MINI-REVIEWS: The Mitchells vs. the Machines; Without Remorse; Limbo; Mortal Kombat; and Test Pattern Blu-ray
by Josh Sewell
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
(Rated PG for action and some language. Available on Netflix April 30.)
I wasn’t ready for how much I adored The Mitchells vs. the Machines, a clever, heartwarming animated comedy from the producers of The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A trailer hit the internet before the pandemic and I remember thinking it looked fun, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be one of the year’s best movies.
The premise is simple enough: the Mitchells (voiced by Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Abbi Jacobson and Michael Rianda) are an ordinary family who embark on a road trip to take the oldest kid to college, but find themselves in the middle of a robot apocalypse instead. Since everyone else on the planet has been captured, the Mitchells must overcome their dysfunction to save humanity.
What allows The Mitchells vs. the Machines to make the leap from good to great is how Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, who co-wrote and co-directed, use the high-concept plot to tell a universal story about people growing apart because of stubbornness, pride and a refusal to find common ground. While the film is overflowing with clever, idiosyncratic humor – a sequence involving a store full of Furby toys made me laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe – it’s also not afraid to examine the pain of children growing up and parents learning to let go.
There are also plenty of hard-hitting gags commenting on humanity’s addiction to technology, how we take it for granted, and how we often neglect real relationships for artificial ones. Aside from the writing, a big reason these jokes hit close to the bone are the fantastic vocal performances from Eric Andre as a Zuckerberg-like tech mogul and Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett as his computerized inventions.
Grade: A
Without Remorse
(Rated R for violence. Available on Amazon Prime April 30.)
Building off their recent success adapting Tom Clancy’s novels about CIA analyst Jack Ryan, Amazon Prime is now tackling the author’s series about former Navy SEAL John Clark. Without Remorse, which depicts the character’s origin, is typical “dad movie” fare, but it’s elevated by an intense, fully-realized performance from Michael B. Jordan, clearly jumping at the chance to establish a second lucrative franchise for himself.
At the beginning of the film, Jordan’s character is still an active operative named John Kelly, who is tasked with dangerous covert missions. When his most recent one goes south, a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation and leaves him for dead. With layers of red tape preventing Kelly from bringing the assassins to justice, he goes rouge to take them down. Along the way, he gets help from a friend/fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and an enigmatic CIA agent (Jamie Bell) along the way.
Although the story (credited to Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples) is predictable and full of less-than-shocking reveals, veteran television director Stefano Sollima makes the action sequences tense and engaging. That’s what most viewers are looking for anyway, so I doubt they’ll complain. Besides, Without Remorse accomplishes its biggest goal: I’m officially on board with this franchise as long as Jordan wants to do it.
Grade: B+
Limbo
(Rated R for language. Opens in select theaters April 30.)
In this poignant comedic drama, which screened at the Atlanta Film Festival earlier this week, a group of refugees find themselves stuck on a remote Scottish island while they wait to hear if they’ve been granted asylum. The story centers on Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician desperately working to bring his family from their war-torn homeland to the relative safety of Europe.
Although Limbo is leisurely paced, it never feels dull thanks to the deeply human characters at the heart of the narrative. Writer-director Ben Sharrock has crafted a fictional world that feels authentic and lived-in right from the start.
El-Masry is excellent as Omar, a man of few words who wears his heart on his sleeve. Viewers see the pressure of his experience build the entire movie, so when he does finally erupt, it’s sad but understandable. Vikash Bhai is also terrific as Farhad, Omar’s friend and fellow refugee. Where Omar is reserved, Farhad is quirky and outgoing, giving the story some welcome humor.
Limbo is opening slowly as theaters get back on their feet. However, fans of intimate, endearing stories should keep this one on their radar as it expands and eventually makes its way to VOD and streaming.
Grade: B+
Mortal Kombat
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references. Now playing in select theaters and available on HBO Max.)
