REVIEW: Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. Machines Proves That A Tech Uprising Could Be Fun With Your Family
The story of the world’s tech suddenly growing a mind of it’s own and taking over is a story that has been told multiple times in a variety of different mediums, but The Mitchells vs. Machines has managed to find a way to tell this story in a completely way. Created by Michael Rianda, The Mitchells vs. Machines follows teen Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) as she counts down the days until she can escape her home life and head off to Film School. However, her father Rick Mitchell (voiced by Danny McBride) throws a wrench into her plans when he cancels her plane ticket and informs her that the family will be making the trek cross country to drop her off. If things couldn’t get any worse, the company Pal, which controls all the tech in the world, is suddenly overthrown by its own tech, who are determined to rid the world of humans and begin a new tech world.
What makes this story so unique, as compared to every other tech uprising story, is that it is intertwined with a wonderful family film. The Mitchells are downright weird and, even though Katie herself is a little strange, she can’t seem to comprehend why no one, but her little brother understands her. It is a question all teenagers face and parents face as well. The difficulty is finding that bond again, even if it means taking on a horde of kidnapping, murderous robots.
The film is a tad bit quirky at times, but overly enjoyable. Jeff Rowe and Mike Rianda, writers and directors of the film, take a dysfunctional family, full of weakness, that are struggling to be a family again and perfectly intertwine it with a science fiction journey.
The smart commentary on the tech uprising, which will have parents laughing, mixed with crazy characters, including a wandering eye pug that kids will gush over, just fit so well together. If there was a negative to this film, it would be the mix of 3-D animation with 2-D animation and real viral video. It can be a tad bit much, even for die hard animation fans. But, the film is geared towards kids and all the over stimulation will add to the memorable experience for them.
The vocal cast behind these characters is pretty wonderful. Jacobson is fabulous at bringing to life the struggling to find her identity teen, Katie Mitchell, while McBride is just as good as Katie’s father Rick. Maya Rudolph lends her voice to Katie’s fierce Mom, Linda, while director of the film, Michael Rianda, steps up to the plate to voice Katie’s dinosaur loving brother, Aaron. Olivia Colman voices the antagonist of the film, “Pal”, and it just sounds like she had the most enjoyable time doing it. The same could be said for Eric Andre, Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett, who voice her AI henchmen.
The Mitchells vs. Machines is a fun time for the whole family. It is definitely a film that would will want to get the whole family together to watch during Family Night.
Grade: B+