Film Review: WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WARE-RABBIT (2005)

Directors: Steve Box, Nick Park
Writers: Steve Box, Nick Park, Mark Burton, Bob Baker
Running time: 79 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure
UK Release date: 14^th October 2005

Watched on Sky+ Monday 27^th August 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this one several years ago and I have to admit I wasn’t all that struck with it to be honest. A second look has totally changed my mind! I think Ardman hide so many little subtle jokes that it takes a few viewings to pick up on them. For a change I found it a comedy that made me laugh out loud (a very rare thing these days)! Here’s a very brief summary before I give you more of my thoughts.

Wallace and Gromit have gone into the pest-control business. They are a humane company called Anti-Pesto who don’t actually kill the pests; they take them in and look after them. With the local Giant Vegetable Competition coming up at Tottington Hall they are working round the clock protecting all those precious entries. Even Lady Tottington herself is having trouble with the rabbits and Anti-Pesto are called in to deal with them much to the disgust of Lady Tottington’s suitor, Victor Quartermaine. It’s when Wallace decides to use his mind control machine to brainwash some bunnies into not liking vegetables any more that an accident brings about… (Dramatic Music)… The Ware-Rabbit! It terrorises the neighbourhood taking all the vegetables it can find! It gets so bad that the Giant Vegetable competition in under threat! Not to worry; Gromit is on the case!... I’ll leave it there or the Ware-Rabbit will be after me for letting the cat out of the bag (again).

Filmed in stop-motion, it is brilliantly animated with a really marvellous plot and the usual great musical themes that all Wallace & Gromit films have. All the performances were great; You couldn’t have a Wallace and Gromit film without the marvellous voice of Peter Sallis as Wallace (and Hutch in this one). Ralph Fiennes supplies the voice of the slippery Victor Quartermaine and Helena Bonham Carter is great as Lady Campanula Tottington. Also worthy of note were; Peter Kay as PC Mackintosh, Nicholas Smith had some of the best lines (IMO) as the Reverend Clement Hedges, Liz Smith as Mrs. Mulch, John Thomson as Mr. Windfall, Mark Gatiss as Miss Blight and Geraldine McEwan as Miss Thripp.

Full of subtle little jokes, but also at its heart a great plot that keeps the audience guessing. I must admit I really enjoyed this one; for me it had everything I would look for in a comedy; characters you actually care about, a plot, some really funny sight gags and a lot of more subtle comedy besides. I should also mention the quality of the performances as well; the comic timing was impeccable. Over all, probably the best comic film I’ve seen in a very long time… Well worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My Score: 8.8/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 57,298 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0312004/

MetaScore: 87/100: (Based on 38 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 95/100 (based on 173 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 72/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 360,968 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wallace_and_gromit_curse_of_the_wererabbit/

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Lady Tottington: [over the phone] It's a disaster. I have the most terrible rabbit problem. The competition's only days away. You simply have to do something.
Wallace: Certainly, M'um.
Wallace: [Aside, to Gromit] I think we're about to go up in the world, lad.
Wallace: [Back on phone] Just stay right where you are, Your Ladyship, and we'll be with you in an...
[hits the control panel and gets dragged up through the ceiling]
Wallace: Ahhhh!
Lady Tottington: In an hour? But I can't wait an hour. I have a major infestation. Hello? Hello?

Wallace: Burrowing bounders! They must be breeding like... well, rabbits.

Reverend Clement Hedges: This was no man. Does a man have teeth the size of axe blades? Or ears like terrible tombstones? By tampering with nature, forcing vegetables to swell far beyond their natural size, we have brought a terrible judgement upon ourselves.
[Ominous organ music plays]
PC McIntosh: [to the organ player] Hey, give over!
[Organ player stops]
PC McIntosh: You're mental.
Reverend Clement Hedges: And for our sins, a hideous creature has been sent to punish us all! Repent! Repent! Lest you, too, taste the wrath of... the Were-Rabbit!

Lord Victor Quartermaine: How on earth would those tiny-minded buffoons ever catch such a big rabbit?
Lady Tottington: Mr. Wallace?
Wallace: Um... with a big trap!
[Gromit slaps his face]
Mr. Crock: By Jove, he... he's got it!

[last lines]
Hutch the Rabbit: Cheeeeeeeese!

