MEAD (film)
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''MEAD'' is a 2022
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
live-action animated film A live-action animated film is a film that combines live action filmmaking with animation. Films that are both live-action and computer-animated tend to have fictional characters or figures represented and characterized by cast members through moti ...
based on the story "To Meet the Faces You Meet" from the comic book ''Fever Dreams'' by
Jan Strnad Jan Steven Strnad (sometimes credited as J. Knight) is an American writer of comic books, horror, and science fiction. He is known for his many collaborations with artist Richard Corben, as well as his work in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe ...
and
Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ad ...
. The film was co-written, animated, and directed by J. Allen Williams and stars Samuel Hunt,
Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in ''Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on ''The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' Star ...
, Kassandra Wright, Lillie Young, and Shawn Young alongside the voices of
Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
and
Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. On television, he has played David Puddy on '' Seinfeld'', the title character on '' The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less Than Perfect'', Jeff Bingham on ''Rules of Engagement'' and Lem ...
. It was premiered at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is an upcoming film festival scheduled to take place from 17 to 28 May 2022. The festival will see a tribute to actor Tom Cruise, whose film '' Top Gun: Maverick'' is due to premiere at the festival. The off ...
on May 22, 2022, and was released for
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
in North America on August 9, 2022.


Plot

In the distant future, Friz and his symbiotically linked spaceship MEAD (Mobile Extrasensory Autonomous Deceptor) are on the run from a group of bounty hunters. Using a series of telepathically projected illusions, they are able to evade their pursuers, but unwitting cause the bounty hunters to destroy their own spaceship. They see a person in a spacesuit floating among the wreckage, however, and decide to bring its unconscious occupant aboard. Removing the spacesuit, they discover that its wearer is in fact an escaped prison inmate named Phoebe, whom the bounty hunters had previously captured. She awakens and reveals that she knows who they are and that they are wanted on every planet in the solar system. Suspicious of her new captors at first, Phoebe begins to trust Friz and MEAD as they tell her the story of their escape from a military testing facility. MEAD, it turns out, was designed as a weapon of war, but, thanks to the pacifistic tendencies of his original programmer Tam, would not kill for the military. This enraged the director of the program Admiral Gillette, who responded by trying to decommission MEAD and imprisoning Friz. They were rescued by Tam, who had fallen in love with Friz over their time together. During their escape, however, Gillette murdered Tam and critically injured Friz. MEAD responded by closing a door on Gillette, severing his hand from his arm, which they now keep as a prize. Having learned their backstory, Phoebe decides not to steal their shuttle or turn them in for the ransom. Running low on fuel, the trio decide to steal dark matter energy from Ganymede base, where they know Admiral Gillette will be waiting for them. Once again using a series of projected illusions, including one of a popular children's toy Timmy the Wunderbot, they are able to evade the base security and steal enough dark matter energy to last them indefinitely. Admiral Gillette pursues MEAD and Friz into space aboard a large spaceship named Achilles and, unbeknownst to them, carries with him a special helmet that allows him to differentiate reality from their illusions. While they are able to deceive other members of Gillette's crew with their illusions, including his second-in-command Sternhagen, Gillette is able to direct them enough to fire some damaging shots at MEAD. Phoebe attempts to repair MEAD by connecting a dark matter pod they had earlier stolen from Ganymede, but is shocked in the process. Instead of trying to fool the crew of what's happening outside the ship, Friz and MEAD instead project an illusion of Gillette on the bridge as hideous monster so that the crew won't listen to his commands. Despite the chaos aboard their vessel, the Achilles crew are still able to deliver a crippling shot at MEAD. Sternhagen and the rest of the bridge crew, deciding they've finally had enough of his vendetta, turn on Gillette and try to force him to break off his mad pursuit. A firefight ensues, resulting in the deaths of everyone aboard the bridge—including Admiral Gillette. MEAD slowly deactivates, revealing that Friz's good looks were an illusion to cover the hideous burns he'd received while first escaping from Gillette. He tells Phoebe to leave sinks into despair as she flies off in the shuttle to surrender herself to the surviving crew of the Achilles. While Friz is unconscious, however, MEAD is able to restore power using the dark matter pod Phoebe had connected earlier. While first suggesting they could go anywhere they like, MEAD and Friz decide to return to rescue Phoebe from prison.


Cast

* Samuel Hunt as Friz *
Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
as the voice of M.E.A.D. (Mobile Extrasensory Autonomous Deceptor) *
Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in ''Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on ''The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' Star ...
as Admiral Gillette *
Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. On television, he has played David Puddy on '' Seinfeld'', the title character on '' The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less Than Perfect'', Jeff Bingham on ''Rules of Engagement'' and Lem ...
as the voice of Timmy the Wunderbot * Kassandra Wright as Tam * Lillie Young as Phoebe * Shawn Young as Sternhagen * Nathan Shelton as Achilles Navigator Perry / Kawolski / Spunkmeyer * Connor J. Matthews as Achilles Gunner Russell * M. Scott Thomas as Medusa Captain Simmons


Production


Pre-production

Parallax Studio Parallax Studio is an American animation studio based in Nixa, Missouri, created by J. Allen Williams. The company is most known for the production of the science fiction computer game ''Darkstar: The Interactive Movie'', which starred the origin ...
first announced preproduction on ''MEAD'' (then under working title ''To Meet the Faces You Meet'') in May 2020 when it launched a
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
to raise additional finances for the production. The Kickstarter closed on June 14, 2020, having raised $29,600—18% more than its original $25,000 goal. In July 2020, it was announced that Patrick Warburton and Samuel Hunt had joined the cast. In September 2020, it was announced that Robert Picardo had also joined the cast.


Filming

The film was shot on location outside of
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
. Principal photography began in late September and ended in early October 2021.


Release

The film was given its world premiere during the
2022 Cannes Film Festival The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is an upcoming film festival scheduled to take place from 17 to 28 May 2022. The festival will see a tribute to actor Tom Cruise, whose film '' Top Gun: Maverick'' is due to premiere at the festival. The off ...
on May 22, 2022 as part of a four-film showcase by distributor Vision Films. Its North American premiere took place at the Orinda Theatre in
Orinda, California Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city's population as of the 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents. History Orinda is located within four Mexican land grants: Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados ...
, on August 6, 2022. The film was picked up for North American distribution by Vision Films, which released the film for
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on August 9, 2022.


Reception

''MEAD'' has received generally positive reviews from film critics. Andrew Stover of ''
Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...
'' described the film as "commendable in its scope, dazzling with action, humor, and heart" and called it "a fun, wacky live-action and animated journey through a galaxy not yet explored."


References


External links

* *{{Rotten Tomatoes, mead 2022 films 2022 science fiction action films American fantasy adventure films American independent films American robot films American science fantasy films American science fiction action films Android (robot) films Films about artificial intelligence Films about mind control Films about outer space Films about telekinesis Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Films set on spacecraft Films with live action and animation 2020s English-language films 2020s American films