In a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland a thousand years in the future, in a land where mutants, monsters, robots and crazed killers roam around wreaking havoc on anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths, one man remains with a small shred of hope for the future of the planet, one man who these days is just content to get by and survive in this terrible world with his cyborg wife, Martha. That man is Santa Claus. Everything changes when Martha is kidnapped by by the deranged Dr. Shackleton. Santa decides that he’s had enough and goes on a world-razing violent spree to take back what was once his, and no one will get in his way.
Originally produced as a web series on Youtube, Infinite Santa 8000 has now been released in this Director’s Cut, edited together into a full-length film based on the original script with some new scenes and improved animation in places. However it has been conceived, Infinite Santa 8000 is a nutso movie, a gratuitous deluge of over-the-top carnage using the irony of Santa to fuel a crazed path of destruction through killer robots, grotesqueries and even the Easter Bunny. It’s a fever dream of a movie, driven home by the still somewhat crude animation style despite the retouches and tweaks. In fact, it reminds me of the kind of concept I would’ve come across in one of those classic Spike & Mike Twisted Animation Festivals back in the day. One thing that was refreshing for something with lo-fi web series origins is that the voice acting is surprisingly strong at times, particularly by Duane Bruce as Santa, and the barrage of awesome metal music fits the tone perfectly. While the movie absolutely revels in its relentless action and violence, it does suffer a little when it tries to develop Santa and Martha as fully-fleshed out characters you care about. At the end of the day, Santa is a tool of annihilation, but in the right environment with the right group of people, that could be exactly what your Christmas party needs. ‘Tis the season, after all!
Given the roots of this film as a web series, it’s no surprise that the animation isn’t super slick. The image quality of the transfer itself is rendered clean with no distortion or other noticeable problems though, and the colors seem to be well-balanced. This is important since over-saturation could easily become a problem with this kind of art style if not handled correctly. For audio we get a 2.0 stereo track, and while it sounds nice and clear, I think such an action heavy movie as this could’ve really shaken the rafters with a good surround sound mix. We’ve got several nice extras here. In addition to the original 13-episode web series, included here in it’s entirety, we have an audio commentary with creators Greg Ansin and Michael Neel as well as several featurettes interviewing various cast and crew on the making of it. We also get trailers and two music videos from the metal band who scored the movie.
If you love senselessly violent web animation in the vein of Happy Tree Friends or if you are looking for a slammin’ good time for a Christmas party riot with friends, Infinite Santa 8000 should make its way under your tree this wintry holiday.