Revenge Most birds can’t get over the sight of a pantsuit chase gone wrong—and there’s no need to

Wallace and Gromit: The Revenge of Most Birds It is a rare development for the venerable British animated series, so much so that, unlike previous entries which largely involved the introduction of new supporting characters and entirely distinct stories, it is the first to truly engage with Wallace and GromitTextual past. Beyond re-introduction Wrong pantsFeathers-McGraw The film is, sometimes to its detriment, in hesitant conversation with what came before it — which means that when it comes to the climactic chase sequence, you can’t help but draw what might be an unenviable comparison between the new film and what came before it.

Especially since What Came Before is arguably one of the greatest chase sequences ever presented to screens, small or otherwise. Wrong pants‘ The final chase — in which Wallace and Gromit pursue the feathers and diamonds stolen by the evil penguin/chicken/criminal mastermind via a model train system the lead duo built around their house to transport mail and other items around — is a master class in economic action and comedy that remains beloved after More than 30 years after it was first broadcast. The score, the cinematography, the sense of speed, the willingness to accept the ridiculousness of it all because both the characters and the film are all… Completely Committed to the part, the technical marvel of animating all of this using stop-motion model techniques: it’s simply perfect, timeless in both its grand, intimate sense of scale and mastery of the craft.

So when? Most birds’ revengeLike all good Wallace and Gromit The stories end with a chase – a chase between Wallace, Gromit, and Feathers-McGraw – and you’re already setting yourself up for a losing prospect. It’s safe to say that no matter what, directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham had to roll up their mud-covered sleeves Revenge It will never be able to match what came before. Too similar, and indeed like some elements of the film, the film becomes an echo of past glories rather than something of its own. Completely different, and perhaps fearful too bigso fascinated by spectacle and the idea of ​​quantity over quality – he ventures the possibility of continuing to appear as second fiddle to a masterful chase sequence, no matter how good it is.

It’s for the best then Most birds’ revengePeak has its cake and eats it. The film begins with a final chase as Feathers, having transformed Wallace’s latest invention, an army of… Norbot smart garden gnomesagainst him and capture both the Master, the Hound, and the original Norbot – he escapes using the legendary Blue Diamond he tried to swipe all those years ago, setting off the final action scene that sees Wallace, Gromit and Norbot chased first by car (well, by an office chair behind the car), then by canal boat. Indeed, there are interesting similarities with Wrong pants Here: Both chases start out similarly, even having similar conversations as Wallace and Feathers confront each other. There’s a contrast between chasing an absurdly high-speed train and the painfully slow canal boats. where Wrong pants He enjoys the speed of his chase, Most birds’ revenge luxuriates (the entire sequence takes about eight minutes before the final confrontation, compared to Wrong pants‘Clocks in less than three minutes.’ The former is a largely dialogue-less scene (relying on Julian Knott’s wonderful score to set that breezy pace), save for Wallace’s occasional interjections, while the latter is chattier and more lighthearted.

And yes, that He is greater. There are scenes within the set, and jokes within jokes. Most birds’ revengeChase has the space and breadth to make ups and downs at its pace, and has room to breathe compared to Wrong pants‘The pace is violent in turn. But within this larger scope, Most birds’ revengeThe chase sequence adds something beyond that “bigger is better” growth: real emotional heart Wrong pantsChase doesn’t have time to think about it. the Wrong pants The Chase is Pure Action : Wallace and Gromit have to stop Feather, so they chase him and stop him. Most birds’ revengeWallace’s pursuit must prepare for a climatic resolution of the emotional dissonance that grows between the duo throughout the rest of the film, as Wallace’s focus on invention leaves Gromit feeling estranged from his best friend.

It does this, in part, through gags — Gromit acquiesces to Wallace’s love of invention so that MacGyver can create an improvised shoe catapult that he uses to disable Feathers’ Norbot army midway, and the underling police officers tracking both parties are temporarily incapacitated by feathers that quickly turn into A nun’s habit is useful as a disguise (“This is just an innocent nun, out on a pleasure cruise,” she says). Peter Kay Mackintosh ComputerA excellent dialogue line). But it also becomes a moment in which both Wallace and Gromit realize how much they really care about each other, and how far each is willing to go to make sure the other is safe, even more so than to prevent Feathers from entangling them together. It all pays off in the final moments, when Wallace is willing to let himself take the blame for Feathers’ crimes if it means saving Gromit from impending doom, but this moment of emotional catharsis is supported throughout the entire chase sequence before it.

It’s this added layer that makes… Most birds’ revengeClick peak, sit side by side Wrong pants‘Every timer has one turn. For a film that sometimes struggles to want to look in the mirror and talk to it Wallace and GromitPast, it’s a moment that clearly demonstrates the power you find in building on the greatness that came before.

Wallace and Gromit: The Revenge of Most Birds It’s now streaming on Netflix.

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