My closest friends and family will tell you that I’m really not a big fan of the whole holiday film genre.
Oh, now before I land on the Naughty List, let me clarify. Of course, there are a number of holiday films that I enjoy regularly each silly season; and I do stay faithful to that handful. My point is that – in a general sense – I tend to avoid such pictures because I find them far too formulaic for my personal tastes. I don’t begrudge their success, nor do I think they shouldn’t have been made. Those that I do enjoy I have specific reasons to return to them seasonally – a specific performance, a certain actor or actress, or that inevitable heartwarming ending strikes a chord with me stronger than others – and, much like you, I know what I like. Still, I’m rarely on the lookout for a new title to add to that slim roster. Far too many of them cover the same territory, and that just isn’t for me.
Now, this is not to say that I avoid all of them. When I see a coming attraction that looks inviting and hints that perhaps there will be a bit something more than what these features provide traditionally, I can be coaxed easily into giving something fresh a spin. This was the case when Synapse Films offered me the opportunity screen at my leisure the animated Infinite Santa 8000, a reasonably dark and oft times bloody diversion that sprang from the minds of Michael Neel and Greg Ansin. As I understand it, this was a personal project of theirs that evolved from a web series originally; and, yes, I’m gonna admit right up front that it occasionally looks and feels like it was birthed in some other format. But I don’t say that disparagingly at all as this Santa might just have the goods necessary to establish itself as a holiday classic for those who truly like something vastly different in their wintry entertainment diet.
It's bold. It’s bloody. It’s brash. While it may clumsily get from start-to-finish, there’s still no denying its desire to shoot to kill – when shooting’s an option – and establish perhaps the highest body count of any feature ever to explore what good ol’ jolly Saint Nick might be up to after the fall of man.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“In a post-apocalyptic world 1000 years after war, famine and greed ended humanity, mutants, scum and robo-people fight to survive. Santa is now a killer.”
It’s the future, see, and civilization has collapsed. Rising up in its wake are what’s left of the human race, which takes the shape of robotized humans – few and far between – augmented with technology for the sole purpose really of keeping them alive. Furthermore, the resulting wasteland is populated with creatures, each a bit more grotesque than the last, such as oversized carnivorous rabbits and those dreaded lizardfolk who’ll make a meal out of anything they can get their hands on. Yes, it isn’t so much ‘the best of times’ as it is ‘the worst of times,’ a place where good versus evil really has no foothold as every single thing left exists merely to survive.
Oh, now before I land on the Naughty List, let me clarify. Of course, there are a number of holiday films that I enjoy regularly each silly season; and I do stay faithful to that handful. My point is that – in a general sense – I tend to avoid such pictures because I find them far too formulaic for my personal tastes. I don’t begrudge their success, nor do I think they shouldn’t have been made. Those that I do enjoy I have specific reasons to return to them seasonally – a specific performance, a certain actor or actress, or that inevitable heartwarming ending strikes a chord with me stronger than others – and, much like you, I know what I like. Still, I’m rarely on the lookout for a new title to add to that slim roster. Far too many of them cover the same territory, and that just isn’t for me.
Now, this is not to say that I avoid all of them. When I see a coming attraction that looks inviting and hints that perhaps there will be a bit something more than what these features provide traditionally, I can be coaxed easily into giving something fresh a spin. This was the case when Synapse Films offered me the opportunity screen at my leisure the animated Infinite Santa 8000, a reasonably dark and oft times bloody diversion that sprang from the minds of Michael Neel and Greg Ansin. As I understand it, this was a personal project of theirs that evolved from a web series originally; and, yes, I’m gonna admit right up front that it occasionally looks and feels like it was birthed in some other format. But I don’t say that disparagingly at all as this Santa might just have the goods necessary to establish itself as a holiday classic for those who truly like something vastly different in their wintry entertainment diet.
