MOVIE REVIEW: THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES

 

Young Katie Mitchell embarks on a road trip with her proud parents, younger brother and beloved dog to start her first year at film school. But their plans to bond as a family soon get interrupted when the world's electronic devices come to life to stage an uprising. With help from two friendly robots, the Mitchells must now come together to save one another -- and the planet -- from the new technological revolution.

Director: Michael Rianda

Cast: Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Rianda, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Blake Griffin, Conan O'Brien

Release Date: April 30, 2021

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for action and some language

Runtime: 1 h 53 min

Review:

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a light breezy animated family film that has heart to spare.  Michael Rianda’s film has a bright and appealing visual style that’s distinctive enough to separate it from other animated films.  The story is a nice hybrid of a standard family film and a fun sci-fi story.  Neither is particularly groundbreaking but it hits the sweet spot where it finds a meaningful story to tell with engaging characters.  The primary family play off standard tropes but the script is smart enough to give them enough depth to make them engaging and interesting.  The entire thing wouldn’t work if the voice cast didn’t deliver strong performances, thankfully they do in spades.  Danny McBride delivers one of the more restrained performances of his career and it works well for this role.  McBride’s performance is sincere and heartfelt throughout which is a great change of pace for him.  McBride and Abbi Jacobson have believable chemistry as the father daughter duo who are at the heart of the story, as such they are the driving force of the film.  The supporting cast is rounded out with Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Eric Andre and Olivia Colman with each getting their time to shine.  Colman in particular seems to be having a ball as diabolical AI who can’t deal with rejection.  The Mitchells vs. The Machines also delivers a hefty amount of laugh out loud moments that are sure to keep young and old entertained for the better part of its runtime.  There are portions of the film that feel like they could have been trimmed because there really no reason for the film to be nearly 2 hours long, regardless it’s strong family film that works on multiple levels.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE

The battle for NINJAGO City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, also secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat the evil warlord Garmadon, who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Pitting father against son, the epic showdown tests these fierce but undisciplined modern-day ninjas as they learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash the inner power of Spinjitzu.

Director: Charlie Bean, Bob Logan, Paul Fisher

Cast: Jackie Chan, Dave Franco, Michael Peña, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani

Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor

Genres: Animation, Family, Comedy

Review:

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is a fine addition to the blossoming franchise even if the sheen is starting to wear off just a tad.  The movie is full of all the pop culture references and self aware humor we’ve seen in previous installments.  The best thing this film has going is Jackie Chan.  Jackie Chan shows up in the opening and closing but supplies the film with its heart Master Wu.  Justin Theroux is a lot of fun as the villain even if he’s just doing a Will Arnett impression throughout.  Theroux and Dave Franco have fun chemistry in the second half of the film.  The main issue with the film is that the plot and overall story seems hacked together.  The story lacks any sort of real flow even though there are still lots of like here.  That probably speaks to the general fun in the franchise, where even a lesser entry still delivers.

B-