The Sheep Detectives: The film everyone is flocking to see

With characteristics of both a comedy and a mystery, The Sheep Detectives follows an eccentric flock of sheep who are attempting to solve the murder of their shepherd George (Hugh Jackman), assisted only by their knowledge of detective novels. The film balances its poignant exploration of grief and loss with light-hearted humour and the absurdity of talking sheep, a family friendly movie but by no means just a children’s film. In fact, the majority of the audience at the screening I went to were adults who left the cinema teary-eyed.

The Sheep Detectives was well received by both critics and audiences alike, grossing nearly $59 million at the box office.

With a runtime of just under two hours, The Sheep Detectives is long enough to explore the themes it sets out in a comprehensive fashion without becoming boring or disengaging. Because it is based on the flock’s knowledge of mystery novels, the plot adheres to the conventional detective fiction progression, establishing the motive, means, and opportunity for each suspect in a way that is reminiscent of Death in Paradise and Midsomer Murders. Due to this, the film can be quite predictable but, because it is so self-aware of this fact, it does not take away from the overall enjoyment and instead puts the emphasis on character development.

The Sheep Detectives is pleasantly surprising — the sheep are realistic yet expressive and their individual personalities are obvious but not over the top in their visual appearances

The danger with films revolving around live action actors interacting with C.G.I animals is that they are often unconvincing or uncanny. However, The Sheep Detectives is pleasantly surprising — the sheep are realistic yet expressive and their individual personalities are obvious but not over the top in their visual appearances. When filming, the sheep were played by puppets, allowing for a somewhat convincing interplay between fake sheep and real actors, though I did feel this was sometimes lacking.

As I said, the main focus of the film for me was the character development, which is most evident in the figures of Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), who are two of the most pivotal sheep to the advancement of the plot. Because sheep are known for blindly following the flock, I found their stereotype-breaking self-realisations all the more inspiring. The use of sheep also adds an extra layer of comedy to the film, as, on many occasions, they have to guide the bumbling and inexperienced police officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), who is more willing to dismiss the murder case than all the officers in Hot Fuzz.

I found George the shepherd to be a particularly well-rounded and multifaceted character in that he cares deeply for his sheep, yet he does not appear to get on with any of the townsfolk. And of course, Emma Thompson absolutely steals every scene she is in as Lydia Harbottle, George’s lawyer, with her bright purple blazers and Nanny McPhee-esque authority.

The Sheep Detectives is a visually beautiful movie, set in the fictional English village of Denbrook amidst miles of farmland and rolling hills. The tiny village setting creates a scenario similar to the one in Knives Out, where every character has a stake in the murder. It also explains Officer Tim’s disbelief and lack of experience, as the provincial setting seems an unlikely place for such a crime. What’s more, colour plays a big role in this movie, not just in establishing a picturesque setting and tone, but also as an important clue in solving the mystery.

Writer Craig Mazin is best known for his writing on The Last of Us, Chernobyl, and The Hangover, explaining the slightly more mature themes and humour

I believe that one of the reasons this movie is so engaging is the wide mix of talents who worked on it. Director Kyle Balda is recognised for his work on the Despicable Me franchise, Minions, and The Lorax, which are all family friendly movies that are as entertaining for adults as they are for children. On the other end of the spectrum, the writer, Craig Mazin, is best known for his writing on The Last of Us, Chernobyl, and The Hangover, explaining the slightly more mature themes and humour.

I felt that the star-studded cast was selected perfectly to tie adult and family-oriented themes together thanks to their breadth of experiences — Hugh Jackman with his work in Marvel movies and then The Greatest Showman, Bryan Cranston with his background in comedy and then his pivotal performance in Breaking Bad, and Chris O’Dowd with his performance in The IT Crowd and then Get Shorty.

I would recommend The Sheep Detectives to anyone who is craving a beautiful and wholesome movie that will make them laugh and cry at the same time, and it is definitely a movie I will be coming back to again and again.

★★★★