MP4orce

MP4ORCE Beyond Real has a connection: References Pixels (2015)

Admittedly, it'd be pointless to do a review of this show, not because it's a catastrophe that need not be tended to, but because it's such an enigma. It's out there, but nobody seems to know or talk about it.

But maybe it's deserved.

A near-two seems harsh for what looks to be a forgettable cartoon, but just know that only three people gave it ten stars

The problem with this show is how unashamedly mediocre and generic it is. Its characters are one note and abide heavily to checklists related to action cartoons. We have the cocky douche, the alternative-looking sarcastic one, the blonde one and even the token black guy. Plus the generic wise guide, who looks like sperm. For the four mains, their only traits are the archetypes they play, oh, and they like video games. The geriatrics that wrote this series must've reached far for that one.

Any characters that do stand out do so for the wrong reasons. One of the enemies was stupid enough to release the major antagonist by entering a suspicious (and laughably specific) cheat code. Yeah, why don't you give away your mom's debit card info while you're at it?

This is going by the first episode, but since it's essentially serialized and the first episode determines whether or not you want to follow along, one episode is all you need, and it didn't fill me with confidence.

The animation is as enigmatic as the show's history. On the surface, it looks good, it's a hybrid type series; 2D characters against 3D environments. The effect is ruined by the digital nature of the set pieces and the often lifeless characters.

If you pay close attention, you can pick up on many nuances. For example, at the start when the four are playing a game, the screen doesn't move, but their actions suggest otherwise. During their transformation to their game counterparts, it looks as though their game forms are just JPEGs that get dragged by a mouse. Plus, the poses don't match their normal forms, it's basically a rush job. Perhaps as proof they just used JPEGs or whatever assets they had available, when one of the characters gets frozen, the character doesn't give an expression implying so. It's like they took a final render of the character through a design pitch and put it behind an ice filter.

The dialog is over-expository and rigid. High points to this are when one of the enemies doubles down on revealing the fat that he has become a villain in the game, even stating the name of it (side-note, they state the name of the game in full, which adds to the overall clunkiness.) One of the characters uses overrated , unironically I might add. A chance for a decent joke was ruined by a lack of beats. (if you play a stupid answer straight, then clearly you're just chasing a paycheck and don't care about making something halfway decent.)

MP4ORCE is a crash course in how generic a show can be and how it can elevate mediocrity to levels not seen since The Black Cauldron. It's destined to be a right of passage for upstart reviewers, complete with surface level flaws to help people get the hang of reviewing, or heck, maybe it can be proof that action shows can suck as much as comedy shows.

And this is coming from somebody who finds enjoyment in mediocrity.