Directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, Mitchell vs. the Machines has just been released on Netflix. Initially planned to be released in cinemas, the feature film has therefore finished its race on the platform. Produced by Sony, the film uses the same animation used on Spider-Man: New Generation. In production, it is the two geniuses Chris Miller and Phil Lord who officiated. Focus on the latest animated film from Sony Studios.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines: a superb animation
What strikes first is the beauty of the animation. As with Spider-Man: New Generation, Sony has used great means in a visual approach that mixes 3D and 2D. The rendering is very rooted in a comic book style that had been the strength of the previous adaptation of the spider. Rhythmic, colorful, intelligent, this animation makes the greatness of Sony, which has managed to create a unique identity very different from its competitors. With Les Mitchell contre les Machines, the studio repeats this experience and thus offers once again a graphically stunning work. The whole serves an inventive staging that mixes the supports (3D, 2D, live overlays, comics, etc …) And even if it is less legitimate than in Spider-Man: New Generation, it offers some remarkable action sequences.
Emotional springs impacting
Unfortunately, the scenario is too lazy to fully convince. Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe offer a heated plot, which addresses the danger of artificial intelligence and everything connected. The duo thus sets up the technological revolution without really originality. Simply staging the rebellion of robots against humanity. A wave of criticism of social networks, AI, and the exploitation of personal data that unfortunately does not fly very high, preferring to rehash tired themes. A long subplot that fails to fascinate the audience, who will feel some lengths through a montage that would have benefited from being shortened. Finally, it is in its emotional springs that the film is strongest. If the humor and the valves are also quite classic (even if they manage to create some spontaneous laughter), Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe set up ultra effective emotional springs. The Mitchells against the Machines finds its great strength in the treatment of the family cocoon, in the analysis of the relationship between the different members of a family. The structure between father and daughter is sensitive, and manages to create a real empathy in the viewer. Whether in his staging that does not hesitate to borrow from Up There, or through tasty dialogues, emotion works at every moment. Thus, Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe stage a sensitivity that gives all its soul to The Mitchells against the Machines. https://youtu.be/QolEkXbxupw