Review: Pomni and gang take their final bow on the big screen in The Last Act

If ever there were a movie/theatrical release that doesn't really call for my two cents, it's probably The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act. The independently produced show, which has become a worldwide phenomenon online, has inspired fans to go into theory-spinning rabbit holes, postulate about characters' backgrounds/intentions/fates, and do everything else that goes along with super-active online fan communities. I've been aware of the show pretty much since it launched, I think, but I never dove in until about a week ago, to prepare for the big-screen finale, which includes the show's eighth (already-online) episode and the super-sized ninth episode, which will be online later this month. So I came into The Last Act from a very different place than (presumably) most of the other people at my packed afternoon screening yesterday. And that's probably why it didn't quite hit for me like it seems to be hitting for the long-time fans.

For the uninitiated, The Amazing Digital Circus follows a group of humans who have been trapped in a virtual circus-themed world, where they are given new names and bodies, and are regularly sent on "adventures" dreamed up by the ringmaster AI Caine, whose ideas tend to be pretty intense/horrific/sometimes violent. The show follows a pretty episodic structure: Caine introduces a new adventure, the characters go into it, hijinks happen. 

It's a really fun show with a strong premise and a strong sense of humor. There's a bit of edginess/darkness to it, but the comedy also comes from a lot of different places: zany, classic cartoony physics; bizarre non sequiturs, the running gag that the characters can't curse because of a filter put in place by Caine. It's a free-wheeling, goofy show, one in which the characters are working at a fast food restaurant in one episode, and in another, they're all given guns. 

In the midst of the mayhem, we get character moments and hints at underlying lore, which is what a lot of the fan community has latched onto. And while these moments tend to land pretty well, for me, they take a backseat to the show's comedy.

Which is why I feel pretty tepid on The Last Act, which seeks to land the plane in more emotional territory than I think the show, frankly, earned. The proceedings here are quite dour and heavy. My favorite character in the show, the purple bunny asshole (not a literal bunny asshole) Jax, gets a big spotlight in this one, during which we learn more about his tragic backstory and his fractured relationship with Ribbit, a former frog-avatared character who has only been alluded to previously. From what I can gather, this is something fans have really been looking forward to over the years, and the payoff is a bit limp. 

Something I find myself grappling with is who is this show's intended audience? My screening had a lot of kids present (many of whom wouldn't stop talking), which makes me wonder if the show is skewing toward them. That would explain a lot. The characterizations in the show are pretty flimsy, which means any emotional payoff comes off a bit rote. The Last Act did manage to make me a little misty during a particularly poignant reveal, but even that has a caveat attached to it, because the revelation upended my basic understanding of the show.

Like...am I dumb? Did I need to delve into Reddit and fan sites and whatnot to fully understand what's happening in this show? Does it go that deep? I can't say, but there were multiple moments during The Last Act where I was just like...um, what.

But, in accordance with the request of the fish who appears at the beginning of this theatrical package, I'm not here to delve into what happens in The Last Act too deeply, so as not to spoil anything (though I'm sure those spoilers are already all over out there). And, as I said, I think my opinion on this one matters less than my opinion on other movies (and, let's be honest, my opinion about any movie doesn't really matter to anyone but me). If you're a longtime fan of TADC, you probably have already seen this. If you're curious to dip your toe in, it only takes a few hours to catch up with the show online, and then you can go see The Last Act.

And, to be clear, despite my groaning, I still had a good time watching The Last Act. This show is popular for a reason, and even though I didn't get completely sucked in by it, I'm glad I checked it out, and I loved getting to know these characters. It's a testament to the power of animation in general, and specifically independent animation, that a show like this was able to break out in such a major way, and tell its story on its own terms. That's something worth celebrating on its own, and the fact that TADC was such a fun (if sometimes bumpy) ride feels like a bonus.