I had low expectations after last year's effort from Aardman Animations. This one is a coproduction of the BBC and Netflix. Thematically the film has the same allergic reaction to (computer, logical) technology as 1960s Doctor Who, and this sits uncomfortably against the rueful endorsement of the British boffin that is a long-standing pillar of this comfortingly-retro universe. I don't recall Gromit doing anything very clever here. The police stuff was tedious. The japes mostly distract from the thinness of the material but not often enough this time. More shorts please!
Jamie Tran at the ABC: "Sometimes, more of the same is more than enough." Peter Bradshaw misses the point that "fowl" in the title refers to Feathers McGraw's chicken disguise that the humans can't see through. You know, the famous "have you seen this chicken?" poster. His assumption that Wallace programmed that "evil" setting into his Norbots reflects a likely-common misconception about how things are now.
