It's a happy nifty review of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl!

Move over Gavin & Stacey - this writer reviews Christmas's biggest TV event, the return of Wallace & Gromit!

Jess Mooney
3rd February 2025
Image source: IMDb
Feathers McGraw returns, as chillingly intimidating as ever, in Aardman’s latest offering which marks the long-awaited return of everyone's favourite cheese-loving duo. This Christmas, the BBC delivered a real feast: the first new Wallace and Gromit adventure in 16 years, complete with all the finest trimmings. 

In this latest adventure, the stakes are raised as one of cinema’s most menacing villains makes a return: Feathers McGraw, the cold-blooded penguin who once masterminded a daring heist using Wallace’s malfunctioning trousers in The Wrong Trousers. With his chilling, unblinking stare and emotionless demeanour, Feathers was locked up in the zoo after the robbery. But from his cell, he plots his escape and revenge, hacking into Wallace’s latest creation: Norbot, a robot gnome with a talent for topiary and mopping.

There's a comforting sense of joy in the familiar routine, with plenty of delightful details.

Vengeance Most Fowl brings back the beloved duo with all their classic charm, while reintroducing the terrifying return of one of TV’s most unforgettable villains. It’s an ideal pick for a post-Christmas dinner watch. However, when the holiday buzz fades, the film falls just short of the high bar set by previous Aardman classics.

The film gets off to a bit of a rocky start. At just 79 minutes long, the pacing feels uneven, and the humour takes some time to find its stride. The exposition drags in spots, and the bumbling cops (voiced by Peter Kay and Lauren Patel) come off as a bit too much like a Postman Pat parody. However, once the ominous, unpredictable Norbot (voiced by Reece Shearsmith in a wonderfully unsettling performance) is unleashed, the film finds its groove, quickly returning to the familiar charm of the Wallace and Gromit universe. As always, Wallace falls for the shiny promises of new technology, dismisses his ever-loyal Gromit for a more demanding gadget, and both man and dog end up wrongfully accused of a crime—only to clear their names by tracking down the true villain.

Wallace & Gromit reminds us that sometimes, silence can make a stronger impact than any punchline.

There's a comforting sense of joy in the familiar routine, with plenty of delightful details. Norbot, for example, produces some wonderfully odd sounds while recharging his battery. The scene where Feathers scrolls through Norbot's personality settings— “Grumpy … boorish … a little selfish”—is a nice touch. There’s a brilliant bagpipe joke, a clever nun bit, and even a pointed dig at police ineptitude. However, Vengeance Most Fowl doesn’t quite reach the level of excellence seen in Aardman’s finest films.

At times, the dialogue feels a bit overwhelming, shifting the focus away from the studio's usual strength in visual storytelling and leaning a little too heavily on words. While Wallace is always a fan favourite, it’s clear that the most captivating character in the film is the one who speaks the least. What lingers after Feathers’ cold, unblinking stare isn’t Wallace’s puns or the inspector’s bumbling antics, but the villain's unnerving presence. Much like the Shaun the Sheep Movie, which often told its story with minimal dialogue, Wallace & Gromit reminds us that sometimes, silence can make a stronger impact than any punchline.

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