Postman Pat: The Movie (2014) User Reviews (22)

Postman Pat in the 21st century but with disappointing results

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 26 August 2014]

Postman Pat was always a family favourite which we still all have a fondness for. Despite being warned very strongly against going to see this film and despite the trailer looking unappetising, I still saw it anyway. It was always going to be a film that would go either way, the amount of talent on board, my general love for family films and for Postman Pat could have suggested that the film would be fun and charming, but there was the worry also that it would look as muddled, target-audience-confused and hasty-looking as the trailer suggested. The film has its moments and it is not from personal opinion quite as bad as heard, but it was a big disappointment. The film begins very promisingly with a very idyllic opening that was the closest the film ever got in resembling the show, the Big Time song is a great upbeat song that has some very funny visual gags, the montage where Pat meets his wife for the first time was very touching and the "Faster Pussy-Bot, Kill Kill!" seemed like a Daleks reference and it was if the case a clever one at that. The soundtrack is catchy and bring energy to the film and the voice cast are good and very enthusiastic, David Tennant sounds like he's having a whale of a time but Steven Mangan, who's very sympathetic and dead-on as Pat, and Jim Broadbent acquit themselves very well too.

Sadly, Postman Pat: The Movie is let down by that it didn't seem to know what to do with itself or know who to aim the film at. The story is rather over-complicated and confused focusing mainly on the talent show subplot and also including a Dr Who-like robot invasion/world domination one, neither of which show any originality, cleverness or charm. The satire for the former is nowhere near sharp enough, the humour actually felt to me rather forced mostly throughout the film and borders on vulgar while the latter felt thrown in and like it belonged in another film altogether, is not all that cleverly or thrillingly done and may contain bits that the younger audience may find scary or upsetting. The script would have benefited from a far more simpler approach and less going on and while it is admirable that the film did clearly think of the adult audience I think it could have done a better job at having more for the youngsters. Some of the jokes will go over their heads, unless they were introduced to Dr Who at a very young age, and if they are familiar with the whimsy and warmth that the show had the film sadly is a far cry from that. The characters are bland, the exceptions being Pat who is very likable and possibly Jess as well but the others lacked personality. The film was unevenly paced with some of the earlier parts in need of more zip and some of the later parts in need of a slow-down, most apparent in a climax that was action-packed but too busy and dark compared to the rest of the film. The soundtrack is one of the best things about Postman Pat: The Movie and Ronan Keating does a great job as Pat's singing voice but it is a case of the singing voice not matching the speaking voice especially in the tone. Just as disappointing as the writing was the animation, the opening was really promising but the rest looked like it was made in a lot of haste and had some very over-saturated and too bright colours, the characters also lack expression and on occasions look creepy, Pat is the one exception. Overall, a disappointing feature film debut of a much cherished classic character, not an awful film and has some good assets but it felt over-stuffed, muddled and bland with some cheap direct-to-video-like visuals with the opening being the only time where it bared any resemblance to the show. 4/10 Bethany Cox

A part of me feels like I should hate this, so why don't I?

[ndunsmo · 6/10 · 18 January 2015]

I'll admit, for the first half-hour, I really didn't see what was so bad about this film. The first little while felt like an episode of the series and even the talent show story line at least made sense as Pat was doing it for his wife and not for himself, and Pat's always been selfless so that was great. I was already a little sceptical when they revealed the whole Robot Pat thing, but when it escalated into a bigger plot, this was where the movie almost lost me. I was able to accept the existence of cellphones and a PS Vita, of all things, in the world of Postman Pat, but the evil robot thing really shouldn't be connected to this.

And before you say anything, yes, I know movies connected to cartoon shows usually try to differentiate themselves from their source material. And honestly, I think the talent show plot was good enough. You could have had the fame and attention get to Pat's head only for him to learn a lesson in the end and that would have been fine. As if that's not enough, we also get a terminator reference and, yeah, is this really Postman Pat?

However, in spite of all of this, I found this strangely enjoyable, but more as its own stand-alone sort of thing. Like Tom and Jerry the movie, I don't really like this as something connected to its respective series but rather its own entity. Every time the movie did something to make me groan, like when the villain revealed his evil plan before it was too late for Pat to stop him and, probably the most painful of all, Jess not being able to tell the difference between his beloved owner and a robot, it managed to pull me back with either a decent joke or something equally entertaining.

