Hugh Jackman leads The Sheep Detectives, a sweet and humorous mystery where a flock of sheep uses everything their shepherd taught them to solve his murder.
Much like her novel, Three Bags Full, Leonie Swann (Big Bad Wool) is a mystery. The name is a nom de plume for the author whose first novel was adapted into the major motion picture that came out in May, The Sheep Detectives. In August, Swann was able to celebrate the film's home entertainment release when Amazon MGM Studios made it available for purchase on Blu-ray. Interestingly, for someone who wishes to remain a mystery, it seems as if it would be somewhat difficult to do if you had a best-selling book turned into a big-budget movie. Nonetheless, the author has written a novel that Craig Mazin (The Last of Us) turned into a sweet, humorous, entertaining movie that everyone should see.
George Hardy (Hugh Jackman; Deadpool & Wolverine) is a simple shepherd living in the English countryside, raising his sheep. Each day, he has his daily routine of feeding, brushing, and reading to his flock. Yes, reading...mainly murder mysteries, which they all seem to enjoy. However, when George is suddenly murdered, his flock must use all the knowledge they learned from George's books to figure out whodunit. As the list of suspects is assembled and motives are established, the sheep must help Officer Derry (Nicholas Braun; Succession) catch the killer before the wrong person is sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit.
Besides Jackman and Braun, there is a terrific list of actors who lend their talent to the story in a truly ensemble effort. The live cast includes Hong Chau (The Menu), Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Wonka), Molly Gordon (Booksmart), Nicholas Galitzine (Masters of the Universe), Tosin Cole (Bob Marley: One Love), and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility). They are joined by the voice actors portraying the sheep, including Regina Hall (Girls Trip), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), Patrick Stewart (Logan), and Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids), among others. Together, they make a great team who manage to pull off a mystery that includes amateur sleuths who happen to be sheep.
Swann's idea, coupled with Mazin's screenplay, makes for a fun time with some serious moments thrown in. The dialogue is, at times, smart, punny, funny, and solemn, and the fact that half of it is coming out of the mouths of sheep makes it even better. Some of the graphics could use improvement, but overall, the talking sheep come across as believable.
The 1080p resolution and 2.00:1 aspect ratio give the picture quality some excellent depth. The sheep fur is incredibly detailed, as are the clothes the live cast wear. There is decent color saturation and an overall video quality that is sharp and clean.
The Dolby Atmos audio is very strong, with the dialogue sitting comfortably in the front speakers while the ambient noise is relegated to the surround speakers for the most part. Said ambient sounds are layered, giving the audio a robust feel overall.
What is a real shame is that there are no extras with this Blu-ray release. As I read somewhere, and an idea that I wholeheartedly support, it would be nice to get audio commentary done by the sheep. I'm certain it would have been hilarious!
You can't help but smile when you watch The Sheep Detectives because, although the idea may seem dumb and outlandish, director Kyle Balda (Minions) pulls it off without the film becoming stupid or campy. There is a sweetness about the film that is infectious, and it is a film that the whole family can enjoy more than once.
I hope they make a sequel because I, for one, would enjoy watching the sheep put together all the clues to solve a mystery once again.
Grade: A-
