The Mitchells vs. the Machines

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. (04/06/2021)

Rianda and Rowe didn’t want to wait for an adaptation of "Robocalypse" and so they put together this cartoon brimming with invention about a technological bugaboo gone wrong and father and a daughter trying to understand each other. All thanks to Miller and Lord and their humor shines to every direction from the screen. The visuals mix two and three-dimensional animation, Tron-style neon lights and a dog with googly eyes who reminds me more of a pig or a loaf of bread. Great family dynamics, a very nice message. (04/05/2021)

I needed something completely relaxing, and The Mitchells vs. The Machines delivered in spades. It’s one of the most entertaining, funny, and imaginative animated films to come out of the U.S. in the last decade. The dog (or is it a pig? or a loaf of bread?) and those two quirky robots steal the show, just as much as the entire Mitchell family does. While the film might initially seem like a kid-friendly version of Tron—with its graphic effects and often fantastic soundtrack—it ultimately tells a classic story about the importance of family and the strength of those bonds. (07/05/2021)

I loved every freakin' second of it... Movie of the year! The animated film of the decade! The best Netflix film! Instant cult-classic and masterpiece! Afterwards, I almost had to go to surgery to fix my jaw. Unbelievable experience. The film focuses on a wacky, crazy and likeable family who, in the middle of the robot apocalypse, is on a family trip while people are being abducted and the world is slowly ending. An excellent and original concept of the beginning of the apocalypse involving electric appliances going crazy. Throughout the film, the dog naturally steals the spotlight, but the father is also excellent, being a proper handyman and a real man (many men in their forties will see themselves in him), and, of course, the two malfunctioning robots as additions to the group add even more to the show. The son and daughter are also decent, but they lag behind the others a bit, and the mom, she turns into a regular assassin at the end, earning respect! It has a beautiful comic book stylization, great music, a hefty dose of pop-culture references, as well as references to technology, family, American society, and much more. The action itself is also good (the battle in the shopping center with alive electrical appliances has an almost horror atmosphere!!) and the grand finale is, of course, amazing. The biggest advantage is undoubtedly the humor, which is served to such an extent that I can't remember a movie in which I laughed non-stop without breaks. A tremendous explosion, where I was disappointed it was already over and I wanted even more. I want a sequel, prequel, spin-off, anything right away! More screenings are necessary, there is a lot of humor and details in the background, and it's impossible to absorb everything on the first go, there's really a lot. Powerful, touching, incredibly funny, playful, creative, intelligent, captivating, thrilling, and breathtaking. Yes, that's the Mitchells! And I enthusiastically recommend them to absolutely everyone. 10/10. (01/05/2021)

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. (06/05/2021)