I haven’t played Mortal Kombat since my Super Nintendo days, so I’m probably not the target demo for the new adaptation that hit theaters and HBO Max last weekend. That being said, fans of the popular video game franchise looking for cool fights and gory violence should be happy with the finished product. However, viewers who aren’t steeped in the saga’s convoluted mythology and are simply looking for a for a coherent story will likely be disappointed.
The movie seeks to launch a new franchise around Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an MMA fighter and descendant of a legendary warrior (Hiroyuki Sanada) who learns he’s destined to be a contestant in an interdimensional battle-to-the-death known as Mortal Kombat. However, the villainous Shang Tsung (Chin Han) seeks to eliminate all the competitors before the tournament begins in order to rule the universe. To stop him, Cole joins a team of fellow fighters (played by Jessica McName, Mehcad Brooks, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Max Huang and Tadanobu Asano) to defeat an almost unstoppable crew led by the evil Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim).
Mortal Kombat gets off to an intriguing start thanks to a suspenseful preface anchored by Sanada’s magnetic presence. However, things run out of steam fast once the story jumps to the present day and focuses on a group of uninteresting characters played by amateurish actors.
I also continue to hate the current trend of cartoonish CGI blood. If you’re making a movie about a legendarily violent martial arts tournament, at least build money into the budget for old school squibs. More than anything, I was baffled that the flick ends before the titular tournament even happens – it’s all setup for a sequel that may or may not happen.
Grade: C-
Blu-ray Review: Test Pattern
(Not rated, but contains a depiction of sexual assault, thematic elements and strong language. Now available.)
This harrowing drama from writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford proves she has a bright future in the film industry. Although I can’t say I “enjoyed” the writer-director’s breakthrough work, she and actress Brittany S. Hall worked together to create a protagonist I immediately cared about, while also growing furious and devastated in record time as her journey unfolded.
The film is an empathetic, heartbreaking combination of genres – including romance, crime drama and procedural thriller – that chronicles a young couple (played by Hall and Will Brill) and their futile attempt to navigate the systemic horrors of American healthcare and law enforcement in the aftermath of a sexual assault.
Special features: Shatara Michelle Ford in conversation with James Gray; trailer.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG for action and some language. Available on Netflix April 30.)
I wasn’t ready for how much I adored The Mitchells vs. the Machines, a clever, heartwarming animated comedy from the producers of The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A trailer hit the internet before the pandemic and I remember thinking it looked fun, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be one of the year’s best movies.
The premise is simple enough: the Mitchells (voiced by Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Abbi Jacobson and Michael Rianda) are an ordinary family who embark on a road trip to take the oldest kid to college, but find themselves in the middle of a robot apocalypse instead. Since everyone else on the planet has been captured, the Mitchells must overcome their dysfunction to save humanity.
What allows The Mitchells vs. the Machines to make the leap from good to great is how Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, who co-wrote and co-directed, use the high-concept plot to tell a universal story about people growing apart because of stubbornness, pride and a refusal to find common ground. While the film is overflowing with clever, idiosyncratic humor – a sequence involving a store full of Furby toys made me laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe – it’s also not afraid to examine the pain of children growing up and parents learning to let go.
There are also plenty of hard-hitting gags commenting on humanity’s addiction to technology, how we take it for granted, and how we often neglect real relationships for artificial ones. Aside from the writing, a big reason these jokes hit close to the bone are the fantastic vocal performances from Eric Andre as a Zuckerberg-like tech mogul and Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett as his computerized inventions.
Grade: A
(Rated R for violence. Available on Amazon Prime April 30.)
Building off their recent success adapting Tom Clancy’s novels about CIA analyst Jack Ryan, Amazon Prime is now tackling the author’s series about former Navy SEAL John Clark. Without Remorse, which depicts the character’s origin, is typical “dad movie” fare, but it’s elevated by an intense, fully-realized performance from Michael B. Jordan, clearly jumping at the chance to establish a second lucrative franchise for himself.
