User reviews

I might be one of the few people on this planet that saw this over Black Panther. Sorry.

I really enjoy Aardman's work, especially from shows like "Shaun the Sheep" and "Wallace & Gromit". Their claymation is unique, the slapstick is inventive, the British wit is keen, the characters are endearing and the stories are funny. Only a few of these qualities could describe Early Man, a movie that's pleasant and wacky enough but felt rather uninspired. Which pains me, because I know Aardman could do better.

What are the positives? First off, the claymation has the same offbeat charm as almost every Aardman film ever, so expect that. A few jokes are inventive and got some giggles outta me (like the replay footage in a soccer game is a literal puppet show. Whenever the caveman team wins, the puppeteers wildly exaggerate what happened). Some of the details of how the cavemen live their lives was amusing. The pig was adorable and the end picks up its pace with an entertaining soccer game. Nick Park has a knack for world-building, and this was no different.

But I think that's where the main positives end. What shocked me the most was how formulaic the story was, since you could predict what EVERY SINGLE PLOT POINT was if you've seen enough animated movies. Some of the gags are clever and quirky, but a good chunk of them are also lazy and tired. It seems to rely on dumb puns ("looks like the caveman caved!") and overused physical humor over genuinely witty jokes. The "look at that caveman! He's so dumb!" running gag got old after the first 15 minutes and any chances for good absurdist humor (giant man-eating duck) lost its steam along the way. The CGI backgrounds look tacky and dull compared to the claymation, so it doesn't fit. The characters are likeable but also stereotypical (hero wants to save land, villain loves money, love interest is good at soccer, chief leader is cautious, sidekicks are dumb yet useful), just like the majority of this movie.

But it's not a painful watch. It's sometimes funny and amusing, but with every good moment you still have a thin premise, predictable plot and cliches to move the story forward as an amiable but weak experience. It's the type of movie you could show your kids on a Sunday afternoon or on an airplane, but the eccentricity, wit and creativity just isn't enough to make it worth seeing by yourself in a theater. You might smile, but it won't stick to your mind. It's not painfully average, but it isn't Wallace and Gromit. 5.5/10

I love that Shaun the Sheep 2 teaser though!

Although it isn't Aardman at the top of their game, 'Early Man' is still a fantastically entertaining film with excellent stop-motion animation and a satisfyingly energetic cast. Their newest film from Oscar winning director Nick Park tells the story of a prehistoric tribe that have to work together in order to save their home from the impending doom of the Bronze Age. Aardman once again uses expert sight gags and word play to generate multiple laughs from the audience and, although the jokes don't always land, they are all genuinely clever and you can't help but appreciate the thought that has gone into them all. The film is however let down slightly by its somewhat generic and predictable story, but the fast pace and constant humour doesn't make this into a huge problem.

Overall 'Early Man' is a very well crafted, extremely entertaining family film that will appeal to all ages, which includes an excellent voice cast who are clearly having just as much fun as we are. 7/10.

Nick Park's claymation creations always manage to put a smile on my face. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of their 'Wallace & Gromit' franchise, 'Early Man (2018)' is a consistently clever and chuckle-worthy affair with plenty of laughs to be had at its typically home-spun humour that just gets better the longer you think about it. The beautifully tangible animation is compounded by awesomely ostentatious vocal work and a wonderfully written script, crafting a fully formed world just one-step removed from our own. It is also far and away the best football film I've seen. Though I'm not a huge fan of the sport and always find the formula of its features rather dull, the piece has me both riveted and grinning ear-to-ear during its ball-to-boots sequences with its wisecracking yet respectful, satirical wit which remains good-natured and suitably subtle even when taking the easiest, or sometimes most obscure, of hits. 7/10

If you want Park's best, see his Pirates movie, with Hugh Grant. I know Wallace and Gromitt is what put Park on the map, and W&G are treasured (for good reason), but The Pirates was absolutely brilliant: a laugh a minute, inspired adventure. The process of making a stop-motion movie must be laborious, so it's a shame we see so little from Park's studios. Even though Early Man won't blow you away, it's still worth your time.

