Farmageddon

It’s hard to be on the internet, particularly in media criticism circles, without being told that “woke” culture has somehow “ruined” comedy. (You have no idea how hard it was for me to not put “comedy” in quotes, just like that.) Sure, there are endless examples of effective and humorous comedies out there to rebut this, but it’s nice to be reminded that comedy has still survived not just “woke-ness”, but also the shitty writing, performing, personalities, and ideas that are the true root causes of comedy’s recent decline (I do remember saying on a number of occasions that I’ve felt comedy to be a dead genre, after all). Such a reminder can be found in Farmageddon, the newest feature film to star Aardman animation’s seminal ovine troublemaker, Shaun the Sheep.

The plot starts us off on Shaun’s farm – well, The Farmer’s farm, anyway – where Shaun and his flock are bristling at the ever-increasing pile of rules and limitations heaped on their attempts to have fun by the trusty farm dog, Bitzer. Elsewhere in the area, another farmer has sparked a media feeding frenzy with his alleged sighting of a UFO in the sky. Inspired to take financial advantage of the UFO fever, The Farmer decides to pivot his farm into a sort of UFO-themed amusement park, dubbed “Farmageddon”. Sure, why not? Meanwhile, Shaun discovers that the other farmer was indeed telling the truth, as he comes face-to-face with a little alien, who happens to have gotten stranded here on Earth, far from its parents. As Shaun tries to aid the little critter – dragging Bitzer along for the ride, of course – they are pursued by a shadowy government agency, ‘cause why wouldn’t they be?

Sounds like a pretty straightforward premise for an extended stay with Shaun and the flock, eh? Indeed, just like their usual series and the first feature film a few years ago, Farmageddon showcases exactly why the antics in Mossy Bottom have become so beloved over the years: Though occasionally somewhat obvious, the jokes are made with impeccable timing and the proper amount of silliness. The stop-motion animation is stellar, nothing new from Aardman, granted, but something that needs to be commented on regardless. The pacing and flow are both delightfully brisk and smooth, never allowing a moment of dullness to set in. There are some Easter eggs tossed in there for the eagle-eyed and -eared out there, including some nods to The X-Files and other alien-related properties. And all of it accomplished with nary an intelligible word being spoken, maintaining the characteristic style of the show, no less.

There is such a massive amount of charm and skill on display here, lemme tell ya. Just as with the previous film, I highly recommend this one, especially for those who are fans of either the franchise, Aardman’s oeuvre in general (which, having finally seen Pirates recently, I can only label as stellar), stop motion animation in general-er, or just solid, effective comedy in the most general. If ya gots kids, kids, watch it with ‘em or by yourselves – just like those of us in the single and/or childless camp – either way, you’re likely to have a great and enjoyable time.