Chicken Run

CHICKEN RUN
Cert. U
Pathe & Dreamworks
Directors: Peter Lord & Nick Park

They are penned up. They are forced to serve a cruel master. Their efforts to escape are futile. They dream of freedom. They have heard of a wonderful place where they can live as they were made to live. But how to get there? Then someone arrives from outside. Will he be their deliverer?

They are the chickens of the Tweedies chicken farm, the stars of the much advertised Chicken Run made by the Wallace & Gromit people, Peter Lord and Nick Park. You do not need to be told that. It's obvious that these chickens (with teeth!) have the same parentage as W & G. There are other trademarks there too - northern accents, witty one-liners, and superb attention to detail, and another hugely satisfying redemption-type story. Is it because Nick Park is a Christian that the Aardman productions often feature a redemption theme, or is it that redemption themes always make the best stories?

The opening 10 minutes contain many allusions to the old Steve McQueen movie, The Great Escape. But the yanky intruder Rocky the Rooster (the voice of Mel Gibson) is not the saviour he appears. The second half of the film takes something like the familiar path of W & G's A Close Shave, with dastardly machines, breathtaking escape stunts and a satisfying comeuppance for the baddies. Perhaps it relies a little too much on previous ideas. The recent Radio Times article on Chicken Run did report the directors referring to working with Hollywood deadlines as demanding creativity with a gun at your head. There is no profound allegory here, but there is (apart from a few swear words) rollicking entertainment for all the family.

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© Evangelicals Now - August 2000
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