FILM REVIEW: WILDWOOD (12A) ESP RATING: 4.5/5

A magical spectacle that’s sixteen years in the making!

There’s something rather wonderful about a film that reminds you just how magical cinema can be. And Wildwood does exactly that.

The story follows Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a young girl whose baby brother is snatched by a murder of crows and carried into the mysterious Impassable Wilderness, a hidden enchanted forest just beyond Portland, Oregon.

Determined to rescue him, Prue ventures into this strange new world alongside her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), encountering talking animals, bandits, magical creatures and some rather dangerous characters along the way. What begins as a rescue mission soon develops into something much bigger, with the fate of the entire forest hanging in the balance.

Coming from acclaimed producers Laika, the team behind the likes of Coraline, ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings, this adventure is directed by Masters of the Universe helmer Travis Knight – and has a diverse ensemble voice cast that includes Oscar winners/nominees such as Mahershala Ali, Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett and Richard E Grant.

And thankfully this is a stunning, full-on spectacle, with a wonderfully imaginative story that took me straight back to the old-school fantasy adventures I grew up loving.

There’s a real ‘Labyrinth’ feel to it, with strange characters, fantastical worlds and that sense of stepping into somewhere completely different. It has that lovely ability to make you feel like a kid again, when anything seemed possible and a trip into an enchanted forest was a perfectly reasonable way to spend an afternoon.

The stop-motion animation is extraordinary. Every frame feels painstakingly crafted, and there’s a warmth and personality to the visuals that computer-generated animation rarely manages to replicate. With AI increasingly creeping into creative industries, I do worry that films made with this level of hands-on artistry will become even rarer. And that's a real shame.

The final battle alone is worth the price of admission. We’re talking The Lord of the Rings scale, only with the added knowledge that an extraordinary amount of work has gone into bringing this to life, one painstaking frame at a time.

It’s the sort of sequence that makes you stop and think about the sheer dedication involved – with this scene alone taking four years. You don’t just watch it – you appreciate the achievement behind it.

My only real criticism is that the second act loses a little momentum. There are moments where the story feels as though it’s taking its time getting where it needs to go. But stick with it, because that third act is something else. The scale ramps up, the spectacle kicks in and I was completely pulled back in. By the time the final battle arrives, any minor reservations I’d had were pretty much forgotten.

Sadly, Wildwood isn’t getting the box office attention I think it deserves. And that’s precisely why I’d urge you to see it on the big screen while you still can. Films like this are rare enough as it is.

It’s a reminder that there's still room for big, ambitious, imaginative filmmaking that doesn’t take the easy route.

So check it out for a wildly unforgettable ride. 

ESP Rating: 4.5/5

Mike Clarke

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

Voice Cast: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Charlie Day, Angela Bassett & Richard E Grant

Running Time: 2 Hrs 12 Mins

Director: Travis Knight

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