It's bold. It’s bloody. It’s brash. While it may clumsily get from start-to-finish, there’s still no denying its desire to shoot to kill – when shooting’s an option – and establish perhaps the highest body count of any feature ever to explore what good ol’ jolly Saint Nick might be up to after the fall of man.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“In a post-apocalyptic world 1000 years after war, famine and greed ended humanity, mutants, scum and robo-people fight to survive. Santa is now a killer.”
It’s the future, see, and civilization has collapsed. Rising up in its wake are what’s left of the human race, which takes the shape of robotized humans – few and far between – augmented with technology for the sole purpose really of keeping them alive. Furthermore, the resulting wasteland is populated with creatures, each a bit more grotesque than the last, such as oversized carnivorous rabbits and those dreaded lizardfolk who’ll make a meal out of anything they can get their hands on. Yes, it isn’t so much ‘the best of times’ as it is ‘the worst of times,’ a place where good versus evil really has no foothold as every single thing left exists merely to survive.
This is the setting for Infinite Santa 8000, an animated menagerie wherein only a cyborg Santa holds out hope for even a modest return to society. After all, it’s been only Santa all along who truly served mankind regardless of color or creed; and – if memory serves – his only requirement was that his bestowed beneficence was reserved for those who were ‘nice’ as opposed to ‘nefarious.’ Into this Apocalypse, he’s largely adapted for what remains, no longer answering the call to serve as an example of our first, best instincts. Instead, he’s embraced the chaos and uses his magical and mechanical skills to make what remains of our world into a smaller more self-obsessed paradise: in lieu of gifts, presents, and goodwill, he dispatches justice to those who’d wrong him or those he chooses to surround himself with.
So … no, there really isn’t any cohesive story to Infinite Santa 8000. Yes, things happen, but they’re really events strung together loosely around the idea of this Saint Nick saving the remains of the day in the ‘nick’ of time. In his rocket-powered sleigh still hauled by mechanically enhanced reindeer, he soars across the sky and into the distant horizon, chasing whatever evil doer he can gets his calloused hands on and sending them straight to Hell … well, that other Hell and not what’s left of Earth. The best creators Neel and Ansin can provide is loose narrative structure with just enough coherence and explanation to make it all palatable. Bloody, too. Really bloody. But palatable.
Now, none of that should be interpreted as an insult because this Santa rocks both with and without its pounding heavy metal soundtrack. Much in the same way Cartoon Network’s spectacular Samurai Jack made headway by transporting a Feudal Era swordsman with honor from the past into the distant, distant future, 8000 is packed to the rafters with a winning assortment of oddball ideas and downright surreal circumstances, be it the Godzilla-sized man-eating Easter Bunny, its army of cybernetic little girls in search of a positive role model, or its villainous Dr. Shackleton, a mad doctor committed to stealing Kris Kringle’s magical DNA and thus achieving both cosmic immortality and invulnerability. Somehow … against all odds … when not everything crammed into its opening and closing scenes shouldn’t work, this one still does … and it’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle for those who embrace cult lunacy.
But if you take one thing away from this review, then it should be this: this Santa really isn’t for kids. Older ones – tweens and such – will quite possibly marvel at the madness. The bloodshed and carnage is clearly a bit tongue-in-cheek in places, so much so that the more mature (yet impishly childish) minds will have absolutely no problem accepting it for what it is. The youngest among us shouldn’t partake of this no matter what you might think in passing: while it might be over-the-top violence, it’s still the beloved Santa Claus – with a cybernetic eye and blazing sidearms – and there’s no need to spoil the mystery with something intended as hyperbolic satire.
Infinite Santa 8000 (2013) was produced by Burnt Reindeer Films. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Synapse Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be exceptional across the film’s 102-minute running time: this transfer, seriously, looks damn fabulous, and I’m not the kind of person who normally notices such detail. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts not only the completed film but also the original 13-part web series (both available with commentary tracks) along with interviews with the cast and crew, some promotional trailers, and two affiliated music videos. It’s a solid collection for fans of – ahem – something different. Well done.
