Early Man (2018) (Review)


There's quite the difference between admiring a film for what it tries to do, appreciating the efforts the filmmakers have gone to, and actually liking said film. Such is the way with Early Man, Aardman's latest stop-motion release, announced almost eleven years ago. Despite the extensive production history and delays in bringing their claymation project to our screens, the final effort is a disappointing misfire that fails to uncover the film's full potential.

Stone and Bronze come head-to-head in Early Man, a film that follows a small, complacent Stone Age tribe who are driven out of their valley home by leader of the Bronze Age, Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston). A young caveman named Dug (Eddie Redmayne) tries to convince the new arrivals to give them their land back and they eventually settle on a game of football to help settle their difference. With their home and future on the line, can the Stone Age conquer the football field as their ancestors supposedly did, or is their goal unachievable?

There's no disputing the technical achievements and visual ingenuity displayed within Nick Parks' Early Man. His production company are responsible for some truly groundbreaking work and have truly helped shape the British animation scene, typically celebrating the best of Britain. It's clear that so much thought and detail has gone into this project's quality animation, painstaking imagery and visuals intensely felt. Not everyone loves the style - I can't say I'm the biggest lover - but they can surely appreciate the talent involved in the production.

Simplicity can work wonders for a screenplay yet Empty Man just feels empty. Mark Burton and James Higginson struggle to flesh their almost-singular idea out and explore its full potential; while the idea is fun and quirky enough, there's so little substance to everything else that surrounds it. It cannot sustain even 89 short minutes and struggles to maintain your attention until the finish line.

Perhaps it's not so much the idea itself being too thin on the ground but the elements that make up the whole that are so lacking. Such weak humour, the laughs are very intermittent and despite some fine gags during the match, a lot of them went over my non-sporty head. There are few emotional beats here and, matched with the predictability of the story, are rarely effective; even when the Stone Age's home is on the line you have no doubt where and how the story is going to end. The kid-friendly animation formula is so strictly adhered to that the element of surprise is non-existent and the 'underdog' narrative is stale.

A fine, star-studded cast of British talent is assembled but the characters they enliven are so forgettable. Redmayne's Dug is supposed to be a loveable dork of sorts but Redmayne tows the line between infectious and frustrating a little too often for comfort; Maisie Williams is under-utilised and her character arc is pretty transparent; Hiddleston employs a horribly stereotypical accent intended to make you chuckle. Alas, it does not and grates so very quickly. Rob Brydon is the MVP here and delivers precisely 75% of the film's laughs. Timothy Spall is solid and Miriam Margolyes is fine but none of these characters are remotely memorable or special.

It's difficult not to admire the art and skill that goes into the production of a film like Early Man, but I found it very difficult to actually like Early Man. It's a misfire; a film that struggles to capitalise on its potential, barely musters more than a handful of chuckles and cannot sustain even a diminutive hour-and-a-half runtime. Voice performances are rendered unspectacular by a weak crop of characters and the whole thing lacks both originality and charm, as predictable as it is disappointing. Early Man not only fails to reinvent the wheel but sends it spinning backwards - probably rolling over our Stone Age tribe in the most uninventive, slapstick manner.

(4/10)

 Summary: Disappointingly, Early Man is a frustratingly lazy, empty and unremarkable misfire that lacks the ingenuity, energy or enthusiasm of Aardman Animations' previous claymation efforts. Despite the talent and skill involved in the production, this one is as forgettable as it is predictable.