Infinite Santa 8000 started as an animated web series, and in 2013 creators Michael Neel and Greg Ansin left the short episode format for a feature-length film version. The idea is that Santa Claus must navigate an apocalyptic wasteland in the future, fighting for food and fending off the attacks of his nemesis Dr. Shackleton, all while trying to protect his robotic pal Martha. That’s pretty much it for the plot: it’s succinct and to the point, and while some of the shorts may have developed backstory about the apocalypse and the reasons why Santa is involved in the first place, the film version is decidedly lacking any actual explanation (besides a quick flashback after the credits). What results is a hodgepodge of half-baked ideas layered in this interesting but ultimately flavorless Christmas fruitcake.
While a cursory glance at Infinite Santa 8000‘s animation style and odd storyline might make Adult Swim’s block of adult animation come to mind, the better frame of reference for this film is 2000s-era Newgrounds. That site was inundated with various Flash games and animation including the popular Salad Fingers; and much of Neel and Ansin’s style feels in line with what one might have watched back in the day. That comparison will probably be the best indicator of a viewer’s propensity to enjoy Infinite Santa 8000, since enjoyment of this particular style depends on how much the viewer is in love with Flash-related animation.
With that said, one thing that this film lacks is a proper sense of comedy. Infinite Santa 8000 takes itself pretty seriously despite its madcap plot about robotic assassins, killer Easter bunnies, and a demented doctor figure. That seriousness, though, often leads to an overly repetitive narrative that relies on extremely similar plot elements throughout the course of this 100-minute long feature. The first couple of action sequences at least have some uniqueness to them, what with a cyborg-esque Santa fighting and murdering various apocalyptic denizens; but over the course of the film, these elongated fight scenes tend to rehash the same things over and over again. It doesn’t help that the film also recycles a lot of animations and one-liners. With a film that has such a limited storyline, the action needs to keep the film moving, but here Neel and Ansin suffer from a lack of editing prowess. Scenes drag on far too long, or simply repeat unnecessary elements. It makes for a slog of a watch.
The animation, too, is going to be a point of contention. While I appreciate the low-budget style and obvious inspirations, the animation is just not kinetic enough to sustain the action, leading to fight sequences that should be anime-like in their portrayal but end up feeling very static. Since Infinite Santa 8000 is basically a combination of different fights strung together with a loose wraparound story about Santa and Martha celebrating Christmas, those battles should not feel as boring as they are.
Infinite Santa 8000 is a tough watch. In some ways, the creative elements and character designs make me want to like this film, but the overall execution is shaky and does not garner any desire for repeat watches. Better editing, better animation, and a more comedic and off-kilter approach would have gone a long way here, but as it stands this Christmas film is not destined to become a holiday tradition.
Blu-ray
Synapse Films has released the director’s cut version of Infinite Santa 8000 on Blu-ray, and there are really no issues with the visual representation of the animation. As stated in the film review, the low-budget and amateurish animation techniques don’t translate that well to an action-packed movie such as this, but everything still looks quite good in HD and certainly appears to be a step up from the original web series animation.
The audio track is a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo option, and everything sounds clean and clear; voice acting is not bad, and the dialogue is overall strong. The soundtrack is peppered with generic metal music, which all mixes quite well with this audio offering. English subtitles are also included.
Extras include a feature-length audio commentary with creators Neel and Ansin, and the whole 13-part web series is also included here with additional commentary from the creators (runs about 30 minutes in total). Along with these illuminating features, there is also a multi-part featurette including interviews with crew and voice actors that explores additional production information about creating the film. Finally, trailers and music videos round out this release.
Extra Features
- NEW Feature audio commentary with creators Greg Ansin & Michael Neel
- The complete original 13-part web series (including optional audio commentary) (1080p; 31:40)
- Inside Santa’s Workshop: Creating Infinite Santa 8000
- Greg Ansin and Michael Neel: Creators (1080p; 10:11)
- Dawn Scaltreto: Artist (1080p; 4:15)
- Nick Flanagan: Artist (1080p; 2:59)
- Jeff O’Brien: Artist and Colorist (1080p; 3:06)
- Duane Bruce: The Voice of Santa (1080p; 5:18)
- Tara Henry: The Voice of Martha and Dr. Shackleton (1080p; 4:35)
- Eric Welsh: Sound Post Production (1080p; 4:39)
- Making the Score (1080p; 5:15)
- Music video 1 (1080p; 3:19)
- Music video 2 (1080p; 2:24)
- Trailer 1 (1080p; 1:50)
- Trailer 2 (1080p; 1:00)
- Trailer 3 (1080p; 1:42)
- Streaming series trailer (1080p; 3:59)
- Web series trailer (1080p; 1:40)
Verdict
There’s probably a limited audience for Infinite Santa 8000, and unfortunately this reviewer isn’t part of it. As a Christmas movie, this doesn’t really hit any of the marks, and its runtime makes it a chore to finish. Synapse Films has given it a serviceable release on Blu-ray with a good number of supplemental features, but this is for die-hard Infinite Santa fans only.