All-in-all, I can see why a lot of Pat fans don't like this movie. After the first half-hour, it starts to lose a lot of its charm in favour for something I'd accept in any other animated film, but I still found it strangely entertaining. I can't recommend it, really, but it's a guilty pleasure for me.

for children??

[rdvljunk · 5/10 · 31 July 2014]

I saw this movie with my 4 year old, his first real movie experience, and a disappointing one. At home he loves the postman pat short movies so he was excited to go and see this one. Now he is an always happy kind of guy and sat through the movie. But the excitement was quickly gone I noticed.

Simply too much references to adult-world kind of things like ... got talent, work problems, etc etc that are outside his world. It simply lasted too long.

At the end he was more interested in the different flavors popcorn then the movie. Too bad, missed opportunity

Too scary for a 3 year old

[Richard-Vialls · 1/10 · 11 August 2014]

I took my three year old son to see this movie as his first experience of cinema. I thought I was fairly safe with Postman Pat, but we left the film early with my son in floods of tears.

So if you've got a captive audience of young kids with a favorite character, what do you don't want to do is make a movie that rides roughshod over him. You don't want to replace the characterful hand animation with flat and poorly executed CGI. You don't want to base the plot on concepts that a 5 year old would struggle with let alone a 3 year old. You don't want to introduce lots of examples of things like newspaper cuttings that your average 3 year old can't actually read. And top of the list, you REALLY don't want to populate the film with robot versions of the children's' favorite characters that march menacingly towards them while firing lasers from red eyes! This movie is not just a flop, it's an open invitation for parents of traumatised children with recurrent nightmares to sue the film's makers. For heaven's sake, if you're going to make a film for small children, get advice on what's appropriate for that age group!

Postman pat: not for the younger ones...

[f_boekhoorn · 3/10 · 15 June 2014]

We've been enjoying Postman Pat for years, but this new movie wasn't what we expected at all. The Robots in the movie were actually quite scary for the youngest children. Several kids were crying during the movie. The storyline is more suitable for children for ages up from 7 or something like that. A pity...

The older, short, stories never even had bad guys in it. Just normal things happening to people in normal life. And that might be quite interesting enough for young kids...

So, a great person he remains, our beloved hero Postman Pat. But the story he's in didn't touch our hearts.

A major disappointment

[pears1975 · 2/10 · 29 September 2014]

The animation is very clever and the film starts off OK but quickly deteriorates. Why did they have to take a friendly, funny and kind character that my 5 year old has come to love, and transform him into a scary, red eyed monster which had my son hiding behind the sofa. At one point one of the Jess bots looks like something from Terminator. Not what I would have chosen as entertainment for my son just before he tries to go to sleep at night. I am afraid I couldn't recommend showing this film to young children. I felt let down that they had changed these well loved characters beyond recognition. One of it's only saving points were the few scenes that made me laugh, but I don't think my son understood the humour.

Postman Pat hits the big screen

[stephenwilletts68 · 7/10 · 27 May 2014]

Just been to see this with my 2 year old. Didn't have any real expectations, I was just hoping my little girl would enjoy the film. However I was very much surprised. Firstly the negative stuff: The animation wasn't very good. The CGI looked a little cheap. Also It would have been good if they could have used the same voices for the main characters. Saying that these things things spoil the film. The makers of the film have really thought of the adults who will be seeing this film with their little ones. Simon Cowbell is a good example. A miserable headhunter, hosting a talent show. He even wore clothes very much similar to a certain person with a similar name. The plot wasn't anything new, but as it's for very little children that can be forgiven. My two year old was laughing and clapping to the film.

However their are a few scenes that might scare some children.

Above all a great young children's film that parents will enjoy watching too.

A film that needed to focus more on the youngsters

[rogerdarlington · 7 June 2014]

I took my three year old granddaughter to see this film but it had nothing like the appeal to her of her earlier visit to "Frozen".

As a familiar character from television and books, Postman Pat (voiced by TV actor Stephen Mangan but with Ronan Keating as the singing voice) has an immediate attraction for young children and the cartoon has plenty of colour, action and songs, although it looks more like a television production than a big screen affair.

However, the storyline's weak double satire - of management efficiency measures in a postal operation called Special Delivery Service and of an overpowering game show host named Simon Cowbell - are better understood by parents than children, so neither age group was terribly enthused.

Disappointing, the writers loosing a chance to make something good.....

