Animal Farm Review

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Collective Liberation: An Optimistic Reimagining of Animal Farm

George Orwell’s timeless satire, Animal Farm, returns to the screen in a third adaptation from Angel Studios. While the original novella famously posits that power, once seized, inevitably corrupts, director Andy Serkis recalibrates the lens. Moving away from the source material’s crushing sense of helplessness, Serkis presents a narrative of resilience, framing the animals' uprising against their abusive masters as a profound struggle for equality against a totalitarian regime.

When Farmer Jones defaults on his loans, he is forced to surrender Manor Farm to Pilkington Industries. Led by the ruthless billionaire Frieda Pilkington, the corporation immediately marks the livestock for the slaughterhouse. Discovering their grim fate, a defiant sow named Snowball rallies the animals to overthrow their human oppressors. They reclaim the land as "Animal Farm" and establish an autonomous society governed by a sacred code, most notably, that “all animals are equal” and “no animal shall harm another.”

However, the animals struggle to manage the farm on their own. When Snowball proposes a plan to build a watermill, a vehemently opposed Napoleon undermines him, manipulating the other animals by framing Snowball’s leadership as an affront to their freedom. Napoleon paints his rival as condescending, weaponizing rhetoric such as, “These barn animals don’t know what’s good for them. They need to be shown.”

Napoleon’s pressure campaign forces Snowball out, leaving him in absolute control. He quickly shifts the farm’s dynamic by engaging in trade with humans, luring the animals into complacency with the bright, shiny allure of consumer technology - smartphones, wide-screen TVs, and sports cars. He claims this alliance will guarantee “free food forever,” but the promise inevitably collapses. As Pilkington begins to infiltrate the farm, he finds a partner in Napoleon, who, with Squealer’s help, begins rewriting the rules to ensure the pigs remain at the top of the hierarchy.

As Napoleon and his inner circle of pigs descend into a decadent, human-like excess, life for the rest of the farm curdles into misery. The narrative finds its emotional core in Piglet Lucky, Snowball’s former protégé and Napoleon’s surrogate son. His loyalty fractures when his girlfriend, Puff, flees the worsening conditions; his disillusionment then turns to absolute defiance when Napoleon destroys the farm's vital water dam and sends the aging workhorse Boxer to the glue factory. Galvanized by the weary but sage donkey Benjamin, Lucky finally abandons his passivity, rallying the remaining animals to stage a desperate rebellion against Napoleon’s tyranny.

The Corruption of Power

As in the novel, the film remains a chilling exploration of the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, tracking the transformation of pigs from freedom fighters into a totalitarian elite. This evolution is driven by a stark narcissism; Napoleon is heard asking more than once, “What’s in it for Nepopo?” - a refrain that underscores his shift toward self-interest, even culminating in his desire for a branded action figure.

This insularity is further established when Napoleon mentors the young piglet Lucky, admonishing him that, “Pigs must stick with pigs, and cows must stick with cows.” The film’s visual treatment of the barn wall serves as the final, damning shift; as the original seven commandments are scrubbed away and replaced with the infamous, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” it signals the solidification of a new, oppressive hierarchy. The moral decay is complete when Napoleon employs his pack of canine enforcers to slaughter those accused of treason, proving that absolute power truly does corrupt absolutely.

The story also illustrates how history tends to repeat itself and why, despite having knowledge of the past, societies continue to make the same mistakes. This is further reflected in the end credits which feature illustrations of pigs throughout history - building pyramids, fighting the Trojan War, and leading the French Revolution - underscoring that tyranny is a repeating cycle.

Loss of Innocence and Youthful Rebellion

The narrative is experienced through the eyes of a new character: the young, idealistic piglet Lucky, which introduces a poignant 'coming-of-age' lens. Through his perspective, we witness Napoleon’s betrayal of his best friend, Boxer, marking a painful loss of innocence. Lucky directly confronts Napoleon before the final uprising, effectively framing the revolution as a youthful stand against corrupt elders.

Hope Amidst Dystopia

Diverging from the crushing cynicism of Orwell’s source material, Serkis’ adaptation provides a radical, optimistic finale. Here, the animals reclaim their agency, rising up to dismantle the porcine tyranny and setting their sights on a brighter future. The film underscores this vision with a poignant final image: protesters toppling a statue, which serves as a potent symbol of collective liberation. Ultimately, the film reframes true freedom not as a burden of necessity, but as an act of solidarity: “Work hard for our friends, not because we have to, but because we choose to.”

Animal Farm functions less as a faithful adaptation and more as a bold, contemporary conversation with Orwell’s original text. It posits that while history may be a repeating cycle of vanity and tyranny, it is not a trap, it is a lesson. By centering the narrative on the innocence and resolve of a younger generation, Serkis leaves viewers not with the despair of a farm lost, but with a challenge to participate in the difficult, collaborative work of maintaining true freedom. It is a provocative, polished, and necessary evolution of the classic, ensuring that while the pigs may always reach for power, the rest of the world remains just as capable of toppling the statue.