The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
During the awards season, I will be covering films that are a part of the discussion that have been out for a while.
One of the first reviews I ever wrote for Films Fatale was a glowing write up of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a film that still blows my mind to this day. I feel like the dynamite duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller just can’t miss when it comes to great films for all ages with imaginative animation, storytelling depth, self-awareness in spades, and extra flourishes just to stun you even more. Even just as producers, they are attached to strong projects almost always. Considering The Lego Movie was so much better than I thought it would be, Spider-Verse is my favourite Marvel-related film to date, and I like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for the elevation it took of a children’s book I loved, I had high hopes for The Mitchells vs. the Machines, even though I had no idea what I would be in for and nothing here screams the same kind of resonance of these previous films: existing source materials that could be adapted at the next level. In reality, this is actually the passion project of Mike Rianda of Gravity Falls fame (another stellar animated work of our time), so this is more of his dream being realized by Lord and Miller. So, this duo became a trio of talent. Did the film deliver?
Absolutely. First things first, I need to point out the astonishing animation that The Mitchells vs. the Machines utilizes. If Spider-Verse nailed what a comic book animation could be, Mitchells is similar but in the form of concept art, storyboard illustrations, digital painting, and meme culture. All of these universes combine to make an electric watch, with little nuances shoved into each scene, as well as what I would call “stickers” placed on top (think of it as Instagram stories having been made into bits of a feature film). Mitchells is fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, and it feels like a Gen Z animation dream come true (or at least the perfect kind of feature for those of us with ADHD, like yours truly). Luckily, there is a lot of heart and spirit underneath all of this chaos. The titular family is dysfunctional, easily bothered by one another, and full of insecurities; they’re just like the rest of us! Lead character Katie is on the way to film school, but a falling out with her father has led to his decision to have the entire family drop her off personally. This is ironically the last shred of humanity for the foreseeable future because an AI has gone rogue and has transformed every smartphone (and device) into a demon whose primary objective is to capture humans (they will be locked away to allow technology to live unhindered by us). The Mitchells escape this trap, and now they have to band together to survive. If there’s anything that can show the appreciation that loved ones have deep down, it’s being caught up in a crisis.
The film’s eclectic style still hasn’t left my mind.
While a teensy bit fleeting at times (particularly the climax, where things can happen just to happen), The Mitchells vs. the Machines is still such a refreshing-feeling feature that can take the animated medium as-is and finesse it enough so that it feels unique. The numerous narrative shifts are a bit of a gamble as well, but the film pulls this off because of its proper use of expositional revelation at just the right key moments. While the film presents itself as daring, it’s still the right amount of safe that, while ground may not be broken, there can be a film for the entire family to watch that’s engaging, a riot, and likely to please all involved. I think all of the above are crucial reasons why The Mitchells vs. the Machines — an April release — is still being discussed amidst the awards season, especially in a season that’s a little bit up in the air (although Encanto seems to be doing well). Don’t count The Mitchells vs. the Machines out: it’s peculiar enough to stick, and impressionable enough to have people voting in favour of it. I guess we shall see, but at least The Mitchells vs. the Machines is good enough to care this much about.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.