Not Park's best work? Yeah. The setup and writing is kind of slow and stodgy compared to Park's previous work, but but it's still very, very, very good content: especially when you compare it to the numerous, mind-numbing 3D animated movies Hollywood pumps out. Off the top of my head, Early Man beats out The Nut Job, Over the Hedge, Turbo, The Boss Baby, The Emoji Movie, My Little Pony... Cars... good lord, I'm making myself sick. Listing all of these subpar movies one after another like this is like eating a bunch of empty calories. Nick Park's work easily stands heads and shoulders over this mass produced crap, even if it's not his best. Early Man is *fun.* It doesn't pander to children: it's clever, fun, and the stop-motion is nothing less than charming.

A year or so ago I saw an animated DC movie, "Batman and Harley Quinn," which was truly terrible. I watch animated shows and find that I don't enjoy them. "What's wrong with me," I think. "Can all animation I see be so terrible? Am I becoming jaded?" But, hey: no, it's not me: most of the animation presented to us *is* bad. You have to see excellent content like Early Man to draw a distinction.

I love to no end anything that Aardman has put out, including the traditional cartoons, and this one is no ecception: as usual, the stop-motion animation is flawless. Too bad that the screenplay seems rushed and underdeveloped, and the jokes did not always work. My kids (male of 8, female of 6) laughed a lot at the football match itself, but as an adult I felt that everything was dull and predictable.

Early Man is the perfect delight to go and see if you have children under the age of ten. Ten and over can go see Black Panther this coming weekend.

As for Early Man, it's a delight. It has fun humor, a great cast, fun action sequences, and an overall great heartfelt message that every viewer can love, no matter the age.

Some of the issues I have with Early Man is the impossible nature of comparing it to every other Aardman film. It just is not as good as The Shaun The Sheep movie.

With my one tiny issue aside, Early Man is a very fun family film that will unfortunately not do leaps and bounds at the box office due to Black Panther.

I would have to give Early Man a B+ or on an Imdb scale, a 7/10.

Not one of Aardman's best, but watchable and has some funny jokes. It starts out really promising, but by the end is hugely predictable and simply turns into a by the numbers "underdog wins the day" type sports comedy (albeit with Claymation). Previous ones of their films have remained fresh until the end, but this starts to drag a bit once it becomes obvious how the plot's going to play out

Aardman Animations have been part of my life. I will forever remember the moment Wallace wore the wrong trousers or Mrs Tweedy obnoxiously making chicken pies. Their animations are quintessentially British, and I'm somewhat patriotic about that. So it comes with no pleasure that I have to say I really didn't enjoy this. A small tribe of cavemen have been brutally kicked out of their valley. The rise of The Bronze Age creates a pivotal and existential question: who is better at football? Of course, you have your memorable characters that range from a bronze obsessed Lord to a sheepish hog...and there we have our film. Consistently, their animation style knocks it out of the park...Nick Park...*cough* everytime! Stop motion is a skill, an incredible talent and it's great to see fully fledged motion pictures are still being produced. The British voice cast were stupendously well suited, particularly Redmayne and Hiddleston who clearly had fun. Occasionally the witty script, filled with both football satire and ancient puns, did bring a smile on my face. It's just...not enough, I'm sorry to say. Look, Nick Park and the gang are endlessly inventive and provide great family entertainment value. Children will love this no doubt. It just wasn't for me. The plot was ridiculously predictable to a point where I could estimate accurately how the story would unfold. Guess what? I was right. The over reliance of crude slapstick humour (farts, annoying sounds etc.) was far too excessive and seemed dated. It's as if the studio haven't evolved whereas rivals Pixar, Laika and even Dreamworks are way ahead of the game. The story's execution felt primitive. I felt nothing towards the characters, wasn't moved by the plot and the clear moral of the story was forced down my throat. Teamwork...if you didn't get it. I just don't think football was the way to go. A real unfortunate misfire, I hope the studio bring it back with their next motion picture.

'EARLY MAN': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A British stop-motion animated comedy directed by Nick Park (who also helmed multiple 'WALLACE & GROMIT' shorts, 'CHICKEN RUN' and 'THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT'). The film was written by Mark Burton, James Higginson and Park. It tells a story, set in prehistoric times, about a tribe of early men (and women) who must defend their home from a Bronze Age army, who claim the Stone Age is now over. The movie stars the voice talents of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams and Timothy Spall. It's received mostly positive reviews from critics, but it bombed at the Box Office. I found it to be funny and mildly amusing, for most of it's running length.

