Review: A Shaun the Sheep Movie – Farmageddon

Sheep Trek – First Contact

Shaun needed to return to his starship, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-BAAAAAAAAH

Director(s): Will Becher

Writer: Richard Phelan

Cast: Justin Fletcher, Andy Nyman, Kate Habour, John Sparkes, Joe Suggs, Amalia Vitale, David Holt, Chris Morrell

Synopsis

When a cute little alien crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm (and Shaun’s flock), Shaun chooses to help his new friend to contact its home planet, before a sinister organisation captures the alien. There are a delightful amount of puns.

Main review

Since the onset of cinema sound in the 1920s, the art of the silent film has mostly been lost. Yet, much of the visual language of cinema that is still used now, was developed in an era before sound. As such, being able to communicate a story visually was not only recommended, it was simply a necessary. Pioneers such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin couldn’t use exposition, they had to use action.

The reason that silent films are being brought up in the context of this review, is that Shaun The Sheep, by its very nature, is essentially a silent film franchise, for the modern age. Developed by Aardman to be sold globally to children of all languages, much like Pingu, the decision was made to tell family-friendly stories without dialogue. Any in-camera wording could then be translated into any language with ease, thanks to digital post-production.

As such, the Shaun The Sheep TV series, and The Shaun The Sheep Movie were a masterclasses in visual comedy, via the art of silent film making. Delightfully, A Shaun The Sheep Movie – Farmageddon continues that wonderful tradition, and it also utilises Aardman’s best form of comedy; a British barrage of puns.

As a base narrative, Farmageddon is basically E.T. – The Extraterrestrial, if Elliot was a sheep (the film knows this, and actively takes the piss out of it). However, even if the premise itself is a pastiche, it’s remarkable how elegantly the film’s script is able to do so much, with little more dialogue than grunts, baaaahs, or alien gibberish.

Further to this, Farmegeddon clearly knows its audience is a combination of young children who won’t get the sci-fi genre references, but with parents whom likely will. The characters are cute and the themes are very life-affirming, but Farmegeddon still has time to make cheeky references to Doctor Who, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and The X-Files. There’s even an overt reference to the ‘chestbuster’ scene in Alien, which is somehow hilarious, adorable and completely family-friend. If only John Hurt had such luck …

Given that Farmageddon is an Aardman production, the stop-motion animation looks gorgeous, and there’s a loving tribute to Wallace and Gromit within the film as well. Farmageddon seems to show Aardman at full confidence again, perhaps needed after the muted response to their last film, Early Man, which was a rare misstep for the animation studio.

While perhaps one or two of the running jokes can get a bit repetitive, A Shaun The Sheep Movie – Farmageddon is a demonstration of how silent cinema can still be relevant in the 21st Century. Not only that, it’s simply a superb sci-fi parody, aimed at an audience too young for comic book films. Shaun The Sheep has proved to be Aardman’s most versatile product. after Wallace and Gromit (Sadly retired, after the death of Peter Sallis). Given the quality of the two Shaun The Sheep films to date, another feature-length adventure for Shaun and his flock will certainly be welcomed.

Pros

• The script is so elegant in how it demonstrates so much narrative, through so little dialogue.
• The film is filled to the brim with references to the sci fi genre, including E.T., Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and The X-files.
• Somehow, the film even crams in a nod to the ‘breakfast’ scene in Alien and makes it adorable for a family audience.
• A stellar Doctor Who gag involving a port-a-loo.
• The stop motion animation by Aardman is exquisite as always, and feels quintessentially British.
• So many puns. So many …

Cons

• Once or twice the jokes get repetitive.

In a nutshell …

Much like the first Shaun The Sheep film, Farmaggedon is a modern day ‘silent’ film that is able to use its visual storytelling in heartfelt and hilarious ways. From sci-fi references that work as good for children as they do for adults, to the distinct, tactical animation style that Aardman employs, Farmageddon is not only a great family film, it’s one of the best films that Aardman has ever made.