The one thing that I have to say is that this film is packed to the brim with charm. Even though Wallace is much like Inspector Gadget when it comes to his situational awareness, it is clear that he has a deep love for his inventions and Gromit. That charm extends to every part of the film, probably helped by its location set in Yorkshire in a quaint English town. Even when the Norbots turn evil, they are still a little charming. I think it comes from the small details, like at one moment when Gromit presses a button to activate a hand that presses another button. It was just so wholly unnecessary but also fundamentally funny.

This is a film that is also packed full of visual gags, so packed full that I know I missed some on the first time through. A lot of them come from different signs around the place, with ‘bog man’ being my favourite. Others come from artistic choices, such as always going with visually funny options when you can, like the perfect outline of Gromit. This is supported by the art style that just lends itself to that joy and fun. Everyone is a little bit silly to begin with, so you can just go with the flow and not think too much about how big that sewer system had to be.

Vengeance Most Fowl is a film that plays on nostalgia from the past, being a direct sequel to the most popular of the short film entries. Indeed, some of the funniest gags in the film come from knowing about what happened in the short films. Yes, I laughed at the cheese. However, while it was fun dancing in this wave of nostalgia, it would have been nice if there had been a bit more to the film. There were times when it felt like it could have been better as a short film.     

In the end, do we recommend Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl? Look, it was a blast to be back in this world and with these characters. But it felt more of a link to the past than a step forward for the medium. Let us know what you thought of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl in the comments below. If you liked Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, we would recommend to you Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Directed by – Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham
Screenplay by – Mark Burton
Story by – Nick Park & Mark Burton
Based on – Wallace & Gromit by Nick Park
Music by – Lorne Balfe & Julian Nott
Cinematography by – Dave Alex Riddett
Edited by – Dan Hembery
Production/Distribution Companies – Warner Bros, Aardman Animations, BBC & Netflix
Starring – Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Reece Shearsmith, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan & Lenny Henry
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: na; Germany: na; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: U; United States: PG