The Mitchells vs The Machines Review

Sony Animation’s new film The Mitchells vs The Machines is a movie for young movie lovers. The film follows the titular Mitchell family as they embark on a cross-country road trip to take daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) to her first year of film school. Katie is passionate about making movies, as demonstrated by the (often truly bizarre) YouTube videos she makes with her brother and dog. From the posters hanging up in her room, all the way down to her Room 237 socks, it is clear where Katie’s passions lie. It is also clear that The Mitchells vs The Machines was made by and for the Katies of the world. Speaking as someone who was always making short films growing up, it is clear these filmmakers knew of the experience they were depicting. It’s just so spot on. Of course, her father Rick (Danny McBride) doesn’t understand his daughter’s obsession, but he still attempts to bond with her one last time on their final trip together before college. Then the machines take over the world…

Yes, as the title suggests, the story really kicks into gear when a scorned AI (Olivia Colman), spearheads the robot uprising. With the rest of humanity captured by the machines, it’s up to the dysfunctional Mitchells to save the day. 

First and foremost, the animation in the film is beautiful. Sony carries over that blend of 2D/3D styles which they put to such good use in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, with many of that film’s creators also working on The Mitchells. But the real star of the movie is its humor. This is a fast-moving, energetic, and most of all funny movie. Most of the laughs come from the film’s over-the-top, random cutaways, and interruptions. Often the plot will be put on pause in order to flash some bizarre visual gag on screen for a couple of seconds, before returning the actual story. While parents may find this style of ADHD comedy a little dizzying, a brief visit to TikTok would confirm that this is what Gen Z is all about. That being said, while this is a movie preteens will love, younger viewers may find certain sequences to be a bit scary, as the plot does depict the end of the world pretty vividly, so proceed with some caution. 

This is definitely a family movie- it’s something the whole family will enjoy watching, and it’s also literally a movie about the special bond shared by a family. There is some heart-warming stuff in there about the messy relationship The Mitchells have with each other, and how even the end of the world wouldn’t keep them apart. The dynamic between the family comes from a very honest place, and it’s genuinely fun to watch The Mitchells grow together while fighting evil robots. 

I’m a huge fan of producing team Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street), and they once again didn’t let me down, as their signature style is all over this movie to great effect. Also peppered throughout the film are fantastic cameos from alt-comedy icons (Alex Hirsch, Griffin McElroy, Conan O’Brien, the list goes on) whose presence made my little comedy-nerd heart sing. 

The Mitchells vs The Machines begins streaming on Netflix on the 30th, and I highly recommend it. It looks great and its heart is in the right place, but more than anything it’s funny. Sony Animation can be pretty hit or miss, but if the occasional Emoji Movie leads to a Spider-verse or Mitchells, that’s a fair trade.