[tekura-maeva · 1/10 · 22 June 2014]

As a parent who can enjoy children's animations, this was a disappointment to say the least. I think the writers completely missed an opportunity to make a kids film that could've been endearing, funny, and true to the original TV series. The characters voices were not right, and I think this was mainly because bringing in big name actors to voice was more important than delivering a product- sorry film - to its fans.

The story started quite promising, (a huge smile on my children's face during the opening credits) but very quickly diverted in a direction that just didn't tie in with the whole film. The introduction of a mainstream 'talent' show was unnecessary and didn't work,(in my opinion) and was just far removed from what a child watching would expect - not all children watch British talent shows - and if this was introduced only to make fun of Simon Cowell, then thats just poor writing. All the characters had tiny quirky moments, but it was sporadic throughout, and lost in amongst the poor storyline. Characters such as Ted Glen didn't get much air time, when he could've added a funny slapstick element to it all.

Very disappointed by the this, a completely lost opportunity....

Not really Pre School Friendly

[MumofLTS · 6/10 · 29 May 2014]

This was a very good film with Humor for children and adults, however whilst my Son enjoyed the film there were some tears as some of the scenes were I feel quite frightening for the Target audience and would say a Parental Guidance Certificate would be more appropriate than a U. Given that my son has never been particularly sensitive I was somewhat surprised

That said it had a half decent story line and I have come away with a new found love for Jess the cat!

David Tennant's character was particularly amusing to me and It was good to see that the parents and guardians have been greatly considered.

Poor, Poor, Poor

[superrams-1 · 1/10 · 29 March 2015]

Nice (London Olympics style) intro, passable opening theme version but then horrors of horrors.....those voices...terrible. Sounds as if all the main characters have been ingesting helium. Did the Producers really buy into the franchise at all or were they just out to make a quick buck with celebrity voices and a poor tie in to a talent show. Anyone brought up on the original t.v. series will shake their heads at this very poor film. Ever watched Shaun the Sheep? that's the way to do a feature film- true to the original with MINIMUM changes. I hope this never crosses my path again and warn anyone thinking of watching this film to expect very little of the original- for that is what you will get.

Jess the cat was the best part!

[outrunkid · 8/10 · 2 May 2016]

I really enjoyed this and Jess the cat proved to be the best part!

The cons.

First of all though, let's get the negatives out of the way - the voice of Pat was totally and utterly wrong, not sounding even a little bit like he is in the TV series. Point in fact, most of the accents that you'd expect - Alf, PC Selby, Mrs. Goggins - was grossly under-played or virtually non-existent in some cases. This was a big disappointment because without them Postman Pat loses a bit of it's quality and identity. The story, as I've read in other reviews, was a bit naff and unfitting - robots and talent contests wrapped up in a theme of identity? No, it just didn't work.

The pros.

The guest stars did an excellent job with their roles, especially David Tennant, who's character and voices provided some of the biggest laughs for me. That said though, you'd expect more participation from personalities like Rupert Grint and Ronan Keeting - their roles were simply too small to make any sort of difference to the plot and didn't seem to add that extra level of potential that they could have done. The tongue-in-cheek and 'parent' humour of self-referencing and parody to popular culture was very good indeed and gave it that 'British' quality by occasionally taking off shows and individuals who are established in the UK. I like how they've attempted to include aspects from the modern series, including the SDS and helicopters, etc., whilst openly admitting that the brand of Postman Pat has changed since it's creation but is still going for that English countryside simplicity feel.

The best parts for me - the brief cameo appearance of the Dalek and Lost in Space Robot were hilarious and had me rolling around in stitches.

Lastly, but certainly not least.... Jess the cat in the series was a great and funny additional. But in this, he's taken to a whole other level. Not only can he do acrobatics (wow!) but he's also the source of some of the best gags in the whole movie. Probably thanks to the CGI, in this his personality is much more defined and because he can present more visually he seems to be able to generate laughter so much more.

For each bad it has, Postman Pat The Movie has two goods. If you're expecting something directly related to the TV series or something which harks back to the classics, I fear you will be disappointed. But take it as it is and try and enjoy the laughs - you'll like it a whole lot more!

What's more, it's entertaining and simple enough for the kids to follow that their interest will be captured enough not to annoy you for an hour and half!