LINKS:
Official Site (UK): http://java.europe.yahoo.com/uk/uip/wallaceandgromit/index.html
Official Site (US): http://www.wandg.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: WALLACE & GROMIT: THE WRONG TROUSERS (1993)

A.K.A.: WALLACE AND GROMIT IN THE WRONG TROUSERS

Director: Nick Park
Writers: Nick Park, Bob Baker and Brian Sibley (additional contributions)
Running Time: 30 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Short/Comedy
UK Release Date: 26^th December 1993 (TV Premiere).

Watched on Sky+ Monday 9^th April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having been hooked on the work of the Aardman studio since their first short ‘A Grand Day Out’ (1989), I was intrigued to see their second short at Christmas in 1993. Of course I’ve seen it many times since, but I thought I’d share my views on this excellent piece of work. It should come as no surprise that I like it (a lot) and it rates, along with ‘A Grand Day Out’, among my favourite animated films. I’ll give you a short critique after this brief summary.

It’s Gromit’s birthday and he’s feeling under-appreciated. Wallace has not only bought him a collar and lead, but also some ‘Techno-Trousers’ from NASA. Programmable so Gromit can go for walkies any time… Of course, Gromit isn’t exactly enthralled by the idea. On top of that, times are hard and Wallace has decided to let out a room. Unfortunately the tenant, a penguin, decides Gromit’s room is more to his taste and has also endeared himself to Wallace. Suspecting there’s something suspicious about this stranger, Gromit follows him and he discovers there is much more to this penguin than meets the eye… I will leave it there or the Spoiler Police will have me strapped into the wrong trousers (again).

Again brilliantly animated with all the little subtle touches that make Aardman films so great! Of course Peter Sallis does his usual excellent job of voicing Wallace. The plot is more complicated than the first film and it shows the ambition of the studio to progress. Some of the ideas are really crazy, but they work so well in this medium. For me, not quite as good as ‘A Grand Day Out’, but a very close second… HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My Score: 9.2/10

IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (based on 27,036 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0108598/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 100/100 (based on 25 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 89/100 (based on 19,727 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wallace_and_gromit_the_wrong_trousers/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Wallace: Cracking toast, Gromit!

Wallace: They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!

Wallace: It's the wrong trousers Gromit, and they've gone wrong!

Wallace: No more lodgers - more trouble than they're worth!

[last lines]
Wallace: Ah, but I do like a bit of gorgonzola!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Aardman Site: http://www.aardman.com/
Trailer (fan made):

Film Review: WALLACE & GROMIT: A GRAND DAY OUT (1989)

A.K.A.: A GRAND DAY OUT WITH WALLACE AND GROMIT

Writer/Director: Nick Park
Running Time: 23 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Short/Adventure
UK Release Date(s): 1989 (British Short Film Festival) & 24^th December 1990 (TV Premiere).

Watched on Sky+ Monday 9^th April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have seen this short film many times before and so I thought it was about time I gave my thoughts on it. It comes up regularly on TV here in the UK and so everyone here has plenty of opportunity to see it. I have loved it since I first saw it back in 1990. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese and it’s a bank holiday. They have been planning their holidays and so decide to combine their need for cheese with a little day trip… to the moon! Of course, everybody knows the moon is made of cheese. Designing and building a spaceship is no problem to this duo and soon they’re on their way… I won’t say any more or the Spoiler Police (Moon Division) will be impounding my spaceship (again).

Although the Aardman animation (or ‘claymation’ if you prefer) has improved over the years, I still really love the look and feel of this short. The voice of Peter Sallis as Wallace is perfect… I couldn’t imagine anyone else voicing the part. I find the comic timing works to a tea and the storyline is both wacky and brilliant. There are very few things that make me laugh out loud, but there are several jokes in this film that still crack me up even 22 years later! Long may the BBC keep showing it! For me… VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My Score: 9.5/10

IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (based on 12,962 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0104361/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 100/100 (based on 19 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 36/100 ‘Want to See’ (based on 12,098 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wallace_and_gromit_a_grand_day_out/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Wallace: No cheese, Gromit! Not a bit in the house!

Wallace: Gromit, that's it! Cheese! We'll go somewhere where there's cheese!
[Looks at "Cheese Holidays" magazine, then out window]
Wallace: Everybody knows the moon is made of cheese...

[Wallace and Gromit are on their spaceship, about to leave Earth]
Wallace: No crackers Gromit! We've forgotten the crackers!

[eating the moon]
Wallace: It's like no cheese I've ever tasted...

[a machine malfunctions]
Wallace: Well, what's wrong with this stupid...?
[it breaks down]
Wallace: [stunned slightly] Oh

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Aardman Site: http://www.aardman.com/
Clip: