efan78

I must admit that I was a little worried after the Curse of the Were-Rabbit as - although it was a good story - it wasn't what I saw as the best of the series. And after such a long gap, along with the news story a little while ago that they animators clay Aardman uses being discontinued, as well as the death of Peter Sallis, I thought that the Lancashire Lads were tucked up in a box waiting to be pulled out for museum displays.

But no, the Aardman Laff-o-matic has pulled out another triumph, a return to the same humour and energy of The Wrong Trousers. Ben Whitehead has done a fantastic job filling Sallis' shoes. Reece Shearsmith plays the joyfully creepy perfectly, Diane Morgan and Muzz Khan made me snort out my warm mug of sleepy-choc hot chocolate when they were introduced.

But it's PC Mukarjee that stole the show for me. I was thinking "I know that voice" but couldn't quite place it until IMDB reminded me that she's the young actress who played Pritti in Everyone's Talking About Jamie. And I'm super chuffed that she's sticking with acting because this proves that she's got a lot more to show off still.

Tonight I was reminded why the PP on the Preston City emblem means Proud Preston - people like Nick Park.

Take the visuals of shows like M. A. S. K., the original TMNT, GI Joe, etc... Add in that Stan Lee sprinkle with a traumatic hero origin story (that he gets over super fast except when he can play for the sympathy vote 😉) but without the huge backstory, reboots and recasts of the X-Men and you get Condor.

Is it high art? Absolutely not. Is it an outstanding representation of the genre that will draw in fans from far and wide? Nope. But what it *is* is a fun, nostalgic, cartoon film that you can just switch off and watch. It's not trying to be something it's not.

And the fact that the main characters all seem to be Central/South American descent or Pacific Islanders was a nice touch. The last time I remember seeing that sort of representation in cartoons was Captain Planet or Mysterious Cities of Gold (which I haven't seen in years and I'm sure had sooo many problems if we look at it today...)

5/10 for the story as it's literally the stereotype of the hero creation arc. But it gets extra bonus points for the nostalgia (and because I have a huge crush on Wilmer Valderama! 😁)

Seriously, looking through the reviews I'm really glad that I didn't check them before tuning in. This is a fun show with relatable characters (I know! In a Superhero show!) and plot lines which bring real life (shopping for clothes, going to a friend's wedding, dating in 2022 - yes apps, and more) and the MCU together.

Tatiania is a great lead, delivering serious, tongue in cheek and intentionally funny lines with a great deadpan style and a twinkle in her eye. Marvel were always my preferred option over DC when buying comics exactly because of characters like this.

Strong, independent female lead with a supportive best friend and a sense of humour. Bringing in recurring characters alongside MCU stars and using them as foils/support for the episode.