Chicken Run - 7.8/10
I remember when this first came out; there was a lot of buzz
surrounding it because it was the first feature-length production from Aardman
Entertainment, the guys who by now were already famous for their Wallace and
Gromit shorts. Their particular style of animation was clearly evident here, as
well as their distinctive brand of British humor. Even though I’d never really
seen Wallace and Gromit, I still knew about them and thus wanted to see this
movie.
It’s basically a POW flick with chickens and, though I
didn’t know it at the time, it borrows heavily from such well-known films in
the genre as Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. There are also
several subtle references to other areas of pop culture, and more than one
well-executed Star Trek jokes.
Unlike a lot of the films of today, these references were not overdone in the
slightest, and served to add to the comedy rather than detract from it. There
were also a number of very clever puns, some of which were so clever you almost
missed them. I love this, since while bad puns can ruin anything, good puns are
gold – in my opinion, anyway.
The plot of the movie itself is pretty conventional overall,
and common elements such as misunderstandings and the liar reveal are used in
all seriousness. The greatness of this film comes in its unique setting. Being
chickens, a lot of the escape tactics used in films like this had to be
adapted, to great comedic effect. There’s also the fact that their gaolers, the
farmers, believe (reasonably) that they are simply chickens and are not capable
of organization. Some of the best comedy in the movie comes from the farmer
trying to convince his domineering wife that the chickens are trying to escape,
and her basically calling him an idiot for it. They’re just chickens, after
all.
Common story elements aside, this is a charming film with
some really good comedy and some really enjoyable homages to classic cinema.
It’s not my favorite Dreamworks picture by any means, but I do quite like it.
