The Mitchells vs. The Machines 2021
Even though I have Netflix, I had not heard of this movie until the end of the year when people started talking about the best animated movies of the year and this one popped up. Given that critics seemed to like it I was expecting something less conventional. Part of what I read going in was that it was a better story about technology than Ron’s Gone Wrong which wouldn’t be that hard. This movie is more of a sci-fi apocalypse as robots take over the world and are rounding up all the humans for extermination (never mentioned quite that bluntly). There is also a family story about the Mitchells, where there is a strained relationship between the father and his daughter who is about to go to college. While there are a few fun ideas thrown in and the movie is generally enjoyable, I didn’t feel it did much with the material. It is an example of bad science fiction when the science that drives the plot is so terrible. These robots are incredibly powerful and the Mitchells are no match, but somehow the Mitchells are able to fight back effectively anyway. When that happens, it makes the action meaningless noise. The relationship between the father and daughter seems like it has been done many times before and provides some emotional payoff, but it is a little too easy. There aren’t that many laughs either, certainly nothing that hasn’t been done many times before. The little brother has a very weird voice that did not seem to fit and it turns out that character is voiced by the writer and director in what seems like a vanity role. In the end it is very cartoony and I am not sure why critics liked it so much. Maybe the bar is lower since it was released straight to Netflix instead of theaters? Or maybe because the daughter is lesbian (since she is with her family or fighting robots for most of the movie, this never comes into play and I missed the part of one line that gave it away). For me this is a low B, almost B-.
Written: 20 Dec 2021
Owned on: Digital