Netflix moves back into animation with its latest release, "Exploding Kittens." An adaptation of the same-titled best-selling card game, "Exploding Kittens." is an animated comedy series from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman (co-creator of the card game). Animation legend Mike Judge is also on board as one of the executive producers.
Imagine this: God (Tom Ellis) gets fired and is sent to Earth to reconnect with humanity. The twist? He's trapped in the body of a chubby house cat. As part of his rehabilitation, he moves in with a dysfunctional family and attempts to solve their problems, but often gets sidetracked by chasing laser pointers. The family, including mom Suzy Nakamura (Abie), a former military woman turned park ranger, salesman dad Marv (Mark Proksch), headstrong feminist daughter Greta (Ally Maki), and aspiring YouTuber son Travis (Kenny Yates), adds to the comedic chaos.
Further adding to the shenanigans is Godcat's next-door neighbor, who is also a cat, who turns out to be none other than his nemesis, the Antichrist. The result is the ultimate fight between good and evil…except Godcat (Ellis) is easily distracted, while Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata) is busy enjoying leisure time.
As a fan of adult animation, having grown up on The Simpsons and later discovered Ralph Bashki's work, I was intrigued by Exploding Kittens. Surprisingly, the show has avoided drawing negative feedback from religious groups, a testament to its clever handling of theological themes.
Nevertheless, the show's effort to merge theological themes with feline antics unfortunately misses the mark. The depiction of God and the Devil as bickering, fur-chasing cats feels somewhat out of place and fails to provide a meaningful exploration of good and evil. The show could have delved deeper into these themes, using the unique premise to offer a fresh perspective, but instead, it often resorts to superficial jokes and predictable scenarios.
Furthermore, I didn't have any investment in the human characters and found most of them annoying. I found this voice work to come across as forced, and the humor forced, with situations straight out of an eighties sitcom bible. With unremarkable dialogue and a plot that meanders without clear direction, "Exploding Kittens" doesn't quite make use of its intriguing premise. Rather than delving into the deeper complexities of morality and human experience, it often resorts to superficial jokes and predictable scenarios.
"Exploding Kittens" ultimately squanders an exciting concept, potentially leaving audiences yearning for depth instead of light-hearted fluff. This film may not be worth your time if you fondly see divine beings in petty disputes over laser pointers.
Final Grade: D+
"Exploding Kittens" is available to stream today.
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