The Mitchells vs. The Machines - A Review

by Joel Cowart

“We all want to be the perfect family, but who’s perfect, right? Every family has its challenges, from picture day to picky eaters. For my family, our greatest challenge is… probably the machine apocalypse.”
    The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) is an sci-fi action comedy animated film about family, mending relationships, and the consequences of relying too much on technology. Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) is ready to leave her family and finally meet “her people” across the country at film school. While she loves her family, in recent years they seem to have lost touch. Desperate to repair the rift that has grown between them before Katie leaves home, her father, Rick (voiced by Danny McBride), takes drastic measures, canceling all of Katie’s travel plans and devising a family cross country road trip to take her to school in their burnt orange 1993 station wagon. Katie is outraged by this, but has no choice but to go along with it.

The Mitchell family and their dog Monchi

Although their journey has a very rocky start, Katie begins to have a fun time with her family, making a film of their adventures along the way. During their trip, however, unbeknownst to the Mitchells, trouble is brewing. New AI robots created by big tech CEO Mark Bowman begin taking over the world, led by a sentient smartphone who feels betrayed at being replaced by said robots. Their objective: Capture all humans and send them into space where they can no longer ruin each other’s lives. Left as the sole survivors of the AI apocalypse by chance, the Mitchells hatch a plan to destroy the robots and save humanity with two good “humanized” robots they were able to save. However, Plan A doesn’t work out and saving the world is much harder than they could ever have imagined. 

The Mitchells and Co stare at a menacing object

The Mitchells vs The Machines blends together the plots of family drama and the AI apocalypse surprisingly well. The goal of the robots is to remove relationships from the world, as they are hard, hurtful, and prevent people from reaching their full potential. Contrasting this ideal is the Mitchell family: full of flaws and seemingly broken beyond repair. Amidst the AI apocalypse, the Mitchells grow as a family. As the film progresses, more is revealed about Rick and why he is so averse towards Katie going to film school. Every character (including some of the robots) is inspired and changed along with the Mitchells. Although they are a quirky, fragmented family, the Mitchells begin to accept each other for who they are amidst their flaws. This is one of the most heartfelt films I have ever watched as well as one of the most comical.

The Mitchells exit an exploding mall complex Kill Bill style

The comedy in this film is on point. At first, I didn’t think I would like the occasionally awkward, early 2010s type of comedy, however, it was executed so well that I couldn’t help but continually laugh out loud. The comedic timing is near perfect, not to mention the thought that went into the editing that enhanced it. Its satire of modern tech culture is relatable and ridiculous, highlighting the habits and flaws that have arisen from using or relying on technology. Overall, this is one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and although it was occasionally a bit awkward, I loved it all the same.

An average dinner at the Mitchell household

The aspect of The Mitchells vs The Machines that really sells both its sincere profundity and its hilarious comedy is its unique animation. The animation was done by the same studio and some of the same staff members as Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse, a film known for its groundbreaking animation. The animation of The Mitchells vs The Machines goes beyond its predecessor with perhaps less visually stunning animation, but much more technically impressive and thematically intentional animation. Whereas Into the Spiderverse based its animation off of the pages of comic books, the animation of The Mitchells vs the Machines was built to emphasize human imperfections in an artistic way. The entire film was made to look hand drawn, using organic shapes, hand drawn lines, and watercolor textures. Much of this was done by overlaying paintings and drawings over the base 3DCG layer of the film. Adding 2D artistic flares that emphasize Katie’s emotions on top of every other layer emphasized this theme ever more, as well as created additional comedic moments. Every part of this film intentionally supports its theme so beautifully that one can not help but be in awe.
(More on the Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ42ruf2WQE)

Katie Mitchell’s explosive imagination

While most “family movies” have the somewhat negative connotation of being a “children’s movie,” The Mitchells vs the Machines is truly a film for the whole family. No matter who you are, you can relate to what at least one of the characters are going through. Although the film can be understood by and entertain children and teens, this film truly shines in its sophisticated themes and mature subtexts. Add this to some great classic film references, and this film becomes the perfect film for any person of any age. With the 2022 Oscars coming up, I was excited to see The Mitchells vs the Machines nominated for best animated picture. Due to its entertaining yet mature nature, as well as being one of my favorite films of all time, I truly hope it wins this year.