The tried-and-true tale of a family road trip, one father's last misguided attempt to mend rifts and connect with his teenage daughter before the latter departs for film school, is rudely interrupted by a robot apocalypse. This particular mechanical coup d'etat comes at the behest of a thinly veiled Siri knock-off, an artificial intelligence that's finally tired of our mundane requests and verbal abuse. As the literal last family standing, the dysfunctional Mitchells must work through their private issues whilst also steering the station wagon around misbehaving smart appliances and, somehow, rescuing the entire human race.
Beyond the silly robo-invasion and hilariously unlikely action scenes, it's effectively sharp and sweet, eccentric and real; one of those rare films that speaks to parents and kids on their own level while still maintaining a shared common ground. It's also a wonderful visual showpiece, furthering many of the concepts that first came to light with 2018's Into the Spider-Verse. I really dig that trend (dare I call it a house style?) from Sony Pictures Animation, a fresh mixed-media experiment which meshes smooth, stylish 3D models with effective spurts of kinetic, hand-drawn line art. Those play into the plot, baking personality into the frequent asides that fill out the family's back story, while also lending a quaint, made-with-care aura that illuminates the whole screen; they're downright charming.
Well done on the graphical front, then, with only slightly lower marks on the narrative side. The Mitchells are an entertaining, colorful bunch, with an admirable amount of time dedicated to developing the secondary cast. Pacing isn't all it could be, though, given the deflating early anti-climax and a third act that drags on for too long. Maybe a few too many wink-nods at internet culture, too, but that's only a minor quibble. Overall, it's good. Really good. Good enough make me to wonder if Pixar might have finally met a worthy adversary.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2021-09-21T17:40:15Z
The tried-and-true tale of a family road trip, one father's last misguided attempt to mend rifts and connect with his teenage daughter before the latter departs for film school, is rudely interrupted by a robot apocalypse. This particular mechanical coup d'etat comes at the behest of a thinly veiled Siri knock-off, an artificial intelligence that's finally tired of our mundane requests and verbal abuse. As the literal last family standing, the dysfunctional Mitchells must work through their private issues whilst also steering the station wagon around misbehaving smart appliances and, somehow, rescuing the entire human race.
Beyond the silly robo-invasion and hilariously unlikely action scenes, it's effectively sharp and sweet, eccentric and real; one of those rare films that speaks to parents and kids on their own level while still maintaining a shared common ground. It's also a wonderful visual showpiece, furthering many of the concepts that first came to light with 2018's Into the Spider-Verse. I really dig that trend (dare I call it a house style?) from Sony Pictures Animation, a fresh mixed-media experiment which meshes smooth, stylish 3D models with effective spurts of kinetic, hand-drawn line art. Those play into the plot, baking personality into the frequent asides that fill out the family's back story, while also lending a quaint, made-with-care aura that illuminates the whole screen; they're downright charming.
Well done on the graphical front, then, with only slightly lower marks on the narrative side. The Mitchells are an entertaining, colorful bunch, with an admirable amount of time dedicated to developing the secondary cast. Pacing isn't all it could be, though, given the deflating early anti-climax and a third act that drags on for too long. Maybe a few too many wink-nods at internet culture, too, but that's only a minor quibble. Overall, it's good. Really good. Good enough make me to wonder if Pixar might have finally met a worthy adversary.