Chicken Run

Even after all this time, this is a really good movie!

I was kinda dreading going back and seeing this again, it was a movie I watched a bit when I was younger so I thought it would not stand the test of time. And honestly, it's just as good as I remembered it. I feel I appreciate the movie more now than I did back then, because I've seen more movies and my views have changed significantly since then. The story might be familiar to you, a young chicken named Ginger is fed up with living in cages and wants to escape her terrible chicken farm in order to live a better life. She creates scheme after scheme to escape but most don't work until a rooster named Rocky lands in their chicken farm and says he'll help them escape. It's The Great Escape. Apart from select few elements, it's The Great Escape minus the nazis and the multitude of death. And you know what? I really like The Great Escape! So this movie works regardless of whether you have seen that movie or not, it always kept my interest, I really liked all the characters, and I wanted to see which escape plan was the one that worked. They did The Great Escape plan fairly early on, so the ending is not what you think and I applaud that it's not just a family friendly rehash of the movie. They have fun with the idea of hens trying to escape a chicken farm, and it is very funny. Ginger is a great lead, you understand her struggle and her dreams for a peaceful life, she's an endearing character that has her limits but wants nothing but the best for everybody. Rocky played by Mel Gibson is a cocky, womanizer of an american and it clashes well with the british sensibility of the other hens. But my absolute favorite character is Ginger's best friend Babs, holy sweet sugar and sprinkles she absolutely slays me. I have no idea why, but she made me laugh and smile so much, I just love her character to tiny little pieces. In fact all the side characters are very good, and the villains are fun too. We got Miranda Richardson as the head of the chicken farm, and I couldn't tell that was her! I'm a fan of her work, and she is a hilarious woman, so seeing her as this bitter, mean spirited, and just horrible lady really took me back, you don't see her in roles like this. Even in Blackadder II, when she is Queen Elizabeth she's a bit off her rocker but still very cheerful and funny despite that she would have you executed if you so much as even slightly bored her, but I don't know it was just a shock to know it was her. Regardless, it's a really good movie. No joke, people pushed for this movie so hard at the Academy Awards that they had to create Best Animated Feature! Chicken Run did that! Not Beauty & The Beast or Fantasia, but Chicken Run. In 2001! It took them about 80 years to create a Best Animated Feature category and all thanks to this movie. So if anything, it should be remembered for that, but give it a watch you'll have fun with it. Well that's it for this week, kinda went on a tangent, but you have to expect things like this for almost 3 damn years and still going so I will not apologize for that. You know me, I rant and rave, give good movies recognition and barely touch bad movies (though I do fear a month of nothing but bad movies), occasionally give lists but I enjoy it and I hope others do as well. Not sure what to do next week, gonna have to sit and think for a bit on that one. Until then!