Directed by Phil Tippet
Screened at Fantastic Fest 2021
For thirty years special effects wizard Phil Tippett worked on his passion project. One that would come to be known simply as Mad God. A devilish hybrid of stop motion animation, miniatures and some live action performances which takes place in a dark harrowing world at war. In between working on larger studio films to “pay the bills” as it were, Tippett would work on his horrific animation, gathering industry friends and acquaintances for help along the way.
Finally released and screened at film festivals across the US in 2021, Mad God is a sci-fi horror, stop motion animated existential experience. Taking place almost entirely without spoken dialogue, the plot starts simply enough, with a masked commando on an unknown mission to an unknown location with a mysterious package in hand. Everything my from set design to cinematography and lighting feels meticulous in its quality which makes it a joy to watch from the beginning. The only tools we see this nameless protagonist with are a trusty lamp, the aforementioned case, and a trusty nigh-unreadable map which looks as if it were written on the skin of some unlucky creature.
Speaking of, Mad God is essentially to speak about unlucky creatures. The inhabitants of this harsh world are treated just as horribly as one can possibly imagine. From harvesting the defecation of giants to build foundational structures, to the expendable “lint person” work force themselves, all the way to the commando himself, the very world of this Mad God holds no love or care for any of them. But within the horror is a darkly hypnotizing atmosphere of passion and meticulous care put into every shot and background. As the camera swivels from shot to shot the background swarms with small details which are clearly the result of a thirty year production.
Mad God is an experimental experience. Not the kind of horror movie for a mass audience, but the kind of arthouse stop-motion animation that can change lives by proving that these hair-brained ideas are possible not only to perform but to perform to amazing standards. The experimental story structure may also be a large hurdle for those uninitiated in such techniques. The plot requires visual attention to really be understood, and for 90 minutes it does certainly move at a decent enough pace. My biggest negatives with the plot were really that I was unable to fully keep up with what was happening at certain points. Luckily, my own enjoyment was rewarded and I was able to understand the ending. This film is also cringe-inducing levels of gross at points, not to a point where it hurts the narrative but bordering on the artistic line almost into absurdity. But what could be expected of a truly “Mad” God?
For me, Mad God was a revelation of creative and artistic possibilities which previously had been shunned by larger movie making businesses for fears of lost profits. To see the film get such a positive reception from fans, especially those at the genre festivals around the US, is such a loud statement that artistic risk is definitely worth investing in, even if it takes 30 years.