At the beginning of the film, Jordan’s character is still an active operative named John Kelly, who is tasked with dangerous covert missions. When his most recent one goes south, a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation and leaves him for dead. With layers of red tape preventing Kelly from bringing the assassins to justice, he goes rouge to take them down. Along the way, he gets help from a friend/fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and an enigmatic CIA agent (Jamie Bell) along the way.
Although the story (credited to Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples) is predictable and full of less-than-shocking reveals, veteran television director Stefano Sollima makes the action sequences tense and engaging. That’s what most viewers are looking for anyway, so I doubt they’ll complain. Besides, Without Remorse accomplishes its biggest goal: I’m officially on board with this franchise as long as Jordan wants to do it.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for language. Opens in select theaters April 30.)
In this poignant comedic drama, which screened at the Atlanta Film Festival earlier this week, a group of refugees find themselves stuck on a remote Scottish island while they wait to hear if they’ve been granted asylum. The story centers on Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician desperately working to bring his family from their war-torn homeland to the relative safety of Europe.
Although Limbo is leisurely paced, it never feels dull thanks to the deeply human characters at the heart of the narrative. Writer-director Ben Sharrock has crafted a fictional world that feels authentic and lived-in right from the start.
El-Masry is excellent as Omar, a man of few words who wears his heart on his sleeve. Viewers see the pressure of his experience build the entire movie, so when he does finally erupt, it’s sad but understandable. Vikash Bhai is also terrific as Farhad, Omar’s friend and fellow refugee. Where Omar is reserved, Farhad is quirky and outgoing, giving the story some welcome humor.
Limbo is opening slowly as theaters get back on their feet. However, fans of intimate, endearing stories should keep this one on their radar as it expands and eventually makes its way to VOD and streaming.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references. Now playing in select theaters and available on HBO Max.)
I haven’t played Mortal Kombat since my Super Nintendo days, so I’m probably not the target demo for the new adaptation that hit theaters and HBO Max last weekend. That being said, fans of the popular video game franchise looking for cool fights and gory violence should be happy with the finished product. However, viewers who aren’t steeped in the saga’s convoluted mythology and are simply looking for a for a coherent story will likely be disappointed.
The movie seeks to launch a new franchise around Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an MMA fighter and descendant of a legendary warrior (Hiroyuki Sanada) who learns he’s destined to be a contestant in an interdimensional battle-to-the-death known as Mortal Kombat. However, the villainous Shang Tsung (Chin Han) seeks to eliminate all the competitors before the tournament begins in order to rule the universe. To stop him, Cole joins a team of fellow fighters (played by Jessica McName, Mehcad Brooks, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Max Huang and Tadanobu Asano) to defeat an almost unstoppable crew led by the evil Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim).
Mortal Kombat gets off to an intriguing start thanks to a suspenseful preface anchored by Sanada’s magnetic presence. However, things run out of steam fast once the story jumps to the present day and focuses on a group of uninteresting characters played by amateurish actors.
I also continue to hate the current trend of cartoonish CGI blood. If you’re making a movie about a legendarily violent martial arts tournament, at least build money into the budget for old school squibs. More than anything, I was baffled that the flick ends before the titular tournament even happens – it’s all setup for a sequel that may or may not happen.
Grade: C-
(Not rated, but contains a depiction of sexual assault, thematic elements and strong language. Now available.)
This harrowing drama from writer-director Shatara Michelle Ford proves she has a bright future in the film industry. Although I can’t say I “enjoyed” the writer-director’s breakthrough work, she and actress Brittany S. Hall worked together to create a protagonist I immediately cared about, while also growing furious and devastated in record time as her journey unfolded.
The film is an empathetic, heartbreaking combination of genres – including romance, crime drama and procedural thriller – that chronicles a young couple (played by Hall and Will Brill) and their futile attempt to navigate the systemic horrors of American healthcare and law enforcement in the aftermath of a sexual assault.
Special features: Shatara Michelle Ford in conversation with James Gray; trailer.
Grade: A-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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