Mad God (2021) is a unique animated gem that was recently added to Shudder. The storyline follows a man who descends into a lost city in ruins. When he gets there he fines an array of death, torture and monstrosities that are a result of this lifestyle. He will search the city for the source of its pain and agony...

This movie is directed by Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers 2) and contains the voices of Alex Cox (Repo Man), Anthony Ruivivar (Tropic Thunder) and Talal Selhami.

The animation in this is fun and unique and reminded me a little bit of the movie 9. The universe is fascinating and the creatures within it are clever and well done. There's a good use of lighting to create intensity and curiosity. The storyline is a bit all over the place and hard to follow. The film focuses more on its outstanding special effects, gore and worthwhile action scenes rather than the plot. The surgery scenes in this are tremendous and the tank battles are very well done.

Overall, there's a lot to like here visually and conceptually. I just wish there was a better plot to take it over the top. I would score this a 7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

In the last twenty years there has been about five stop-motion animation films but none of them can measure up to this one. Phil Tippet, the creator, director, puppeteer, producer, designer and set producer worked for the last thirty years to bring us this wonderful tale of good versus evil.

Set in a dystopian future man has fallen from grace by way of the ancient tower of Babylon of the past leaving the human race fighting each other without end. In the midst of the chaos two separate missions are set forth by a mysterious tyrant and uses drone like individuals which are lowered down to earth using a pod.

Upon landing, they must journey to designated spots and drop off and set a timebomb so that man can be wiped out entirely leaving the tyrant earth as his own. But if both fails the cycle begins again. Yet, one of them is caught by a psychotic surgeon who extracts a baby creature from his patients still living body through evisceration.

When the new born is delivered by a nurse to a gigantic door it opens to reveal a mystic being (possibly god) who has gone insane who then takes the newborn to his lair. Once home, his strange and cruel assistant helps him sacrifice the infant and grind the body into a platter of glittering particles which are tossed into a nearby energy portal and cast off into the unknown regions of space.

Upon arriving to its destination, the cycle of life begins again on a new world. This movie captivated me from start to finish with its horrific, gory and unsettling sequences which are not for the faint of heart. It may be a stop-motion film but the content is definitely not for children. Complicated shots through out with additional stop-motion activity sets this film apart from previous directors who created more light hearted stories.

Each character has smooth movement, almost lifelike in some respects. There are however four live action sequences that blends well into the story line. But, the rest will leave you spell bound and wanting more. The music was eerie, dark, evil, sometimes uplifting but embeds into your soul and glues to your bones and sends chills up your spine.

The detail, lighting, shadows, tones, architecture, and set designs were impeccable. Incredible vision to such a glorious tale of what it's like to be a god that has lost his reasoning. Or has he? I also enjoyed the nuances of alien shots along with the monoliths that helped create worlds using their own unknown forces. Phil Tippet in my view is a brilliant director who has a keen eye for intricate details. Nothing was left to chance.

I highly recommend this movie for stop motion fans all over the world or are now just entering the field to create a masterpiece of their own like this one. Mad god is simply the best example of a person's imagination brought to life. Not a film for those under 16.

For quite some time I lost almost any belief that in today's movie industry are still some creative minds and souls working - too many eagerly awaited movies in the last five or ten year were serious disappointments. Then Mad Dog hit me out of nowhere and gave me back the hope that I still will get some excellent movie from time to time till the time is right to travel to my next incarnation. Mad Dog provides everything - if you love to travel into the domain of the absurd, the grotesque, the kafkaesk, something Dante and Lovecraft would love. A visual feast and a fine ride into a dark Alice's wonderland. To all those who complain about missing a story or plot - Mad Dog is like poetry, it just depends on the eye of the beholder, but I doubt that there is a need for such thing like a plot to orbit around to enjoy this trip. For sure, Mad God, won't win a Golden Globe or such medal, but got more vision and creativity than a whole seasons Oscar winners got. The connoisseur of the unusual will hold it dearly. Bravo!