THE worldwide phenomenon that is Shaun the Sheep has returned to the big screen with an action-packed extraterrestrial adventure.
Shaun and the gang are up to their usual antics at Mossy Bottom farm, much to the annoyance of Bitzer the dog, when Shaun discovers an alien called Lu-La.
The two of them slip past Bitzer’s watchful eye to journey into town and get her back to her spaceship.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWBut hard on their heels is Agent Red and her hazmat-suited minions, determined to track down the UFO and its inhabitants.
Meanwhile the farmer sees an opportunity to make money from the UFO mad crowds flocking to town by building a space-themed fun fair called Farmageddon.
With dialogue that is all baas and grunts, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon relies solely on visual storytelling and gags – yet this works as an efficiently told and skillfully constructed movie.
A simple story about appreciating one’s family is wrapped in joke after hilarious joke – from clever wordplay to ridiculous slapstick – providing plenty of laughs for both grown-ups and children.
Adults can make a game of spotting the countless references to science fiction movies and TV, so jam-packed that it might be impossible to see them all on first viewing.
There is even a reference to the Wallace and Gromit 1989 short film A Grand Day Out, beautifully connecting Aardman Animations’ first step into space with a new generation behind the camera, as well as an audience of children getting to enjoy the world of claymation for the first time.
THE ESSENTIALS
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (G)
Directors: Will Becher and Richard Phelan
Starring: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Amalia Vitale
Four stars
Now showing