It's Good

[tommystans · 7/10 · 16 August 2014]

I've seen the trailer and had a feeling that the movie may not be good. But after seeing it I think it was good, probably a good adaptation of a children's TV show. There are some good jokes such as breaking the fourth wall, how talent shows rely on 'talent' etc. I also like the CG animation, don't expect the animation to be like Dreamworks or Pixar, they're multimillion dollar companies. Pat was in good characterisation, you think it'll be the clichéd 'fame gone to my head lost my friends' act but no it's not. Pat is still modest, polite and caring, he only entered the singing competition so he can win tickets for his wife to Italy.

The voice actors had put much effort into the characters as well, especially David Tenneat of Doctor Who fame. They've delivered great acting towards the character. As of the robots in the movie, yeah I have to admit some of it looks really creepy, pretty much Patbot 3000's smile and Jess as well. But the whole scuffle with the robots and the villain, it's very cartoony. Silly but cartoony and I love cartoony fun.

The songs are good choices too to represent the movie too, though I think they should've find a voice for Pat that sounds a bit like Steve Mangan, who provided well for Pat I have to say, rather then Ronan Keating who had done some good singing in the film. I think it's a good movie and it's focused on a mature issue such as technology and TV, well some critics think that alienates the young audience, there has been many children shows that do focus on mature issues, in the right way.

Overall it's a good movie. It has some silly cartoony moments, some good jokes, good acting etc. I personally recommend this movie.

Rather disappointing

[IliasManos · 2/10 · 16 August 2014]

Both my son and I, anticipated for the movie as we have loved the series, but after watching it, got let down. It has a rather OK "starting point" for the storyline, which consumes all movie with, and just finishes all well out of sudden. More like 5 min intro, 75 min gap and 5 min happy ending. Most annoying part was that this movie is rated universal by both MPAA and BBFC, something rather questionable, considering a whole theater of 4 and 5yo crying because one of the most peaceful and kind heroes, turned into a big bad mean monster for 70+ minutes, letting every parent to explain what's up. Nothing to do with the series, completely different feeling, mentality and atmosphere. 3* max.

Awful

[b_biggs · 2/10 · 9 June 2014]

Watched this with two 4 year olds (one boy one girl) and a two year old. Both of the elder children asked to leave about 30 minutes in with the comments of 'this is rubbish' and 'I'm bored'. From an adult perspective I found nothing of any interest in the attempts at humour, and the story line was as dull as dishwater. It just doesn't work on any level.

The same group of us watched Frozen and they loved it from start to finish. So I don't think it was the children's ability to stay focused in the cinema that led to, what felt like, a wasted afternoon.

I implore you not to waste either your time nor money on this film.

What has happened to our beloved Postman Pat?

[dhicklin-94-765240 · 3/10 · 2 January 2015]

Postman Pat enters the 21st Century and loses its magic.

The original series was a classic (one of my childhood favourites) and obviously you can never recreate that but they have made it worse in trying.

Things in the story like Jess the Cat delivering letters and picking up sheep whilst dangling from a helicopter being flown by Pat are just silly. Or how about Pat's van that still has a knob tuning style radio? Is this a dig at Royal Mail (antiquated?). And at the start Pat enters the sorting office and it is chaos but for some reason there are lots of little bits of paper raining down, which means that customers' letters must be being shredded in the sorting process? Little things like this that do not make sense are all over the place.

OK so kids are going to worry about the little things. The storyline does get quite evil with the plotting bad guy trying to take over in a maniacal Dr Evil style and the robots are scary as has been mentioned in previous reviews.

The opening titles fly-through of the local area was OK but in this day and age the CGI could have been so much better with a more breathtaking world and scenics.

Voices are OK, some could have been better like the more-Scottish-than-the-original Mrs Goggins (voiced by an English actor!?). David Tennant sounds like he's having fun and giving it his all, as usual.

Overall it's OK but could have been so much better. Perhaps I'm being too critical being used to the original series, I don't know.

P.S. Thanks IMDb for suggesting 'favourite' was 'spelt' wrong (see what I did there?), you seem to have the Microsoft default to US syndrome.

Waste of time! 2/10

[leonblackwood · 2/10 · 27 September 2014]

Review: Definitely one for the kids, which doesn't have any adult humour and a weak storyline. I wasn't expecting that much from the movie because the original Postman Pat wasn't that great, so I wasn't terribly disappointed. The director uses that patronising type of English humour which gets on your nerves after a while so I really don't recommend it to the adults. On the plus side, the kids will enjoy the vibrant colours and the robots and songs, but that's all the film really has to offer. Yet another bad attempt of a classic series. Terrible!

