You Never Know What to Expect in the World of Cinema

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MOVIE REVIEW
Mad God
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Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Horror
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 23m
Director(s): Phil Tippett
Writer(s): Phil Tippett
Cast: Alex Cox, Niketa Roman, Satish Ratakonda
Where To Watch: June 16 on Shudder

Don’t judge a movie by its cover; I can’t stress this enough. You never know what you’re going to get until you give something a try. I do my best to go into as many films as I can blind; I try not to watch trailers or even read synopses. This is amplified when I receive screeners of different films; most of the time, I will go into the film knowing nothing more than the name itself. I think this gives me the purest experience. I know this method isn’t for everyone (after all, you likely wouldn’t be reading this if so.)

I’m very glad I didn’t know what to expect with this. The best description I think I can give it would be comparing it to other films. I feel that it was a mix of the 1988 film ALICE from Czechoslovakia, with little hints of CORALINE and some moments that remind you of the movie 9 as well, all while having just a punch of a traditional Rob Zombie flair added to the mix. While that may sound a bit overwhelming, it’s meant in the best possible way.

This was a fantastic experience, something that was a passion project of the director Phil Tippett. Tippett is an icon in the visual effects world, and you’ve more than likely seen some of his work if you’ve watched anything sci-fi from the last 30+ years. I’m so glad that this was able to be made thanks to a Kickstarter. Sometimes a passion project is only for the creator; in this case, I feel like there’s something here for everyone.

The film introduces us to a dystopian hellscape all via the use of stop motion animation. At first, I wasn’t sure how the experience would go; I was a little caught off guard with the animation aspect. Most of everything I had seen from Shudder so far was live-action, whether American or International. However, I fell head over heels once I sat down and took in the film for what it was. It’s dark and brutal, yet at the same time, it’s so beautifully done that you sometimes forget that you’re even watching an animation.

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