Plot: What’s it about?
It’s odd to think that of all the movies that Hugh Jackman has starred in (over 30 as of this writing, with a third of those as Wolverine), that a movie about sheep investigating his character’s murder would rank at the top of the pack (er…flock?). But here we are. I’d not heard of The Sheep Detectives until it arrived with my monthly stipend from Alliance Entertainment. I looked at the cover, saw Hugh Jackman’s name and he was surrounded by, you guessed it – sheep. Ok, I’m officially intrigued. Based on the 2005 book Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detectives Story by German author German author Leonie Swann, this is the big screen adaptation (albeit two decades later). Though the film has humans in the mix, the real stars of the show are our cute little friends out to solve a murder. Let’s follow them along the way.
George (Hugh Jackman) is a nice and gentle soul who loves his sheep. Each night before he retires for reth day, he reads them stories from various detective novels. On a certain morning, the sheep discover his body in their meadow and decide to investigate his murder. The smartest of the bunch, Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as well as one with an impeccable memory, Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd), leave to help the detective Tim (Nicholas Braun) find the murderer. George’s daughter, Rebecca (Molly Gordon) arrives and the local journalist Elliot (Nicholas Galitzine) has a long list of suspects. Murder. Mayhem. Sheep.
There are movies that I look forward to for months and then once I see them, my reaction is usually like “that was OK.” Then there are others that take you off guard as you have no idea what to expect. This, as I’m sure anyone can guess, is one of the latter. Don’t get too attached to Jackman’s character, however – his name might be above the title but he’s far from the star of the show. There’s some top notch vocal talent involved with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall and Bryan Cranston just to name a few. And, well, I’d be lying if I said that you might end up with a lump in your throat as well. Yes, even us movie reviewers occasionally have to deal with feelings.
Video: How’s it look?
Shot in the United Kingdom, there really are some picture perfect scenes in this movie. It’s beautifully shot. And the “goldilocks” aspect ratio of 2.00:1 really makes this AVC HD encode shine. Greens tend to leap off the screen, contrast is strong and well-balanced and the sheep (as well as the humans) look great. The film has a sheen to it that I’ve not seen in a lot of other movies, I can’t really put my finger on it but whatever they did and however they shot it – works. It’s a good-looking transfer and a wonderfully shot picture.
Audio: How’s it sound?
I was surprised to see the words “Dolby Atmos” on the back of the box and even more surprised to hear it in action. Let me tell you – you might have preconceived notions about sheep, but they will resonate through the speakers and into your dreams! Ok, maybe that’s pushing it a bit. Nevertheless, this mix packs a lot more punch than I’d have expected with a very active front stage and an even more active surround atmosphere. Vocals (yes, even on the sheep) are spot on perfect, with pitch perfect accuracy. And it’s ok to get Patrick Stewart’s voice and think of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard when you hear his character speak. For a light-hearted comedy (in parts), this one delivers.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Unfortunately this disc doesn’t have any supplements. How cool would a commentary by the sheep be? We’ll just have to wonder…
The Bottom Line
This one caught me off guard. You generally don’t see one of the bigger movie stars do projects like this but it’s nice to see that Jackman hasn’t lost touch with his roots. This one was a delight to watch and looks and sounds great. The lack of supplements are a bit of a disappointment, but alas…
