Next Gen has gone under everyone’s radar because it was released
through Netflix without much buzz and merchandising surrounding it. This Chinese-Canadian-American production is not
necessarily an overlooked animated masterpiece of some kind, but I feel it’s sufficiently fresh and deserves to become more popular than it currently is. The
fact that John Krasinski is voicing a lovable Baymax analogue in it should be
reason enough. In addition, for what’s
essentially a direct-to-video animated movie, it’s more sophisticated and
non-derivative than expected.
It’s set in a futuristic city
called Grainland, wherein robots are a common and integral part of society, and
revolves around a lonely teenage girl named Mai Su (Charlyne Yi). Mai used to be cheerful child, but when her
father left the family, she grew bitter and miserable. On top of this, her mother, Molly Su (Constance
Wu), has been negligent and unmindful of Mai’s feelings because she’s too busy
obsessing over the latest Q-bots – something she started turning to as a means of
coping with the separation. Due to this, Mai has learned to detest robots.
One day, while accompanying her
mother in the launch event of the latest Q-bot model – the “Gen 6” – Mai bumps
into “Project 7723” (John Krasinski), an experimental, heavily-armed combat
robot which possesses a highly advanced AI personality. 7723 takes a liking to Mai, and follows her
home. At first she rejects him, but
eventually, they become friends. Soon,
the two “hang out; become best buds; take on the world; share a deep, moving
journey of discovery together” as they terrorize bullies, cause mischief, and go
up against an evil tech CEO (Jason Sudeikis) and stop his secret plot for world
domination.
Next Gen reminds me a lot of Big Hero 6 because 7723 is clearly channeling Baymax’s adorableness and naive tendency to take what’s said to him literally. However, it’s not fair to say that Next Gen is a Big Hero 6 knockoff. It definitely has a lot original things going for it.
Next Gen reminds me a lot of Big Hero 6 because 7723 is clearly channeling Baymax’s adorableness and naive tendency to take what’s said to him literally. However, it’s not fair to say that Next Gen is a Big Hero 6 knockoff. It definitely has a lot original things going for it.
The script, albeit flawed in
parts, is generally well-written, in my opinion. First, though it contains elements that come
off as by-the-numbers, the narrative is amply subversive. Second, it has a message to say, and it says
it with thoughtfulness. The allegorizing is a bit on the nose – especially with regards to the Q-bots as a metaphor for smartphones – but utterly effective. And
third, there are many instances where the dialogue notably displays wittiness
and self-awareness. It even dares to mildly
lampoon the tropes that typically arise from the type of movie that it is.
Moreover, a lot of the jokes hit. One of the running gags I had fun with involves
Mai’s dog, Momo (voiced by Michael Peña).
His speech can be understood by the audience via 7723’s ability to
translate it, but to Mai, what he’s saying is just meaningless barking. It’s somewhat of a cliché, but the execution
is hilarious nonetheless.
Lastly, it’s very well-animated, and has a decent showcase of action-packed spectacles. It’s visually striking enough to look good on the big screen, if it had been given a wide release.
To sum it up, Next Gen is a charming animated sci-fi
action-adventure film that has a couple of things to offer for audiences of all ages to
enjoy as well as think about.
Lastly, it’s very well-animated, and has a decent showcase of action-packed spectacles. It’s visually striking enough to look good on the big screen, if it had been given a wide release.
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