‘Early Man’
Directed by Nick Park
Voices of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall
Rated PG
There is no denying that “Early Man” is a beautifully animated film.
It is. As are all the films from the Aardman Animations, the British studio responsible for films like “Chicken Run,” “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” and “The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!”
But what it has in looks it lacks in a compelling plot.
The film follows an early man, a Stone Age guy named Dug (voiced by Eddie Redmayne) and his pig buddy Hognob, who are living peacefully with their tribe of weirdos.
When the vastly technically superior Bronze Age soldiers — led by the Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his prodigious proboscis — roll into their valley, they’re shunted off to a dangerous outer wasteland.
Dug infiltrates the Bronze Age city, where he soon finds himself challenging their stacked soccer team for rights to their home valley with the help of a talented Bronze Age woman named Goona (Maisie Williams) who dreams of getting her chance to play in the spotlight.
That’s right. This, inexplicably, is a sports film.
As the film progresses, there are some good messages, absurd diversions and visual splendor, but it lacks depth of heart.
It is rich in puns and visual gags, many of which will do well with the younger crowd, for sure, but after awhile, it would have helped if some of the humor was more evolved.
