Reel Review: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a Delightful and Timely Return for a Childhood Favorite
Like many others, certain movies defined my childhood, and one of them was none other than the iconic Wallace and Gromit franchise. After decades of anticipation, one of the most infamous villains in Wallace and Gromit history had made his grand return – and it’s amazing. The last time we saw Feathers McGraw, the cunning, criminal mastermind disguised as a harmless fowl, was at the end of The Wrong Trousers. To keep you up to speed, let’s recap: After an exhilarating turn of events, Gromit successfully captured the fugitive, leaving him to "rot in jail" – or rather, a city zoo. Released in 1993, the short claymation film left fans believing they had seen the last of the devious bird. But little did we know, it was only the beginning.
Fast forward to January 2022, when Aardman Animation announced a new collaboration with Netflix for their seventh major project, setting a long-awaited Wallace & Gromit film into motion. Now, after 31 years of patient anticipation, Feathers McGraw is officially back alongside our favorite eccentric, cheese-loving inventor, Wallace, and his ever-loyal canine companion, Gromit, in Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.
In this new installment, Wallace’s latest high-tech invention spirals out of control, leading to a series of mysterious crimes—and when Wallace himself becomes the prime suspect, it’s up to Gromit to uncover the truth and clear his best friend’s name.
My review: Nick Park has done it again. That’s it. Kidding, of course, but seriously, Park has outdone himself with this one. Filmmakers have been lackadaisical as of late when it comes to building true and real nostalgia for fans of any franchise, to the point where I grew wary of any “comebacks” in films. Vengeance Most Fowl proved it can be done and successfully, I might add – this is what fans crave from any movie. Park laid the groundwork for us all to fall in love with the characters that are Wallace and Gromit. Then, he introduces the villain who disrupts our beloved protagonists' time, making gadgets and creating hijinx for us all to enjoy. No one, and I mean no one, wants to see Wallace and Gromit upset. The anticipation had built, to the point where fans (including myself) had thought we’d seen the last of this evil penguin. But, Park was in it for the long run, and it paid off. After 31 years of waiting, we were able to witness the iconic comeback of the most infamous (and hilarious) villain of the franchise.
The homage to Cape Fear was a chef’s kiss, demonstrating Park’s out-of-this-world ability to connect with all audiences – those that watch with nostalgia, new fans that may be younger, adults who may be watching for the first time, and this, that, and the other. The characters themselves hadn’t changed in the years we’ve grown to love them, adding a layer of comfortability and ease to watching the oddly very stressful events in this film. After all, it is Feathers McGraw.
I’ll preface this by including I’m not even sure how this was done, but it peeled back a layer to Wallace and Gromit’s relationship, letting us deeper inside to the canine and his best man. I cannot say enough great things about this movie, so I’ll just tell you to go watch for yourself. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was an overjoyed and very welcomed step back into my childhood.