Chief Bobnar (Spall) is the leader of a tribe of cavemen, during the Stone Age, who are forced to flee their home when a Bronze Age army invades it. A caveman named Dug (Redmayne) is unknowingly captured by the army, and he's then mistaken for a football player, and is forced to play a public game. During the game his identity is discovered, and the army's leader, Lord Nooth (Hiddleston), orders that he be executed. Dug challenges the Bronze team to a football game instead though, and requests that if his team wins they should be able to return to their valley. Nooth agrees to the challenge, but only under the agreement that if Doug's team loses they'll be forced to work in the mines instead.

The movie is amusing in a similar way to all of Nick Park's animation I think. It's definitely funny more than it's not, and the characters are all likable and entertaining. The basic premise for the film isn't that interesting to me though. I think the whole cavemen playing football concept is kind of a dull idea for a movie. Thankfully most of the film is still amusing though.

There's something overwhelmingly sad about a great production company releasing a disappointing film, especially when said film has a genius core concept and a terrific cast. It's as if the stars align only to lead you down a false sense of hope - indeed, disappointing films are a lot worse than ones where you never had much hope to begin with. Early Man, the latest feature by the renowned Aardman Animation, comes coupled with that very same crushing disappointment. It isn't even just that this isn't to the same brilliant standard as their other work, I'd go as far as saying it's Aardman's first genuinely poor film.

We find ourselves in the Stone Age (in Manchester, we're told by a title card in one of the film's few funny moments) where a small tribe of cavemen including Dug (Eddie Redmayne) live peacefully if mundanely in a small valley. Suddenly, their valley is taken over by Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), the leader of a Bronze Age city where a giant football stadium is built. After some bartering and pleading, Nooth proposes that he will relocate his city and leave Dug's tribe in peace if they can beat his champion team in a football match. Inspired by the cavemen's history of football, Dug accepts the offer and, with the help of Bronze City townsperson Goona (Maisie Williams), attempts to train up his tribe to win the match.

It's a brilliant set up, as wacky as it is irresistible, but Mark Burton and James Higginson's script never really mines it for its full potential. Slapstick comedy rolls in fast but the film lacks the energetic pace of say The Shaun the Sheep Movie to make this style of humour work - most of it lands awkwardly and without any real punchline. Besides a late saving grace in the form of two football commentators (whose dialogue is brilliantly inspired and endlessly funny) the film's script lacks any wit or spark, seemingly carried away by the bizarreness of its premise and assuming its work is already done. There's the odd clever visual gag here and there but Early Man is a frustratingly laughless experience, making you long for the more comedic nature of Aardman's Chicken Run or Flushed Away.

As well as lacking humour, Early Man's characters barely leap off the screen either. While Dug himself is likeable enough - mostly due to Redmayne's infectious voice performance and the film's quirky character design - there's never a sense that we're watching anyone particularly memorable. Granted, not every film Aardman release needs to serve up a roster of unforgettable characters, but Early Man comes with the impression that it isn't really trying. Keeping Dug's relationship with Goona purely platonic is smart, but even then their friendship doesn't exactly glow. Character motivations range between weak and predictable, and whenever the film has a moment of celebration or emotion it's very rarely felt. Everything just comes across a little bit under done and a little bit lazy.

While there's something to be said for a film that rolls with its simplicity and doesn't long to be anything more, Early Man takes this spirit too far. Almost everything here is cheap and easy, resulting in a film that never capitalises on its various ideas and ultimately collapses before it crosses the finish line - and the film barely crosses the 90 minute mark. I saw Early Man in a crowded cinema, filled with families and groups of all ages, and it wasn't tough to notice the lack of enthusiasm about what we'd all just seen once the lights came back on. Aardman's lightheartedness and stop motion animation may always keep kids entertained, but this could be their first film that loses the love from anyone above the age of ten. Early Man has the makings of a Premier League team, but it lands more like Second Division.

Although not the biggest fan of football, that it's from Aardman (responsible for gems like 'Wallace and Gromit', 'Creature Comforts', 'Chicken Run' and 'Shaun the Sheep', have not seen anything bad from them actually), being a family film/animation fan and that it had so many talented actors in the voice cast was enough to convince me to see 'Early Man'.