Recommended.
Mind you, a winning endorsement of such a film like Infinite Santa 8000 isn’t in any way to suggest that its bloody goodness will be for everyone searching for a holiday nugget to put on to keep the kiddies occupied whilst you’re off wrapping presents. Ahem. Despite the fact that not everything in here gets fully explained, there’s just enough background and subtext – it’s well after the Apocalypse, after all – to make it palatable for adult viewers who are still young-at-heart … but this is most definitely not one for the kiddies. Seriously. Don’t do it. Really. Truly. Don’t. Unless you want them to grow up as borderline psychotics or something. Don’t. Just … don’t.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Synapse Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Infinite Santa 8000 (2013) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
So … no, there really isn’t any cohesive story to Infinite Santa 8000. Yes, things happen, but they’re really events strung together loosely around the idea of this Saint Nick saving the remains of the day in the ‘nick’ of time. In his rocket-powered sleigh still hauled by mechanically enhanced reindeer, he soars across the sky and into the distant horizon, chasing whatever evil doer he can gets his calloused hands on and sending them straight to Hell … well, that other Hell and not what’s left of Earth. The best creators Neel and Ansin can provide is loose narrative structure with just enough coherence and explanation to make it all palatable. Bloody, too. Really bloody. But palatable.
Now, none of that should be interpreted as an insult because this Santa rocks both with and without its pounding heavy metal soundtrack. Much in the same way Cartoon Network’s spectacular Samurai Jack made headway by transporting a Feudal Era swordsman with honor from the past into the distant, distant future, 8000 is packed to the rafters with a winning assortment of oddball ideas and downright surreal circumstances, be it the Godzilla-sized man-eating Easter Bunny, its army of cybernetic little girls in search of a positive role model, or its villainous Dr. Shackleton, a mad doctor committed to stealing Kris Kringle’s magical DNA and thus achieving both cosmic immortality and invulnerability. Somehow … against all odds … when not everything crammed into its opening and closing scenes shouldn’t work, this one still does … and it’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle for those who embrace cult lunacy.
But if you take one thing away from this review, then it should be this: this Santa really isn’t for kids. Older ones – tweens and such – will quite possibly marvel at the madness. The bloodshed and carnage is clearly a bit tongue-in-cheek in places, so much so that the more mature (yet impishly childish) minds will have absolutely no problem accepting it for what it is. The youngest among us shouldn’t partake of this no matter what you might think in passing: while it might be over-the-top violence, it’s still the beloved Santa Claus – with a cybernetic eye and blazing sidearms – and there’s no need to spoil the mystery with something intended as hyperbolic satire.
Infinite Santa 8000 (2013) was produced by Burnt Reindeer Films. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Synapse Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the provided sights-and-sounds to be exceptional across the film’s 102-minute running time: this transfer, seriously, looks damn fabulous, and I’m not the kind of person who normally notices such detail. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The disc boasts not only the completed film but also the original 13-part web series (both available with commentary tracks) along with interviews with the cast and crew, some promotional trailers, and two affiliated music videos. It’s a solid collection for fans of – ahem – something different. Well done.
Recommended.
Mind you, a winning endorsement of such a film like Infinite Santa 8000 isn’t in any way to suggest that its bloody goodness will be for everyone searching for a holiday nugget to put on to keep the kiddies occupied whilst you’re off wrapping presents. Ahem. Despite the fact that not everything in here gets fully explained, there’s just enough background and subtext – it’s well after the Apocalypse, after all – to make it palatable for adult viewers who are still young-at-heart … but this is most definitely not one for the kiddies. Seriously. Don’t do it. Really. Truly. Don’t. Unless you want them to grow up as borderline psychotics or something. Don’t. Just … don’t.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Synapse Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Infinite Santa 8000 (2013) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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