Spermageddon
Animated sex education comedy from the director of Dead Snow and Hansel & Gretel
The brief
Tommy Wirkola follows up his horror-comedies with the most Norwegian thing imaginable: an animated sex-ed adventure that's simultaneously innocent and deeply weird. The dual perspective between fumbling teenagers and anthropomorphized sperm on a mission creates this oddly sweet tone that somehow makes bodily functions feel almost mythical. It moves at a brisk clip and commits fully to its bizarre premise without winking too hard at the audience. Perfect for anyone who thought Inside Out needed more reproductive biology, or fans of Wirkola's previous ability to make the absurd feel surprisingly heartfelt.
The verdict
If you have a high tolerance for bizarre premises and enjoy animation that commits fully to its weirdness without being cynical, this is a surprisingly sweet and mythical take on sex education that feels genuinely heartfelt. If you're uncomfortable with reproductive biology as entertainment or prefer your animated films more conventional, the anthropomorphized sperm adventure will likely feel too strange and specific to connect with.
Watch with
- 👨👩👧👦 Mature teens ready for honest sex education
- 👫 Adults who appreciate unconventional animation
- ⚠️ Those uncomfortable with explicit reproductive content
Heads up
- Explicit sexual content and reproductive biology (frequent)
- Teenage sexual situations (moderate)
- Adult themes in animated format (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Tommy Wirkola
- Cast
- Christian Mikkelsen, Nasrin Khusrawi, Aksel Hennie, Mathilde Storm, Christian Rubeck, Bjørn Sundquist, John Brungot
Official synopsis
Two narrative threads: one is an emerging love story between awkward teens Jens and Lisa, who are having sex for the first time; the other, an eventful quest of Simon the Semen and his friends to reach the golden goal, the Egg.
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Perfect Blue (1998)
Both explore psychological journeys through bodies and identity transformation.
Total runtime: 1h 20m + 1h 22m = 2h 42m