Seeing it, 'Early Man' is not one of Aardman's best and it doesn't see them at the top of their game. Then again, with a studio as consistently very good to great as Aardman, that is not a standard that can be reached constantly. It is nonetheless a very worthy effort from them and as a family film, and a film in general, 'Early Man' to me was immensely enjoyable. There is a lot of talent on board and the film doesn't waste it.

'Early Man' does lose a little of its lustre, in pace and material, towards the end, the one part where the story's predictability is most obvious (up to this point the gags, inventive visuals and puns made things feel fresh) and less overlook-able. The easily foreseeable conclusion is also a little too pat.

Otherwise, as clichéd as it sounds, could find little else to fault 'Early Man'. Visually, the film is a delight. It is rich in colour and detail, the characters are adorable and cleverly modelled and there is some nice visual invention here, like the cave paintings. One is genuinely immersed in this colourful Stone Age world. The music score is suitably energetic and really gives the film its momentum and adds to it.

As to be hoped, 'Early Man' really entertains...hugely, both in sending up the Stone Age and football. Despite how mismatched it sounds having Stone Age inhabitants having their version of football, the combination actually goes very well. Any film that helps me appreciate football better, like 'Early Man' did, is worthy of any kind of credit.

The gags come thick and fast, there's plenty of them and they are subtle, clever and often hilarious, in typical Aardman fashion. Love their versions of technology, like the beetle electric shaver and the crocodile clothes pegs. There are some inspired puns and wordplay, like the duo of football pundits, primordial soup and the name Goona. 'Early Man' makes a lot of effort appealing to kids and adults alike and succeeds in doing that.

Kids will be thoroughly absorbed in the action and the inventive ideas and technology while adults will love, or at least appreciate, the puns (which they are actually more likely to get) and there is even a Mud reference to get nostalgic over. The pacing is spirited and tight throughout, and while the story is not much new and loses steam towards the end the energy and that it never goes wayward are to be applauded.

Characters are uniformly engaging, from the likeable protagonist, hilarious supporting characters to the camp villains. The voice cast are a talented bunch and they are all terrific, even those who raises some initial surprise in their involvement (i.e. Eddie Redmayne and Maisie Williams) do a great job, while Timothy Spall, Mark Williams and Tom Hiddleston (experienced in villain roles and not unfamiliar to voice work, both of them obvious) are standouts.

In summary, immensely enjoyable family fare for something for all ages. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Early man is a good film, but there were a couple of things that got annoying after a while. Cons: the caveman are stupid joke got annoying after 10 minutes. -1 Predictable plot like a lot of sport movies. -1 A bit of annoying characters in the film, some of the caveman. -1 Pros: Good screenplay for the most part +1 Good animation and music +1 Characters are creative and original +1 Mostly original comedy,laughable good humour +1 Enjoyable for most ages if not all +1 Setting is nice to look at +1 Football looked in history in a new way +1

In short, this film is worth watching, and has decent jokes and a storyline even if it's predictable. Sure it's not a 10/10 but it's not anywhere close to awful as movies such as minions or fred

If you like Dad jokes you'll get a few chuckles but nothing else. No story at all, no character developments, all very one dimensional and Panto-ish. Sad to see Aardman studios reduced to this kind of stuff. I wouldn't even show this to young kids. Show your children early Aardman stuff (Wallace&Gromit, Chicken Run) and pretend the recent films never happened.

Early Man is a rare miskick from Nick Park and Aardman.

The philosophy behind the movie is football and how it was created by some Stone Age people in what is now Manchester.

Now their habitat is threatened by the advanced and gallic Bronze Age people.

Our hero Dug challenges them to a football match. However the Stone Age team do not know the art of football while the Real Bronze are champions.

This is a fun undemanding movie. Nick Park always finds inspirations from other movies or television shows. It ranges from The Flintstones, Escape to Victory to the inane babbling of football commentators. There are plenty of gags including sight gags and many come at you fast.

It is just not as good as some of Park's other output especially the Wallace and Gromit movies. It looks rather earthy with its claymation look. Park's standards are so high that even something that is just good from his leaves you underwhelmed.

