Chicken Run (2000)

On the surface, a hilarious adventure with plenty of eggs-cellent puns (“Ah, chute!”), clever action, and the perfect pairing of easy-to-hate villains and a charming flock of heroes (with a great no-chickenshit lead: “It’s Ginger.”). At its core though, it’s a dramatic prison break film, capturing despair, suspense, and hope with surprising potency (see the early failed-attempt montage; the pre-climax one adeptly mixing inspiration, humour, and growing tension; the devastating poster reveal).

8

Early Man (2018)

Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home. (IMDb)

The underdog sports plot couldn’t be any more generic or uninspired; fortunately, there’s enough enjoyable humour smattered throughout to keep you engaged regardless, including plenty of silly slapstick (the delightful claymation makes it even better), groaner puns (i.e. Early-Man-United), and goofy one-liners (“Sliced bread? That’s the best thing since, well, ever!”), made all the better by the charming British voice work (the banter between the dim cavepeople is consistently funny).

6.5/10 (Alright)