I don't think it's going to come as a massive shock to anyone to learn that Black Panther, the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is worth seeing. Marvel Studios have been releasing films that are good at worst for so long now that it almost feels like a foregone conclusion, which means that the real question at this point is if each new instalment in this mega-franchise can meet the expectations set for it. In the case of Black Panther, those expectations are sky high thanks to the character's impressive debut in Captain America: Civil War and the fact it's written/directed by the brilliant Ryan Coogler - and unfortunately, I don't think it quite manages to meet them.
Don't get me wrong, it's without a doubt one of the stronger films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, introducing us to a ton of great new characters and telling an interesting, thematically complex story that I'm sure people will be analysing and talking about for a long time to come - but it's also Ryan Coogler's weakest movie by a fair margin, lacking the sense of craft and rich emotional substance that made both Fruitvale Station and Creed as deeply engaging as they are. It's a really good superhero film for sure, certainly one with more ambition and intelligence than most, but the realities of making a Disney-backed Marvel Studios film means that it's also ultimately *only* a really good superhero film, rather than the legitimately great piece of cinema it often feels close to becoming.
Thanks to their seemingly constant rotation on our TV since I was a child I've loved A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave for as long as I can remember, which naturally turned me into a huge fan of Aardman Animations after films like Chicken Run, Flushed Away and Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (a film I'd happily consider to be a personal favourite) proved that they could handle the leap to feature-length just fine, especially if director Nick Park was at the helm. Between their distinctive visual style, their steadfast dedication to the craft of stop-motion claymation and a thoroughly British sense of humour, there's simply no-one else quite like them - so why is that Early Man, Aardman Animations' latest film and the first film directed by Nick Park in a decade, left me feeling so deeply disappointed?
The answer is simple: because it's a real disappointment when compared to a lot of what they've done in the past. With the sole exception of the animation itself (which is simply fantastic throughout), there isn't an area where Early Man doesn't pale in comparison to the studio's previous works, from how well its story is told to how funny it is to the level that it's ultimately pitched at. Set in prehistoric times, we follow a stone age caveman named Dug who lives in a lush green valley alongside his fellow tribesmen and tribeswomen. But after being forced out of the valley by a bronze age civilisation led by the villainous Lord Nooth, Dug and his tribe must reclaim their home in the only way they'll be allowed to - by beating the bronze age civilisation at a game of football.
