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11 months ago

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

a review by CinemaSerf

So now that our intrepid band of chickens have escaped the menacing clutches of "Mrs. Tweedy", they set up home on a peaceful little island. Thing is, their feathered brethren on the mainland are in even more danger than they were before, and when "Ginger" finds out the gang decide to launch a daring raid on a new, state of the art, factory that has one single purpose: to turn chickens into nuggets! Sneaking in, they quickly discover that the entire population are well fed and kept in good conditions - but they are also all controlled by radio controlled collars that ensure they do the bidding of... well...you can guess. Can they thwart the dastardly plan to cover the entire flock in breadcrumbs? I didn't especially like the combination of animation styles here. The traditional Aardman stop-motion characters are still there in abundance but surrounded by quite a lot of rather linear looking CGI. That rather sterilises the look of the story which, itself, is really far too strung out. The film is just half an hour too long and maybe just a little too formulaic as well. Still, it extols all the virtues of teamwork and loyalty, the script is quite entertaining at times and the gadgets and slightly slapstick nature of the humour, with a touch of "007"-style menace, does make it worth a watch. Not their best, but still quite good.