FILM REVIEW: NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE (PG) ESP RATING: 3.5/5

Weird, wild and wonderfully brisk – a riot of colour and chaos that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Clocking in at a perfectly judged 92 minutes, Night of the Zoopocalypse hits the sweet spot – long enough to feel satisfying, short enough to keep the attention span of young ‘uns firmly in check. As a parent who quietly panics when a children’s film edges over two hours, I couldn’t have been happier.

The set-up – surprisingly a short story from legendary Hellraiser creator Clive Barker – is gloriously offbeat. When a meteor crashes into Colepepper Zoo, the animals are turned into zombies. Cue Gracie the wolf (Gabbi Kosmidis) and Dan the mountain lion (Stranger Things’ David Harbour) leading a ragtag group of survivors – including film-obsessed lemur Xavier (Pierre Simpson), sharp-tongued ostrich Ash (Scott Thompson) and scheming monkey Felix (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) – as chaos unfolds.

It’s visually stunning, bursting with neon skies, eerie shadows and inventive set-pieces. The action starts within minutes and keeps up a steady, high-energy rhythm throughout. My only quibble? The humour doesn’t always land. I’d have loved it to fully embrace its goofier, more anarchic side that it shows glimpses of.

Still, this is a fun, fast-paced and eye-popping watch. And with Halloween season upon us, it’s a perfect first step into the world of spooky films for younger viewers.

For me it’s an above average animation. But for my seven-year-old boy, however, it’s ‘Five out of five… no, ten out of ten… actually, twenty out of twenty!’ I think it’s safe to say he was a fan – and thought it was out of this world.

ESP Rating: 3.5/5

Mike Clarke

Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now

Cast: David Harbour, Gabbi Kosmidis, Scott Thompson, Pierre Simpson & Paul Sun-Hyung Lee

Running Time: 1 Hr 32 Mins

Directors: Rodrigo Perez-Castro & Ricardo Curtis

Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough

For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk