The Snapshot: A great parody of modern technology and growing crimes against gnomes and penguins alike, Vengeance Most Fowl is a hilarious claymation creation.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
9 out of 10
G, 1hr 19mins. Animated Family Crime Comedy.
Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham.
Starring Ben Whitehead, Reece Shearsmith, Lauren Patel and Peter Kay.
Now streaming on Netflix for subscribers.
Is there a greater villain in the history of cinema than the claymation penguin Feathers McGraw?
Not for famed British duo Wallace and Gromit, returning with their first feature film in almost 20 years with their outstanding Vengeance Most Fowl. Clever, modest and genuinely hilarious for all ages, this new comedy adventure is undoubtedly the last great movie of 2024 - or, the first of 2025.
The famous animated inventors, made up of Lancashire cheese enthusiast Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his brilliant beagle Gromit, have been entertaining audience in the U.K. and worldwide for decades. Most of their work, however, has been in short films.
Their first full-length story came with 2005’s Oscar-winning Curse of the Were-Rabbit, to which Vengeance Most Fowl shares several similarities.
While this new caper is less involving of a full cast, the focus on the odd pair squaring off against the penguin and diamond thief Feathers McGraw makes for a great plot…with a surprising number of gnomes.
Somehow the story begins with Wallace’s latest invention - a smart gnome robot to help with gardening - turning evil when re-programmed by a certain criminal mastermind penguin. Throw in a museum re-opening, a backyard renovation, and a dastardly diamond heist, and you’ve most of the story’s madcap antics.
(For diehard fans, Feathers first appeared as a diamond thief in 1993’s short film The Wrong Trousers, also an Oscar winner. There’s a short prologue in this movie that fills in audiences for anyone who isn’t researched on the latest Wallace & Gromit lore.)
Mark Burton’s screenplay has been edited to have great balance between all the comedic props and settings, all with a surprising interconnectivity. The story is smart, but what drives Wallace and Gromit is the masterful clay comedy that drive home the equally serious and silly tone.
Longtime series director Nick Park again shepherds the project with whimsy and gravity, which works because the entire world the people and animals are playing in are purely wholesome. The film is filled with good, clean fun that feels increasingly rare in the 21st century.
The best scenes easily come from Gromit dealing with the conflicts between robot gnome Norbot (voiced by the very funny Reece Shearsmith) and Feathers the evil penguin. Their silent animated antics are filled with shocking expression thanks to the clean and simple claymation character designs.
If there’s one critique I have for what’s a mostly stunning movie, it’s that what made their first film Curse of the Were-Rabbit so compelling was seeing the breadth of the town and large ensemble of characters interacting with Wallace’s inventions and plots.
Vengeance Most Fowl, conversely, is a more intimate story. There’s really only six characters, and two of the main players never talk. That means the ordeal faced by our heroes less significant an event, even with the return of Feathers as the main baddie.
Other than the story’s scope, this new Wallace & Gromit adventure is nearly perfect. It’s now available on Netflix to watch at home, and it’s a terrific night in for families and adults alike.
My whole family was in riotous laughter countless times. What better way to start the new year with a smile?