Early Man

Early Man

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall

Directed by Nick Park

The Story:
In the Stone Age, a small village is ruled by the dim-witted Chief Bobnar (Timothy Spall), where he organizes daily rabbit hunts - because they can't catch anything bigger.  Equally dim-witted Dug (Eddie Redmayne) wants them to hunt bigger things, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.  One night, they're attacked by more civilized people from the Bronze Age, led by Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), banishing the cavemen to the volcanic badlands.

Dug finds his way into the town of the Bronze Age, and discovers they play a game called football.  He offers Lord Nooth a challenge - if his people can defeat his men at football, they can get their land back, and if they loose, they'll work in his mines.  Nooth agrees, thinking there's no way primitive cavemen could beat his sophisticated players.

Back home, Dug tries to teach the other dim-wits how to play, but doesn't get very successful until Bronze Age girl Goona (Maisie Williams) arrives offering to help.  As the game nears, Dug fears he might have bitten off more than he could chew, fearing that he just doomed his people to a lifetime of hard labor in the mines.

The Synopsis:
From the company that brought other beloved stop-animation films "Wallace and Gromit" and "Chicken Run" comes "Early Man," a film about primitive Stone Age men who take on sophisticated Bronze Age players in the game of football (or, as we Americans call it, soccer).  While it's not as endearing or memorable as their other outings, "Early Man" has its own charm and feel all its own, delivering a lot in such a short amount of time.

We've seen this type of story play out in countless movies - an underdog team who goes up against the best of the best, a team that no one thinks could possibly win, a team that has no concept of the game at all.  We also know how this type of story plays out, so there's absolutely no surprises or twists thrown in here - it is a film geared for children, after all.  Yet this is also something adults can enjoy as well, as it portrays a message that's timeless and universal, whether you're 9 or 92.

That message is the importance of unity and togetherness.  Dug's team is a bunch of dim-witted fools, but they're kind-hearted fools who enjoy working as a cohesive unit.  On the flip side, Nooth's players are egotistical ball hogs who strive for their own personal fame than the betterment of the team as a whole (I'm not a big follower of sports, but this sounds familiar).  It's the classic tale of the underdog taking on the establishment, banding together for a common purpose and showing unity against a team that's dis-unified but seemingly better.  While these underdogs aren't the brightest, they've got the biggest hearts.

The voice actors are great in their roles as well.  Eddie Redmayne plays a lovable moron with his innocent voice, while Tom Hiddleston is almost completely unrecognizable with his outlandish French accent.

The animation - as you'd expect - is glorious and beautiful, showcasing the important care and precise moments they used to move the animation ahead.  This isn't a fly-by-night operation, years of careful planning and detail went into this production, and it truly shows in the outcome.  With a slight runtime of only 89 minutes, you feel like you sat through a story twice as long, and you don't mind it.

Yes, the story is simple and predictable, but that's what you'd expect from a film centering around neanderthals.  It's filled with gags reminiscent of "Abbott and Costello" and "The Three Stooges," with several laugh-out-loud moments (especially the opening sequence when a meteor hits, and you see a bug putting on a small pair of sunglasses).  The sight gags are as humorous as the jokes told, some that could go over childrens' heads, but ones that adults will easily catch up on (finding out what is better than sliced bread is also pretty comic).

The Summary:
For a short runtime, "Early Man" is packed full of humor, heart, and dedication as it tells the timeless story of the underdog versus the insurmountable, with characters you can relate to and care for due to their innocent numbskull personas.

The Score: A-