Well I'm happy to report the former, because this is a tonne of fun for all ages. Now needless to say given this one's storyline, it wears its influences on its sleeve in being a tribute to E.T. (which I rewatched recently, and I had forgotten how that starts off dialogue free for quite a while too), with some great knowing homages. However, like all Aardman films, there are a tonne of extra references and hidden gags (so many you'd be forced to buy the blu ray just to be certain of catching all of them!), and a huge amount are knowing sci-fi references. An incomplete list of these would include The War of the Worlds (multiple versions), 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, some superb Doctor Who nods, a tribute to Galaxy Quest, The X-Files, Close Encounters... it goes on and on. It even manages, in a U-Rated film, to have a nod to a pretty iconic scene from Alien! Yeah, if you love SF as much as I do, that alone is good enough reason to see this. Plus there are a tonne more Aardman Easter eggs all over the film too, including in the end credits (which you do need to sit through to the end!) to one production I'm amazed even they still remember!
As for its own gags, it's on a winner here too, on the level we've come to expect from Aardman. Don't worry about all the best jokes being given away in the trailer; in fact, there's a superb and hilarious character in the film that none of the trailers have shown yet! There are some wondrous set-pieces, including many that use new alien character Lu-La's abilities and tech to a full potential. Incidentally, it's impressive that in this one it's fair consistent about how these things work, it rarely has moments of just making up new tricks for the sake of gags, it's the same things being done in new ways. One of the comedic highlights in this one are the Ministry of Alien Detention goons in their bio-hazard suits (looking a lot like A.I.M. in Marvel comics now I think about it), who are the source for so many great sight gags, including a whole bunch in the end credits scenes. I can see these guys becoming so popular with kids who watch this; it's probably going to inspire some awesome Halloween costumes.
But again, one of the most surprising things about this film is the depth to the characterisation and plotline. This is the sort of thing you could just easy have be all about the slapstick and it would be fine, but this tells a pretty good story too. Shaun as a character is often portrayed as a rebel, so last film was about him taking some responsibility for his escapades. This time, he's having to learn to be more sensible, as he has to guide Lu-La back home, and keep her out of trouble. What's more, when we learn a lot more about Lu-La, exactly why she's come to Earth and why she is the way she is, it brings this theme home in quite a heart touching way. What's more, even the main villain of the piece gets a pretty good character arc, we can really understand what drives her, which leads to a pretty good final resolution (after an awesome action climax the film does a good job of literally building up). At the screening I was at (a special preview by the BFI), the kids in the audience were audibly enrapt by these character beats; the mark of a great kids film is in how much they get absorbed into the story.
Farmageddon is another absolute star from Aardman; it will delight all kids, especially by having no proper dialogue (which must delight the localisation teams in other countries; gives them an easy day!), and there's a lot in here for adults to adore too. It's remarkable how far Shaun, a one-off character from Wallace & Gromit in A Close Shave, has come in terms of being his own brand and series, and whilst for some series bringing in aliens can be a sign of slight desperation for ideas (something Dark Phoenix showed earlier this year), it works perfectly here. Definitely go see this when it comes out, and parents, be prepared for Lu-La to be your kids' new favourite character for the next year or so!
Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie opens in U.K. Cinemas on Friday the 18th of October.
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