I learned about the Norwegian film Spermageddon through a friend of mine. While discussing films we’d recently watched and giving each other recommendations, she exclaimed, “I watched this animated movie about sperm!” As she went on to describe the film as a comedy-musical my interest peaked, and I immediately sought it out for myself.
I went into my viewing mostly blind, wanting to know as little about the story as possible. I’d heard it compared to Seth Rogen’s Sausage Party, and that comparison feels inevitable. Both films are animated musical-comedies with a crude sense of humor; however, linking these two films together is a disservice to them both. Spermageddon paves its own way, crafting an often hilarious, sometimes grotesque, unique viewing experience one anatomy pun at a time.
SPERMAGEDDON PLOT: A STORY OF SPERM
The film unfolds in two concurrent stories. We follow a teenage boy, Jens, as he meets with friends for a cabin getaway over the summer. Among those friends is a teenage girl, Lisa, that Jens has a crush on. We learn that the two shared a kiss the year prior and both have been anxiously waiting to reunite. The second story exists within the testicles of the Jens, where an entire civilization of sperm exists and eagerly awaits the moment they get their chance to fertilize a female egg.
DOES SPERMAGEDDON HOLD UP TO OTHER ADULT ANIMATION?
Adult animation has found a great deal of success on television with series like Family Guy, South Park and Big Mouth, but its jump to the big screen has been a slow and arduous affair. There is a continued stigma surrounding animation, with many audience goers still equating the artform to cartoons geared towards children. While Spermageddon is apparently tailored towards adults, there is an argument that its target audience could be the teenagers experiencing the same changes as the characters on screen.
There is an educational aspect to the film, playing out like an episode of The Magic School Bus where Ms. Frizzle leads a journey to the testicles for an in-depth lesson on human reproduction. I can say with confidence that I would have much preferred to watch this than the outdated, cringe-inducing videos I was shown in my high school health education class. The bulk of the film’s humor relies on puns. Lines like, “better ejaculate than ejacu-never” are thrown out one after another. Most of them are clever and chuckle-inducing, and surprisingly, their rapid rate of delivery never feels tired or trite.
Of course, there has to be an antagonist. While the film succeeds in introducing new and interesting characters outside of the barrage of sperm, the primary villain is one of the titular swimmers. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will note the striking similarities between Spermageddon’s villain and the MCU’s flagship hero, Iron Man. A wealthy sperm, fittingly named Jizzmo, uses a red, metallic sperm suit to give him an advantage at reaching the female egg first. It’s equipped with blasters and jet propulsion and features an instantly recognizable circular glowing-arc in the center of its chest. To top it off, the villain lives in a skyrise building that unmistakably resembles the Avengers Tower.
It’s possible that the film’s depiction of an Iron Man-esque sperm using his resources for his own selfish desires is a critique of the wealthy. Perhaps the intention is to point out the contradictory ideals of real-life billionaires compared to Tony Stark’s selfless depiction as the ultimate savior. Of course, it’s also completely plausible that the filmmakers were simply making a fun callback to one of the most popular cinematic characters of the decade. Either way, Jizzmo’s inclusion, though ultimately unnecessary, adds a layer of spectacle that elevates the story.
FROM ZOMBIES TO SPERM
Filmmakers Tommy Wirkola and Rasmus A. Silvertsen teamed up to bring the 3D animated extravaganza to life. Wirkola is likely best known to American audiences for the violently absurd Nazi zombie films Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead. The clash of slapstick comedy and gore present in those films makes Wirkola an obvious choice to helm Spermageddon. While it’s not necessarily a gory film, there is a continued clashing of expectations and styles that Wirkola has shown a mastery of.
The animation is at its strongest when we’re in the interior of the human anatomy. The simplistic character design of Simen and Cumilla, our two lead protagonists, is adorably fitting, and their cute depiction works as a clash to the continuous sexual nature of its humor. There isn’t an abundance of musical numbers; however, the few that we receive are expectedly toe-tapping and catchy.
Is there a major audience for adult animation at the cinemas? I’m not entirely sure. Sausage Party is heading to the small-screen with Sausage Party: Footopia, continuing television’s dominance over the small sub-genre of entertainment. If studios are looking for inspiration in how to properly deliver animated films geared specifically towards an older audience, look no further than Spermageddon.
Spermageddon premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 10th, 2024.
Learn more about the movie at the Annecy website for the title.
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