I’ve been rather avoiding this given its status as the film which prompted Dreamworks to can their deal with Aardman.

Rather than the usual Aardman claymation, this is CGI (for reasons of scale/cost). But it boasts a cracking cast: Ian McKellen, Kate Winslett and Bill Nighy. It’s never quite sure whether it’s a comedy or an action movie, and the opening’s a little weak, but once our hero (a pet mouse voiced by Hugh Jackman) gets flushed down into the sewers, the jokes start coming faster.

You can tell it’s Aardman by the amount of expression they manage to give the slugs (“Give me five. Oh.”) They are worth the price of admission alone, but for me it is Jean Reno as Le Frog, a French amphibian hitman, who steals the picture.

Makes me glad the Sony deal means we’ll get more Aardman features (so long as it’s not a choice between this and Shaun).