Early Man,
directed by Nick Park
(PG, 1 hour, 29 minutes)
Stop-motion animation time-travels to the prehistoric era in this visually adept, simply told tale from Nick Park, creator of the adored Aardman Animation duo of Wallace and Gromit. Here we have backward hunters who get kicked out of their homes by a superior tribe of front-runners from a far-away civilization that has caught on to the benefits of bronze-making.
But one of the hunters, Dug (voice of Eddie Redmayne), refuses to go quietly. He decides to try to win his home back by challenging the invaders to a game of soccer.
Yeah, soccer. Turns out this isn't a cultural study or an emotional journey. It's a sports movie.
Unlike many of the Aardman Animation films, Early Man is aimed squarely at an audience of children. Nothing offensive here, but nothing much to talk about after the show. It's no Shaun the Sheep, but it comes in handy when touting the benefits of being a good sport.
Animated with the voices of Tom Hiddleston, Timothy Spall, Maisie Williams.
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MovieStyle on 05/25/2018