The Sheep Detectives

2026

No sheep were harmed in the making of this film. I truly suspect that no sheep were used in the making of this film. (The sheep in this picture look real, but it’s not an actual shot from the film.)

I am so sick of only seeing CGI animals on the screen! I would much rather see Babe-era talking animals. Or puppets.

The movie imagines a shepherd who reads mystery novels to his sheep. He is murdered, and the sheep decide to solve the mystery.

Right off the bat, I must refer you to my friend’s review, which succinctly parses the ubiquitous Christian imagery of the film: https://boxd.it/eqgt1b

Yes, it is appropriately parable-infused for a story about sheep and a shepherd. Sadly, I didn’t find a lot more about the story to praise. It’s very simple and even silly. And that may be good for young audiences, but for a man who has studied narratives for twenty-five years, it’s not enough to create meaningful metaphysical metaphors and let the craft sag. (That sounds harsher than I meant when I read it over.)

The film does have some excellent casting choices. Emma Thompson is in her full Third Act Miranda Priestly mode, showing up all the other humans on the screen. Hugh Jackman is a good Good Shepherd, even though he’s barely in the film. On the ovine front, Chris O’Dowd is dependably affable-with-a-sad-undertone, as always. And Brett Goldstein is perfectly cast as twin rams who just want to bash things.

Does it pass artistic muster with a didactic snob? No. But it is impressive to see such thoughtful Christian imagery from Amazon Studios. This would be good watching, I suspect, for parents willing to read the metaphor while entertaining their children. But, what do I know about children?