Round-Up: There isn't that many big voices used in the film so I can't really comment on the performances. The animation isn't that great. It's really blocky and cheap looking compared to the top animation films on the market. The only reason why I watched the movie is because of my little nephews who love there animation movies, but I doubt that they would even fine this movie interesting. Basically, if you want the kids to be quiet for an hour and a half, then you might get away with putting this movie on, but kids are a quite advanced nowadays so you might have to give this one a miss, unless they are familiar with the Postman Pat TV series.

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $7million

I recommend this movie to people who are into there animation movies about Postman Pat trying to win a trip to Italy on a talent show for his family. 2/10

Pleasantly surprised

[srpc21 · 7/10 · 23 August 2014]

I watched this on the plane back from America and thought it was a very nice and entertaining film.

It touches a lot into the privatization of the Royal Mail and Post Offices and the dangers this brings (as a twenty six year old, this was my interpretation of it anyway!). This is from a very analytical perspective though, I don't think it's purposely political and the emphasis is on humor throughout.

It was nice that the setting was in his hometown with the old characters instead of the lazy smurf films where 'the characters are warped into the real world'.

It was enjoyable and genuinely funny in a lot of parts. I would recommend to most people.

I didn't know postmen led such interesting lives

[Fenix-121-32312 · 10/10 · 1 October 2014]

I took my four year old boy to watch Postman Pat and while it was a show I used to enjoy laughing at as a teenager I really wasn't expecting much from this movie. Needless to say I was blown away with the hilarity that ensued. My son was also enthralled for most of the movie (ok he got a little restless during the middle but soon again was glued to it as the movie kicked into overdrive). The others in the movie theater with me were also laughing and obviously enjoying this rollicking crazy tall story. I also did not hear any frightened kids crying or screaming for mercy. Anyone who says it is too scary for children must have VERY sheltered children, or no sense of humor (actually probably both). My boy was fine, afterward said it was a tiny bit scary but he kept telling me for the rest of the day how it was an awesome movie and how much he loved it (and no I am not a deadbeat dad who lets his kids watch horror movies or anything). Perhaps some of these people should take up being Amish or only watch re-runs of Sesame Street, or old Disney cartoons - although they probably think they are too violent as well). As for the plot, I personally loved it. Far fetched? Yes. Silly? Yes. A complete removal from reality? Yes. I mean the film makers obviously just said 'stuff it, its a kids movie who cares?' I certainly didn't, it was a ripper. Rather than tearing holes in the plot (which I usually do to great delight) I found myself applauding the filmmakers complete ability to just make a great kids movie that had me laughing at holes rather than poking my finger through them. Amazing.

--- minor spoilers follow--- Any movie that has a legion of robot Postman Pats trying to take over the world for an evil corporation and a robotic Jess that shoots laser beams out of it's eyes gets my adoration as well as my approval! Looking forward to the DVD. Best kids movie I have seen since The Lego Movie and Megamind. Just awesome. 10 out of 10.

The epic children's TV programme strikes again!

[tomo657 · 9/10 · 12 August 2014]

What an epic movie! My 3 year old boy wanted to go back to the cinema immediately and watch it again, and so we did, and he enjoyed it even more that time. I don't understand why everyone hates this film. If you haven't yet seen it, go and see it with your kids or cousins or grand children because it is a properly good film. I know, the graphics and animations aren't incredible, but, the cast, Jim Broadbent and Rupert Grint, and Simon Cowbell presenting his own show, "Your the One!" Was a great idea. Yes, the plot wasn't overly incredible but for little kids it is acceptable. All In all, this is a great film, suitable for all ages and all people. If you enjoyed the classic TV series, you will absolutely love this film. Awesome film.

My son loves it

[olligillett · 8/10 · 11 July 2019]

Since getting it a week ago we've watched it non stop, it gets played about 3 times a day and as soon as it finishes he asks for it on again. Funny throughout, although gets a bit hectic and serious in places during the second half

shocking mad fever dream of a film

[hollieroxy · 10/10 · 29 February 2024]

This film doesn't feel real. I watched it once when I was 6 when it after came out and that was it. I somehow remember everything down to every small detail. I put it on again today and I was genuinely surprised with how hilariously random this film is. Simon cowell is in this. David tennant is in this. It is genuinely hilarious and I can't wrap my head around why. It doesn't feel like a kids movie it's more complex than that. The robot invasion, postman Pat becoming a world famous singer. The very obvious voice change when he starts singing. Pure gold this movie is, but that's exactly what I expect from a Brit film like this.