THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES Review
One of the more pleasant surprises of the past couple of years in the film industry is the emergence of Sony Pictures Animation Studio as a legitimate contributor to the genre. In my eyes beginning with the fast-paced and energetic imagining of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, Sony found their pupils in the winning duo of Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, who have turned everything they touch (whether that be the hilarious 21 JUMP STREET franchise or the wonderfully animated SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE) into gold. Unsurprisingly, the duo’s next film that they acted as producers on, THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES follows the Sony Animation track of combining stunning and unique visuals with a simple story that leaves room for belly-busting laughs and the occasional moment of well earned heart.
Directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe (both of whom also worked on the script together with Alex Hirsch acting as story consultant), THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES takes a look at one dysfunctional family’s attempts to survive the robot uprising. Indeed, even before the world itself experiences robot-caused catastrophe, the Mitchells themselves face unthinkable change in their own home as film-loving daughter, Katie (Abbi Jacobson), is ready to head off to film school to pursue her dreams of becoming a filmmaker. While her parents, Rick and Linda (Danny McBride and Maya Rudolph, respectively), more or less support her dreams with uncertain smiles, Katie still finds it hard to truly connect with them as they worry about the long-term viability of her chosen profession (especially her well-intentioned yet genuinely confused father). Really, the only person in Katie’s life who understands her seems to be her dinosaur obsessed little brother, Aaron (Michael Rianda). Even so, as they recognize the fact that their daughter is going off into the next stage of her life, Linda and Rick haphazardly decide to embark on one last family road trip with Katie to drop her off at school in California (with terminally wide-eyed family pug, Mochi, in tow).
As the film settles into a pretty funny snapshot of a flustered family road trip across the U.S., a robot uprising, led by a jaded A.I. called PAL (Olivia Colman, wonderfully snarky here) taking revenge on her tech-bro creator (Eric Andre), THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES becomes a fast and frantic take on the sci-fi apocalypse. As the only remaining humans left on the Earth not imprisoned by an army of stoic and slick robots (voiced by Beck Bennet, Fred Armisen and apparently Blake Griffin), The Mitchells learn a thing or two about world-saving and of course, the values of family and growing up and acceptance. Nothing too world-burning here story-wise but even so, the filmmakers Rianda and Rowe, backed by a brigade of truly talented animators, elevate simplicity through impressive animation and clever writing.
One of the best things that THE MITCHELLS displays is the way in which it matches its main character Katie’s mindset as the film is constantly bombarded with 2-D scribbles and doodles and annotations that appear to be from Katie’s hands themselves, creating a film that has tons of visual jokes and nudges that require multiple viewings to fully catch. Like Katie, this film is a ball of creative energy that splashes off the screens and roils with unrestricted youthful energy and humor. Similar to the animated INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, Rianda and Rowe have their animation team concoct a visually stunning world that combines 3-D character models, imagined in ways that match the cartoonish tone, with the subtler details of 2-D sketching, making every scene in here alive with detail and giddy vigor. While other animation studios choose to edge closer towards realism, the team here at Sony only moves closer to the unrestrained (and much more fun) world of the silly and bizarre.
Nevertheless, even with the presence of giant and demon-like Furbies, life-contemplating robots, and the enigma that is Mochi, Rianda and Rowe approach their story with respect for their characters and their emotions effectively capturing the evolution of a family as it moves from one phase of life to another. As the Mitchells, each of the vocal performers create a relatable and authentic bond between one another, making their frustrations and doubts with one another resonate, especially in the relationship between Rick and Katie, a father and daughter who love each other but who nonetheless struggle to understand each other. McBride, refreshingly taking on a more subdued fatherly role, hits every emotional moment that the role requires bringing to light the tough space that a father occupies as their complicated kids begin to shape their own futures. Jacobsen, as his opposite makes for a good sparring partner as a daughter who wants to connect with her well-intentioned father but falls to the spells of adolescent doubt and independence. In their relationship, Rianda and Rowe imbue a typical clashing father-daughter relationship with depths that allow dramatic reveals to tug at the heartstrings. Even as some jokes fail to land (mainly those that are related to anything meme-y) or when the pace sometimes sputters throughout the family road trip as it hops from its comedic sequences to much slower dramatic emotional moments, audiences will find it hard to not have a good time with the Mitchells.
Despite a narrative that hews close to familiarity, THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES understands the potential of animation and pushes it to colorful and memorable places. It’s a shame this movie didn’t get to see a wide release on bigger screens where its visual prowess could be fully displayed but I’m confident in saying that the talents of Rianda, Rowe, and their team of animators will be recurring further down the line, and I couldn’t be more excited at that thought.
4/5
