The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend. Expecting this to be a Dreamworks picture, I was surprised to see Sony heading this one up. Watching this robo-apocalypse story, it feels like just a weird amalgamation of other movies that happen to be cg animated, involve robots, dysfunctional families, and corporate hostilities. While all these are great elements, their combination, with the movie's special flare just falls short for me. While my disbelief is fully suspended, it just broke off after a bit with some of the goofy stuff the humans end up doing contrasted with some of the amazing things the robots are doing that actually makes some sense. The movie looks great, and is technically great, but the characters and story just fall just short for me.

I think it’s quite apposite that at a time when governments are all debating whether they ought to spend 2/3% of GDP on our defence, this film rather succinctly points out that armies, navies and air forces are going to be of little use when mankind faces it’s most potently existential threat. No wifi! When tech fights back and cuts off that magical signal, just think of how little around us will actually work. Our water, our electricity and our food supplies - all controlled by something that doesn’t actually exist! Luckily we have the “Mitchell” family on hand to thwart the cunning plans of a queenly smart phone to eradicate humanity once and for all so that toasters may playfully graze in the meadow and fridges may consume the beer themselves. Dad (reminded me of the late British DJ Steve WrightJ is a bit of a Luddite who wants to drive their daughter “Katie” to her new term at film school so much to her embarrassed chagrin they set off with mum, brother “Aaron” and their pet piglet “Monchi” to take one of those road trips that you just know is destined for failure. To be fair, though, they couldn’t have anticipated quiet the nature of that disaster as the mechs and techs revolt against their fleshy masters and for some reason this bunch, along with two kindly robots they encounter along the way, are humanity’s only hope. The queen has offered us one slight glimmer of hope. Can anyone think of any good reason why she shouldn’t carry out her plans? Oddly enough, an answer is unlikely to ever be forthcoming in time so the family have to use their wits and tech-savvyness to fend off the marauding army of washing machines, microwaves and hoovers. The film itself is all a little predicable, and it extols some typical virtues of family loyalty, teamwork and inter-reliance, but it also presents us with some fun characterisations too. Mum, “Linda”, especially when her brood are under threat and she sees a particularly dangerous shade of red with those tin creatures trying to oppose her! There are loads of other entertaining supporting characters, and at times this comes across more like a Japanese animé as the kids take centre stage and improvise their way to a lively denouement. The message is clear enough, but the writing doesn’t labour it’s point, rather it amiably presents us with some daft scenarios that - perhaps they are not so daft after all! The prospect of AI getting fed up with us squabbling, warring and destroying our own environment looms plausibly large and maybe isn’t the worst idea, either. It’s hectically paced, good fun and maybe portentous?