Hi everyone!
Welcome back to another week of reviews. This week I have four Netflix Original films to cover, which is right after yesterday’s Netflix Original for Streaming Saturday. Lots of content this month from Netflix, and from this year, which you can check out at onemoviepunch.com by searching the Netflix Original blog tag. I’m committed to seeing every Netflix Original film this year, and yes, I have seen that one. But if you think I’m missing one or two, let me know and I’ll get them on the docket as soon as possible.
And now...
Today’s movie is “Next Gen” (2018), the international animated collaboration written and directed by Joe Ksander and Kevin R. Adams, with screenplay input from Ryan W. Smith, all based on a story idea from Wang Nima. The film follows Mai (Charlyne Yi), a young girl who awakens a top-secret robot designated 7723 (John Krasinski). The two develop a strong bond as they help each with their problems and work together to stop the human madman. What do you mean people don’t talk like that?
Spoilers ahead.
Netflix acquired the rights to “Next Gen” in a $30 million deal, for worldwide distribution excluding China, where this film will see a wide theatrical release. That might seem like a lot of money to you and me and any sane person out there, but it is a drop in the bucket for Netflix, who make an estimated $950 million a month in subscriptions. It’s a lot of scratch for a film that will only have limited showings in the theater, and it’s actually a real shame, because I found the film to be great, and with visuals wasted on the small screen.
“Next Gen” is a surprisingly sleek animated film set in a cleaner, robot-driven future, where everything is automated, and everyone excitedly awaits the next generation of robot helpers. The backgrounds and animations are incredible, with a surprising amount of detail taken with the drawings and the layered video effects that bring the world to life. It is a fertile bed of themes from which grows some wry comments within the dialogue that will make you laugh, but then quickly make you think. Sure, the dialogue can also be heavy-handed in terms of messaging, but that’s sometimes needed in a children’s film, even if Mai is very much ahead of the curve when it comes to the threat posed by robots. And in a refreshing change of pace, the ending is far from perfect, but also more meaningful for teaching the necessary lessons in this cautionary tale.
I do have one minor criticism regarding the programming for the robots. It’s inconsistent, and would lead to a dysfunctional anarchy if they could torment humans on command, or kill each other without a second thought, or be completely overridden by a single signal. I know I’ve probably read and seen more robot-related works than the average person, but when you are trying to understand a speculative universe, consistency matters. I also enjoyed Michael Peña’s comic relief as the foul-mouthed dog, but it also felt out of place at times, and underdeveloped. I’m not quite sure how to fix those issues, as animation is one genre where you can do anything in planning and very little as you get closer and closer to the finished product. But I do know that if more stories are to be told in this universe, they will need to go back and touch up a few spots. And if that’s the worst of my criticism, then the film is doing pretty great.
“Next Gen” (2018) is a surprisingly strong animated film that deserves to be seen in theaters, but that most folks will only see on the small screen. Joe Ksander and Kevin R. Adams make a great pair who helped push this along, and shows the promise of even better future works. Fans of animation should definitely check out this film, and if you are looking for a good film for the kids, I would recommend it, with a touch of parental guidance, but not much.
Rotten Tomatoes: NR
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 8.0/10
“Next Gen” (2018) is rated TV-PG and is currently streaming on Netflix and playing in select theaters.