Surprising in much of its first act, pleasing and pleasant but quickly devolves in to the Aardman-by-numbers obvious, but not unwelcome, verbal gags and character arcs.

It's fun, handsome, creepy and funny. Not quite prime Aardman, but far from the worst (I'm looking at you Flushed Away). It's typically childish but with some gags for adults but unlike Disney/Pixar, I don't think it manages to excel in both.

Basically, it's Lagaan. For kids.

It's prehistoric Manchester. A meteor crashes into the ground. Early man finds the meteorite and invents the game of football. Some age later, a rabbit-hunting primitive tribe lives in the crater turned lush valley. They have forgotten the game. When they are driven out by a bronze age group, they have to rediscover their heritage to beat their invaders at their own game.

I usually like Aardman a lot more but this one lacks anything special. The characters are fine but I like the Aardman animals more. It's a sports movie but it's soccer which is not the most appealing to me. It's all fine but not one of my favorite Aardman.

Nick Park set the bar very high for himself with Wallace and Gromit. Credit to him though for not resting on his laurels and making other films, but sadly this wasn't that great.

It's got all the Aardman elements that I've liked elsewhere, but they don't all come together to make a great film. Sadly the box office takings seems to agree.

I hope Mr Park's next effort does better.

Early man, like other films from Aardman animations (Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit) is a joyfully entertaining family film that is sure to entertain all family members. Early man is about a caveman tribe who loose their valley to an evil Lord, and must win it back in a football (soccer) match. Although I am not a big fan of soccer, the plot is not too devoted to that premise and is still very enjoyable. I personally love the animation style and just enjoy the goofiness of the entire film, escaping the typical pitfall of targeting only child audiences that plagues family films. The plot is easy enough and the jokes silly enough for young children to understand, while still being interesting for older audiences. Overall, not Aardman's very best but far from the worst, a great film for the family to go see, highly recommend

As a fan of nick park and his beautiful memorial animations i don't like this at all! When you have a predictable screenplay you have hard work to make it to a movie! And now we have a predictable animation with repeated characters! Not a good animation at all, sorry mr.park! I think you should park around and think more for your animations story! :)

For me, its the best so far and I loved Chicken Run!

This time, the story is depicting historic events all compressed into one in a fun way. We had the extinction of the dinosaurs 65m years ago, the meeting of the pre-historic man with the bronze age man and their evolution. Adding coliseum 'games' into the mix. Sure, not an accurate history lesson, but its a bit of fun. I love how they did away with the fighting at the 'games' and expertly handled greed and manipulation. All wrapped in the fun signature animation.

The adults were never forgotten throughout with plenty of innuendos aimed at keeping them entertained.

Overall, I thought this was a great offering. My children loved it (4 and 9) and my 9 year old giving it a 9 score :).

Barely a few mins in ... and what could have been a thrilling heartwarming hilarious look at the antics of a tribe of early man ... all footsied out into another bland fusion babble of football yawns and dime-a-dozen bumbling villain et sidekicks.

Doesn't gel, not fun, no spirit, no wit, just too much of standardised nothing. What happened to all the intimate witty folksy charm ... worthy trademarks of a Wallace & Gromit outing? Sadly in absentia 😔

The presence of Nick Park as director, rather than just the use of his style, ensures premium quality stop-motion animation. But that's the best thing you can say about this. The inspired daftness of Wallace & Gromit is nowhere to be seen: the gags are weak, the story is lame and, in that it climaxes with a game of football, a poor choice for the medium. How can you expect to convey a real sense of life and movement to the players? It's like filming a game of Subbuteo. It suffers particularly by comparison with the brilliant football match in Disney's Bedknobs & Broomsticks (in spite of that being produced by Americans who were obviously unfamiliar with the game).

You have to wonder, actually, when was the last time Park actually saw a football match; his ideas of it seem to be based on what would have been his formative years, the 60s and 70s.

For many years now Aardman have been struggling to come up with ideas strong enough to do justice to their animation. I'm afraid this only confirms the trend.

Early Man - A fun flick for the whole family from Nick Park, maybe not as good as Wallace & Gromit, but definitely has it's charm and the claymation is amazing as expected!