‘Early Man’ solid family entertainment
“Early Man” does not reinvent the wheel, but leave it to the stop-motion pioneers at Aardman Animations to take a potentially tired storyline and jolt it awake with good-natured humor and subversive social commentary.
The painstaking claymation process pays off with visuals that feel like a return to the Golden Age charms of Aardman’s “Wallace and Gromit,” a series of films that has earned four Oscars for Nick Park. “Early Man” marks his first solo gig as director. He had co-directors on “Chicken Run” and “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” and as with those previous films, he has unleashed the secret formula for goofy, giddy family entertainment.
In this newest venture, a group of underdogs are about to lose everything they hold dear, courtesy of a greedy overlord who covets the natural wonders of their home. But wait, there’s an against-allodds chance for the underdogs — a David vs. Goliath game of “football” (the word “soccer”is never mentioned).
The story that unfolds owes much to our history of unconscionable conquerors in search of riches, stories that inspired movies such as “Avatar.” Mr. Park’s concept, told by screenwriters Mark Burton and James Higginson, employs a twist or two that could easily fit as cogs in the Information Age, even though the events take place not long after dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
The tale of “Early Man” on one level celebrates innocence and, at a swift hour and 40 minutes, is a fine distraction for even the very young. The humor goes something like this: “We have to mine this ore!” demands the big Bronze baddie. “Or what?” asks his underling. And then there’s, “Sliced bread? Wow! This is the best thing since ... well, ever.”
However, hiding in plain sight are nods to girl power, sports rivalries, Brexit and other, more adult, fodder. In “Early Man,” the heavily favored Rael Bronzio football team represents highpriced players from countries that, let’s just say they use the Euro today, and any resemblance to the real Real Madrid is purely intentional.
Among these early men and women, the more evolved Bronze Agers use shiny metal coinage, which mostly makes its way into the coffers of Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston, employing a French accent by way of a Monty Python sketch). He’s a dastardly sort, with no regard for anyone or anything except wealth and overseeing the “sacred” football matches. Only a loss to the Stone Age tribe could alert his queen and upend his world, and he takes measures to win at all costs.
When all seems hopeless for the young caveman Dug (Eddie Redmayne), along comes Goona (Maisie Williams of “Game of Thrones”), a Bronze Age girl who, despite her obvious football prowess, hasn’t been allowed to play for the best team money can buy. Given the chance to play and help brave Dug, she joins his side for thebig match.
While there’s no mystery to the outcome, with this as with any Aardman story, it’s how you play the game. And no one plays it as well as the team at Aardman.