- Title: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
- IMDb: link
Man, chickens are stupid. Or, depending on the scene in question, they are highly intelligent and skilled. For the plot of this film, both premises will need to be equally true. Feeling very much a straight-to-video sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget features the return of Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) and their friends who have carved out a safe community for their daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey). Telling her nothing of the horrors of the outside world, any of which could have prevented all the events which follow, a curious and rebellious Molly sets out to discover a world where chickens seem happy in buckets (did I mention chickens are stupid?).
To the rescue comes Molly’s parents and their odd assortment of friends who break into the uber-secure chicken processing plant whose head scientist (Nick Mohammed) has brainwashed its inhabitants to be happy and well fed before being led to the slaughter (did I mention chickens are highly intelligent?).
Any plot that relies on characters not having a single conversation, especially over a period of years, which would solve all issues always irks me to some degree. Swapping the premise to break into the facility from the original film where the chickens broke out provides plenty of fun antics, and the design of the factory and chicken theme park is certainly a highlight, but it can’t save the film from feeling like a retread, especially with the shoehorned return of Mrs. Melisha Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) as the primary villain once again. That said, there’s still enough fun to keep your interest, and nostalgic fans of the original should enjoy themselves.
Watch the trailer
