Composer:
Mark MothersbaughCast:
Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Eric André, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Charlyne Yi (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope! (Netflix)
Videos (2)
Reviews (9)
A terminator-like machine uprise in the Mitchell style, with a (much) lower rating, but a bigger portion of fun. The Mitchells vs. the Machines, like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, captivates and impresses with its unorthodox animation style that mixes live-action sequences and various animation formats. The basic structure of the story of saving the world is nothing new, but the imaginative use of animation, as well as the way the narrative unfolds, lifts the film out of its first-rate mediocrity. Although I had an idea (and knew) how it would end, I was still entertained and moved by the story of an extremely wacky family brought together by the technological apocalypse. What made me laugh the most was Monchi's "piggy bank" and the father's confrontation with the internet. A weaker four stars!
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Some ideas used in this movie work really well. For example, the messages they were sending out about family values and the generation gap between the progressive and creative zoomer daughter and her boomer father. This was pretty cool. I even got a bit emotional, however, there were other things that were not my cup of tea. The whole robot apocalypse thing felt kind of naive, childish, and stupid. At one point I even expected Jaroslav Uhlir to start singing his song about not abandoning old things for new ones... In truth, I found most of the jokes landed flat. I can handle and enjoy a lot of crazy stuff, however, this just seemed mostly stupid rather than funny and even the dog could not save it. Maybe it is because "I am really too old for this shit", and so when I see, for example, jokes based on filters you get on smartphones, I feel like banging my head against the wall, not like laughing. I thought more than half of the movie was filled with childish and boring jokes, so that is why I did not enjoy most of it. I thought the movie worked best when dealing with deeper issues, however, it was weak when it was more superficial (wannabe funny). I felt like if I wanted to watch a road-trip movie, I would rather watch another movie from National Lampoon's series instead of this. On the other hand, I do appreciate the creative use of animation and I liked the different effects they used (raptors, rainbows, etc.) as they made the movie visually more interesting than just an ordinary animated movie. That being said, this was not really my kind of movie, because I have a completely different sense of humor, and no matter what, I am definitely not awarding more than 5/10 for this.
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I was really looking forward to this animated film, given that it’s produced by the same team behind the nearly flawless Spider-Man from three years ago. I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed—far from it—but there were a few things missing for it to be a perfect experience. I must definitely commend the audiovisual style; it’s truly outstanding, and I have no complaints about the technical execution. I also grew fond of the characters, with the father being my favorite. On the other hand, their dog had its moments too, appearing in some of the funniest scenes... so it’s a tough choice :D . However, the story didn’t captivate me as much. The creators occasionally drop a cleverly crafted line, and there are laughs to be had, but I wasn’t particularly thrilled by the plot revolving around a robot apocalypse. Nevertheless, it’s still an above-average film, and I can easily imagine your kids being thrilled by it. For me, it’s a solid 7/10.
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A perfect animated film. Furiously funny, but at the same time still about something, not just about that fury. The 3D animation playfully combined with 2D looks beautiful, and if you remember The Incredibles in a few of the moments, you won’t be able to accuse the creators of copying, but will rather give them the best possible praise. And let's not forget the amazing dubbing by Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Olivia Colman and others. It never occurred to me that the film lasted almost two hours (like almost everything today).
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Maybe I was looking forward to it a little too much. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a very fine animated film that, at least in terms of visual ideas, manages to offer much more than what we are used to, and maybe even more than what the best in the business serve up. It also has likeable characters, effective jokes and very good action. It's just that the underlying story is too ordinary and predictable, whether in the "dad looking for a way to his daughter and daughter looking for a way to her dad" or "technology has gone haywire and wants to take over humanity" sense. It's nothing that outright ruined the experience of the film for me, but on the other hand the technical creativity, inventiveness and fun factor often just accentuate the banality and ordinariness of the plot. Granted, they do manage to sell even that with grace, but I still expected a bit more.
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Gallery (17)
Photo © SPAI / Sony Pictures
![The Mitchells vs. the Machines - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/165/280/165280131_c38d8f.jpg)
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