Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl celebrated as a 'cracking sequel' by critics

Aardman animation returns to Wallace and Gromit, with a brand new story that sees the iconic duo come face to face with an old enemy: Feathers McGraw.

The megalomaniac penguin in disguise has been plotting his revenge for decades in prison, and now it’s time for him to get vengeance. In the new animated movie, Wallace finds himself in hot water after one of his inventions goes rogue, Gromit must help him battle sinister forces including their old nemesis.

Critics were delighted by Aardman’s comeback, sharing gleeful reactions to the movie. Some gave the film a solid four stars while others gave it the full five stars, marking a welcome celebration of Aardman Animation.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey was delighted by the movie, writing: "Vengeance Most Fowl sees Aardman return to their tried-and-tested formula. Yet, it’s also the source of the studio’s continuing brilliance – somehow, the familiar always feels new, and the craftwork never tires.

"If their new feature preaches that we can embrace technology without becoming reliant on it, then Aardman certainly puts its money where its mouth is."

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IGN called it a “cracking sequel”, with critic Ryan Gaur writing that it is “a joyful watch full of comedic surprises” even if not all of it works perfectly.

Watch the trailer for Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The critic felt similarly to Loughrey about Aardman continuing to deliver on its tried and true formula, adding: “Any worries of a cheap rehash banking on nostalgia can be ground into dust: Vengeance Most Fowl strikes the perfect balance of telling a new story about mild-mannered inventor Wallace and crafty canine Gromit while also playing the hits.”

While Gaur felt the movie “doesn’t necessarily have anything new to say on the topic” of man’s relationship with technology, the critic remarked that “its eventual thesis that man and technology should find a healthy way to co-exist isn’t impactful, despite the fact that there’s no better medium for the message than stop-motion.”

The Guardian’s Catherine Shoard gave the film four stars, writing that while it takes time to get going “once swivel-headed Norbot is powered up, the show is back on the road and the film trips happily down familiar paths.”

Shoard added: “Fowl isn’t top-tier Aardman. There’s just too much talk, and though Ben Whitehead does pitch-perfect Peter Sallis, you can grow weary of the codswallopping verbosity. It feels telling that the most compelling character is the one who remains mute and unreadable. What lingers after are the black eyes of Feathers, not Wallace’s by-gum puns.”

For Variety’s Peter Debruge it was a cause for celebration that Aardman hasn't changed the formula, writing that it "remains committed to the lo-fi, hand-crafted feel of his characters, employing a bit of CGI, but otherwise sticking to the same endearingly jerky aesthetic, so key to the comic timing."

The critic wrote: "Compared with the last few Aardman features, Vengeance Most Fowl feels more contained, which is ultimately a good thing — a lesson learned from “Were-Rabbit,” which risked becoming unwieldy as its ensemble grew.... some of us have spent so long waiting for a reunion, this pun-powered lark feels a bit slight. Perhaps that’s a fault of having too-high expectations."

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl premieres on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day.