“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” Review

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Sure, I’ve been critical of the past few Aardman Animations like Early Man and the sequel to Chicken Run, but it’s hard to find any fault within the romps of Wallace and Gromit. The man/dog duo that has graced multiple shorts and a feature film has had the presence of the most immortal cartoon team-ups in history. Much like the antics of Bugs and Daffy or Tom and Jerry, you don’t need some intricate story to make their dynamics entertaining. This is very much the case with Vengeance Most Fowl, which is a sequel to a previous Wallace and Gromit short, but never feels like it’s an overly exposition or elaborate tale. It’s just another decent lattice to string another charming series of slapstick gags and captivating characters, proving once more that formula doesn’t fail in the right hands.

You won’t have to dust off the previous film this sequel is based on, even though The Wrong Trousers is a brisk 29 minutes (and it’s still fun after 30 years). All you need to know is that the previous nemesis of Wallace and Gromit, the mute criminal penguin Feathers McGraw, is being contained at the zoo. He waits silently for his chance to break free and continue his heists. That opportunity comes when the chipper Wallace (Ben Whitehead) invents a new gardening gnome robot, Norbot (Reece Shearsmith). Wallace initially invents the robot to help with Gromit’s gardening, but the automation leaves Gromit bitter and longing for the gentler side of his partner in inventing.

Without giving too much away, though I doubt it will matter for a film like this, Wallace is accused of crimes when his robots go awry. The framing is the work of Feathers McGraw, and it’s up to the inventor and his dog to prove their innocence. There isn’t much more to the plot than that, making plenty of room for Wallace’s clever devices and Gromit’s keen knowledge of physics for chases and action sequences. You don’t need a degree in physics or comedy to understand the all-ages appeal of this adventure that is loaded with absurdity and charm with its trademark stop-motion animation.

There is, however, enough going on to warrant the film being longer than its predecessor. Making the investigation more engrossing is the addition of the eccentric PC Mukherjee (Lauren Patel), trying to prove Wallace’s innocence amid her grump superior, Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh (Peter Kay). They have a playful dynamic that feels just as gentle yet spirited as Wallace and Gromit. There’s a few twists in how Feathers enacts his revenge, but the surprises are fairly obvious for the adults. That’s okay, though. Much like how we know Wallace and Gromit ultimately love each other, there’s still some drama for watching how it all unfolds. I’m sure it’s no spoiler to bring up how Gromit will not be replaced by Norbot, but it’s still entertaining to see how that relationship’s sturdy foundation is tested once more.

Vengenance Most Fowl is another amusing adventure for Wallace & Gromit, proving this duo hasn’t gone stale after 30+ years. This type of film is almost critic proof. The characters are so loveable and warm with solid avenues for escapades that all you can do is judge by how great the gags were and even then you have to compare it to previous episodes to be critical. If I were to get that serious with these productions, I’d say Vengance Most Fowl is just below The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and on par with The Wrong Trousers, for whatever that ranking may be worth. Ultimately, though, it’s still the same sweet stop-motion buddy dynamic that remains as entertaining as always, like returning to a good book after many years, if that book involved evil penguins.