The Mitchells vs The Machines

I wasn't going to watch this, as the trailer didn't appeal and my parents said they'd tried it and not got very far.

But, after a meal out and several glasses of wine, I was slumped on the sofa and not in a position to resist when Dave put it on last night.

And I mostly really enjoyed it! I can totally understand why my parents gave up - the style is very frenetic and choppy, with a lot of flashing icons and overlays on the standard animation. That, combined with the over-done backstory voiceover, made the opening scenes a bit hard to connect to properly.

But, with perseverance (albeit motivated by a lack of ability to move), I actually got really into it by the end. The family dynamics of the Mitchells drew me in (the mum in particular is awesome), there are lots of great moments (funny, exciting, ridiculous and heartwarming), and it zips along at a rapid pace.

Some of the ways in which the characters got out of sticky situations, or suddenly were able to do things they really shouldn't have been able to, had me rolling my eyes a bit, but the momentum of the plot and my investment in the characters carried me along enough to let that go - plus the mum's transformation towards the end was too awesome and hilarious to pick holes in.

So, overall, a pretty positive experience!