Film Review - The Sheep Detectives
Images courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Hugh Jackman dies in the first ten minutes and is still the headliner.
A true Aussie legend.
The Sheep Detectives, directed by Kyle Balda, relies on Jackman’s character, George the Shepherd, being murdered so the sheep can get to detecting the killer. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
Lily, voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is a spunky ingen-ewe who predicted the murderer of every whodunnit novel that George read to the flock. Teaming up with Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), a wise ram, and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), a literal black sheep, she uses genre tropes to find justice for her shepherd.
Costume designer Rosa Dias endearingly outfits the human cast in brightly themed colours, reminiscent of Cluedo. It’s a lovely palette for a children’s film and helps the viewer keep track of the ensemble cast. I continually referred to the lawyer character played by Emma Thompson as Ms Plum.
Thompson is a magnificent dame in purple and steals every scene she is in. Her signature unimpressed look is a key part of the comedic timing.
To his credit, Jackman does put his back into it for every minute on his timesheet. His chemistry with CGI sheep is ardently nurturing. We know he loves his flock and has made his meadow their sanctuary. Job done, Jackman out. He truly is the greatest showman.
It’s great to see Balda, the director of several Minions films, deliver absurd unpretentious humour, without ear-splitting yellow cyclops Tic Tacs careening about. He seems to have now nailed humour that the whole family can enjoy.
I was surprised by how sincere the film is. It walks viewers of all ages through accepting the death of a loved one and cautions us on trying to block out grief. Many films aimed at children seem to cosplay as moral parables, but Balda doesn’t offer a solution to grief or how to do it. There isn’t one. He gently and oh so tenderly asks us to have the courage to feel all of our emotions and let them impel us into action.
Flock to the cinema to see The Sheep Detectives. I’ll be baaack for more.
Check out Clara’s website and Instagram.
The Sheep Detectives is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.