The Mitchells vs. the Machines

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. (05/05/2021)

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. (05/04/2021)

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). (05/01/2021)

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. (05/03/2021)

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. (05/01/2021)