It starts promisingly enough. We meet Pat, now voiced by Stephen Mangan, as he goes about his work in Greendale, courtesy of a really good, extended opening shot. All the regulars are there, with the gentle, at first glance quite limited animation adding to their charm. A plot? Well Pat, we learn, wants to take his beloved Sara on a belated honeymoon to Italy with his forthcoming bonus from the Post Office. But before you can say ‘undervalued sell-off’, the sorting office is under new management, with complex machinery and robotics the way forward, and bonuses not very likely. Still, the talent show isn’t quite the main narrative thrust of the film, in spite of how the aforementioned trailer made it look. Instead, there’s a bigger role for Peter Woodward’s Carbunkle as he extends his plans for automation than there is for Ronan Keating’s vocal chords. The film does its best to throw these together in an engaging way, with limited success. But it overeggs many of its points and jokes. The Simon Cowell spoof – Simon Cowbell – goes on and on and on. Meanwhile, fourth-wall breaking asides don’t really hit, and initially creep visual sparks – and there’s some surprisingly scary stuff for the very young here – run out of impact. Is it a problem? It’s certainly noticeable, although it doesn’t really get in the way. But the fact you end up distracted by it a little perhaps points to broader issues with the film’s ability to hold your attention. It’s a frustrating effort. Some moments in Postman Pat: The Movie work. Mangan’s voice fits well, there are a couple of good jokes, and it’s breezy enough. For the very young, 90% of it hits the mark too, save for the scarier moments, although we suspect the majority of five year olds will cope with those perfectly well. But the crucial problem is that, after a good opening third or so, the film loses its way, and never really finds it again. Postman Pat: The Movie comes out in the UK on 23 May. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
