A warren of rabbits is living a happy and peaceful existence until one, Fiver, has a vision of a catastrophe about to befall it. His brother, Hazel, convinces a group of rabbits to leave the warren and follow him. They are seeking a safer place to live but the journey to safety is beset on all sides by danger, sometimes from the least expected sources. However, thanks to Fiver, they also know their destination: Watership Down.
Entertaining adventure, based on Richard Adams's classic novel. Interesting, original storyline with a decent amount of intrigue, suspense and action. Great CGI.
All-star voice cast that works very well. Ben Kingsley is perfect as the head villain but my favourite would have to be Peter Capaldi as the bird, Kehaar. Very funny and very reminiscent of his work in The Thick of It, just without the profanity.
Not brilliant though. It is never entirely engaging nor compelling and many of the plot developments and conclusions were quite easily spottable in advance.
It also suffers from comparison with the 1978 film (the one that gave us the superb, beautiful, haunting Art Garfunkel theme song, 'Bright Eyes'). The movie had a grimness and emotional depth that the TV series lacks. The excellent CGI of the TV series is actually a drawback, as the pristineness of the picture quality belies the grimness and gravity of the rabbits' situation.
Still, entertaining viewing with a reasonably emotional ending.
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