Vengeance Most Fowl

Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, Vengeance Most Fowl follows Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his loyal dog Gromit as they’re framed for a series of robberies by an old nemesis. Filmmakers Park and Crossingham, working from Mark Burton’s screenplay, deliver a perpetually affable endeavor that benefits from its eye-popping animation and raft of appealing characters, and there’s little doubt, in terms of the latter, that the predictably engaging efforts of central characters Wallace and Gromit, along with first-class villain Feathers McGraw, goes a long way towards compensating for a decidedly thin narrative. The somewhat erratic pace is, as a result, never as problematic as one might’ve feared, while the ongoing inclusion of memorable (and funny) set-pieces (eg a fun Cape Fear nod) prove effective at carring the proceedings through to its satisfying finale – which ultimately does confirm Vengeance Most Fowl‘s place as an agreeable (albeit forgettable) entry within the Wallace and Gromit series.

**1/2 out of ****