Early Man (2018) Dir: Nick Park
- Ridley Coote
- Sep 30
- 2 min read
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I love a bit of claymation, and nobody does it quite like Aardman Animation, the studio behind the iconic 'Wallace & Gromit'. This 2018 film, directed by Nick Park, and partially funded by the BFI, has been rather forgotten about in the years following its release. Reviews are rather middling, and, quite frankly, it just doesn't seem to stick with people as much as other claymation films, like 'Chicken Run', for example. This was my first time watching it, so I hoped, despite its critical reception, that it would be an enjoyable adventure.
As one can expect when Aardman is involved, the so-called claymation looked wonderful. There's something so special to me about the way Aardman in particular utilises clay - the details, the facial expressions and the movement they have been able to produce with their characters is just wonderful, and this was a big strength of this film too. If my review was purely based on looks, this would be a very highly rated film.
There was lots of the lighthearted, silly comedy that people have come to expect from the wonderful Aardman, albeit I definitely did not laugh as much as some of their other productions. Combining early humanity and football was a random choice, and not one that entirely paid off, but it did at least have its moments. The story didn't compel me all that much, but I did enjoy some of the characters, at least.
The voice acting provided by Eddie Redmayne was fine, but I would have liked a little more personality. The likes of Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, and Timothy Spall were fun, but their characters lacked much depth. There were also a few names whose characters simply didn't get enough time to be enjoyed as much as they could have been; Miriam Margolyes, Rob Brydon, Kayvan Novak, and Richard Ayoade.
Overall, despite some typically wonderful claymation, and a talented voice cast, this comedy adventure lacked the same heart and execution of some of Aardman's other, more acclaimed, creations. The film isn't entirely without merit, but it has the unfortunate distinction of being the most forgettable film that Aardman have made to-date. I do imagine this being fairly popular with children and families, in fairness, but if I were to choose a claymation film to show my family, it would not be this one.
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