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Black Sheep does something very right other “monster” movies today do so very wrong: the use of CGI. Or better stated: the lack thereof. If there were computer generated shots they have been used to an extent they never feel intrusive. Black Sheep uses old school animatronics and make up to bring the sheep to life and could’ve been just as well made in the 80’s and that’s a good thing. Black Sheep is so much better than movies like Python, Raptor, Sabretooth or even Megashark vs Giant Octopus.
This plot of this film is one you’ve read before: through genetic manipulation some a -insert random animal- becomes blood thirsty. Most of these movies have an underlying message like “don’t mess with Mother Nature” but in Black Sheep the genetic manipulated lamb was released by an animal activist. So the movie takes no side in that war.
On the back of the DVD this film is compared with The Evil Dead and Braindead. Well it’s not quite that good, but it’s definitely made in the spirit of those films. That is were the lack of cgi once again comes in. The puppet of the manipulated lamb reminded me very much of Selwyn the zombiefied baby from Brain dead and that little rat monkey. With puppets like this you can really feel the fun the makers of a film like this are having on the set. Try doing that with the horrible cg-beasties movies. I can only imagine some nerd in a hot office building with a broken airco hitting the render button.
Black sheep does fall a bit short on laughs. There are funny scenes but they have too much space in between. In some cases repetition also comes along: how many times is a leaping sheep attack funny? OK, quite a few but still… a bit more variety in the gags would not have done the movie any bad. Why not put a little cameo or nod to Frank The Sheep in the movie, or Shaun The Sheep?
Will this movie receive that same status as the two classics it compares itself with? Probably not, but who knows. I know one thing: I liked it, despite letting me a little down on the amount of humor.
