The Mitchells vs The Machines

The Mitchells vs The Machines – Family of four, The Mitchells, consist of Rick, Linda and their two kids: Katie and Aaron. Eldest child, Katie, can’t wait to go to college, especially to get away from her dad who just doesn’t get her or her tech based passions. Rick is determined to have one last family road trip to try to get his once strong bond with Katie back before it’s too late. However, they get caught up in the robot uprising launched by AI programme PAL. With everyone else captured and due to be sent off into space, can the Mitchell’s harness their weirdness to save the world?

The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021) – Director: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67264018

Rating: PG

Running Length: 113 mins

Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Olivia Colman

Genre: Animated, Comedy, Science Fiction

REVIEW: ‘THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES’

It’s not very often that a quirky, energetic and colourful kids movie lands exactly where it’s supposed to. They are often too over the top, sincere or silly but every now and then, one just gets every aspect right and ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ is one such movie. It follows family of four Rick, Linda, Katie and Aaron (not forgetting unusual pug, Monchi) as they fight not only to find the bond they once had but against a global army of artificially intelligent robots.

Rick adores his family but his gregarious, outdoorsy nature clashes with teen daughter, Katie’s love of technology and her generation’s sense of humour. So when Rick cancel’s Katie’s flight to attend California Film School so he can drive them instead, Katie is horrified to be forced onto a family road trip. What moulds this family dynamic together is that each character is likeable and relatable although each one is frustratingly stuck in their ways. It would be easy to make Rick a character that needs to change everything about himself in order to bring the family together but this movie develops each character so well that rather than changing anyone too much, the story focuses more on accepting each other’s differences and understanding them.

The rising up of oppressed machines that have been developed using AI is a well worn trope but Olivia Colman’s PAL adds plenty of personality to the proceedings. Much of the rest of the movie is filled with familiar plot devices such as a family at breaking point and a road trip but ‘The Mitchells vs The Machines’ is so full of spectacular visuals, laugh out loud humour and quirky asides that any amount of predictability is easily forgiven. This movie may be aimed at kids but it is guaranteed to give everyone a smile on their face.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There is a YouTube style video of a happy animated burger. It is soon devoured by a dog and cries out ‘Oh why?’ and ‘Oh, my innards!’

Rick is busy putting something on a wall, he asks Katie ‘Wanna check out this mallard? It’s dead!’

Katie and Rick don’t get on at all, at one point Rick accidentally breaks one of Katie’s treasured possessions during an argument. While this doesn’t get too extreme, children who are sensitive to conflict may struggle with this aspect of the movie.

At various points throughout the film, different characters watch old home movies. There is some sadness and poignancy in these moments.

While on the road trip, an enthusiastic Rick insists on stopping at a less than hygienic diner for food. Flies buzz around the burgers but he pushes everyone to eat them, saying it’ll be fine. The next shot is of the whole family throwing up – nothing graphic is seen but heaving noises can be heard.

There is a short montage showing the trials and tribulations the family go through on the road trip. At one point, it rains heavily and a horse is seen being washed away in a river. There is a brief voice over afterwards saying ‘No animals were harmed’.

A tech billionaire, Mark, unveils his latest invention. He speaks to his current, friendly AI programme on his phone but then cruelly throws her away. The robots he is showcasing sweep the phone up saying that they are ‘removing meaningless garbage’. The robots then go rogue and trap the audience in the room. People scream and try to escape. One of the robots kicks Mark hard in the crotch to incapacitate him. This is done as a comedy moment but is somewhat violent and unexpected.

There is a comedy YouTube video of a dog throwing up a whole slice of pizza over and over again.

When it is clear that the Mitchells are facing the end of the world, Rick suggests that the family may need to eat their dog. However this is quickly shot down and he apologises.

During a fraught moment when the family are escaping the robots, Aaron says that he needs to pee. Rick hands him an empty drinks bottle and says ‘You know what to do’.

The family are attacked by hundreds of Furbies, and then a huge one which the smaller Furbies worship like a god. Although they are a little creepy to begin with, this isn’t overdone and the scene quickly moves away from anything scary to a more action based sequence.

The Mitchells are captured and are dropped from a height inside a glass pod. The music muffles and the camera cuts away before the crash so it appears that something terrible has happened. However, all is not lost.

Linda is captured by PAL but becomes incensed when her children are threatened and attacks several of the robots very violently. She slams her hand into the ‘chest’ of one and pulls out it’s ‘heart’ and holds it aloft. The camera shows the hole through the robots body and oil (which looks like black blood) drips inside. She chops off heads and oil splashes on her face. The robots scramble to get away but she gets them all, at one point slamming a stick into one’s head and keeping it there so that she can control it. This is a particularly violent scene and is unusually graphic, however as these robots have been shown to be extremely aggressive, kids are unlikely to feel sympathy for them.

One of the characters seems to be badly injured and the rest of the family gather around, expecting the worst. However things are not as they initially appear.

During the end credits, there is an extra scene where the family have a video call with Katie. Linda asks if she and Jade are ‘official’ indicating that Katie is in a same-sex relationship.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES’ FOR KIDS?

Fun, quirky and filled with colour, ‘The Mitchells vs The Machines’ is a rare kids movie that will be enjoyable for the whole family. Due to some violence that may be a little strong for younger members of the family, we recommend this movie for kids aged 5 and over.

• Violence: 2/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5
• Fear Factor: 2/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5 (a character calls the robots ‘scumbags’)
• Dialogue: 0/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of family estrangement, strained relationships, conflict, strengthening family bonds, the apocalypse, artificial intelligence, technology and working as a team.

Words by Laura Record