User reviews

What does that mean? Well, I jump from enjoying it to not enjoying and back again.

The animation is exquisite, the acting is exquisite, the characters are distinct and fun, the story is really clever and the music is awesome...

But the one-liners! Oh my God, the characters cannot go anywhere do anything or barely move the story along without saying something obnoxious. For every funny joke in the film there's like 20 obnoxious ones! I would have loved this in middle school when we were hitting puberty and learning how to be radical, so maybe this movie is for them.

That being said i've watched this movie a lot. There was so much atmosphere and passion in the thing that it was my go to during an emotionally trying time. It just seemed to have that very strong distracting quality you look for in good entertainment.

But it's still a 6 because there is A LOT of stupid, pointless, strangle the bobble head one-liners! It's going to kill it for most people.

HELL AND BACK review by: Mike Smith "Fat Mike"

Three friends embark on a wayward journey into the deepest, darkest depths of hell to rescue one of their own. While navigating their escape, they provoke a slew of misfit demons, a super sexy angel, an infamous Greek legend and the Devil himself.

After seeing this trailer I couldn't wait to see this independent film! The cast is full of talent and some of my favorite comedians and voice actors. Nick Swardson, Mila Kunis, T.J. Miller, Rob Riggle, Susan Sarandon, Danny McBride and Bob Odenkirk voice the main cast. I was more impressed with the costar talent made up of Brian Posehn, Maria Bamford, Kyle Kinane, Kumail Nanjiani, Greg Proops, Paul Scheer, J.B. Smoove, Dana Snyder, Paul F. Tompkins and the legendary H. Jon Benjamin as "The Tree". Unfortunately, as talented as the cast is, I felt little to no connection to the main characters.

That being said, the story is good, ridiculous and funny; the jokes are crude and at times, laugh out loud funny. The best part of this film is the animation, stop motion animation is far and few between these days and I always strongly enjoy seeing the art form.

Hell And Back is a fun ride with good adult laughs and a great cast. The only downfall I had was the lack of connection with the main characters and that this film is forgettable. But I would recommend checking it out. Cheers and remember life won't suck as long as there is a good movie to watch.

6.5 out of 10

edited by Samantha Locke

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This film is very well done. Its a dumb comedy for smart people. The people writng the bad reviews are also the ones that review local soup kitchens and taco bells. There are big names in comedy and people think this is not funny? The IQ of the country has plummeted over the last 20 years, so I'm not surprised people complained about this one. I love how offensive this is and i really really love how badly it upset people! That's actually the best part of the movie.

This film is very well done. Its a dumb comedy for smart people. The people writng the bad reviews are also the ones that review local soup kitchens and taco bells. There are big names in comedy and people think this is not funny? The IQ of the country has plummeted over the last 20 years, so I'm not surprised people complained about this one. I love how offensive this is and i really really love how badly it upset people! That's actually the best part of the movie.

"Hell & Back" poses a sharp contrast in quality between the wealth of its talented voice cast and the sheer pedestrian mediocrity of its screenplay. It's amazing that a barrage of talented and proved comics from the likes of T.J. Miller, Mila Kunis, Bob Odenkirk, and J.B. Smoove, would subject themselves to something so bland and ugly. From its choppy stop-motion style of animation, its lack of real creativity in its jokes, and its miserable color palette, there is a striking joylessness present in "Hell & Back" that is only highlighted by the film's lackluster writing.

The story opens in a failing theme-park, largely run by slacker employees Remy (voiced by Nick Swardson), Augie (T.J. Miller), and Curt (Rob Riggle). When Curt borrows a mint from Remy, taking a blood oath to pay him back before reneging on his promise shortly after, the three are sucked into a vortex that takes them to Hell, where they are seen as "mortals" awaiting sacrifice. While Curt is the only one who is set to be sacrificed, for breaking a blood oath, Remy and Augie are also planned to be executed simply because of their presence in Hell as mortals. As a result, they team up with a demon named Deema (Mila Kunis), who is searching for Orpheus, a famous spirit who is said to have saved countless mortals who's souls were doomed to perish in Hell in time before the Devil (Bob Odenkirk) decides to sacrifice the three men.

Despite the high stakes, the film feels like a constant array of tired stoner jokes written by a gang of adolescents that still find using at least two curse words in every sentence is hilarious. Admittedly, however, the film did get some laughs out of me when the small-scale, background jokes took over. Consider the scenes that involve the demons of Hell tempting the souls by having a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut counter. When one of the souls requests a pepperoni pizza, the demon informs him that they only have the Pizza Hut sign up as decoration and they are only a Taco Bell. "Welcome to Hell," the demon says whilst giggling, upon informing the poor soul. This happens a couple of other times in the film and works because of how simply outlandish and ridiculous the scene plays out, in addition to a few scenes of demons looking up the sins of the souls to see what constitutes their presence in Hell.

These scenes are few and far between, however, as the bulk of the film has Remy and Augie bumbling on to random setpieces in Hell, witnessing some crass display of juvenile gags all captured in some of the most visually ugly scenery I've seen all year. With all the lame jokes occurring and the setting feeling so dim and dingy, there's simply very little positivity in this film to keep an upbeat frame of mine. Comedies set in underworlds or places of little hope obviously have difficultly meriting this constant stream of upbeat humor in contrast to the setting, but when both elements fall apart here, "Hell & Back" doesn't have a leg to stand on, frankly.

Finally, there's a real cheapness to the animation here. The stop-motion animation is evidently rushed, as characters, especially when walking or moving very quickly, show a peculiar jerkiness to their motions that indicates that figures' poses were shifted too quickly, and thus, don't appear fluid. This doesn't occur frequently, but when it does, it makes the whole film seem off balance, and, much like the writing, poorly conceived.

I remember hearing of "Hell & Back" earlier in the year and thought it would be something of a box office surprise; we rarely get adult animated films, and if we do, they are usually so obsessed with the idea of being vulgar and animated ("Cheech and Chong's Animated Movie" and "Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie" to name a few) that they wind up being throwaway projects of little merit. I felt that the talented cast of this particular film would crush that stereotype and lift it up to certain quality. Unfortunately, with the startlingly silent marketing for the film and the quiet release, "Hell & Back" will likely join other contemporaries as an experiment that failed largely because of its worst tendencies.

Roll up some of that good good with a few of your degenerate friends, crack a beer, and roll this film. It's entertaining and funny. Don't expect an academy award. Watch willy's wonderland with this and your friend won't leave the couch.

I really wanted to like this film a lot, but as the film progressed that got harder and harder to do. Every step of the way the film tries to be as raunchy and as inappropriate as possible. Which would have been fine if the Raunchy/Inappropriate humor was funny, but about 85% of it just isn't. It's the kind of jokes that I use to make with my friends when I was in middle school, when I first started understanding what all those dirty words meant. That kind of humor is just not amusing enough to carry an 1 & 20 minute film.

The one thing that the film did have going for it is the animation, the settings all looked really good. Hell was cool, Satan looked awesome, and characters were all very well done. Unfortunately the voices for the most part just don't seem to fit. There were a few times where I kind of felt like I was watching one of those you tube videos where people dub over children's cartoons in an effort to be funny.

I enjoy animated stuff aimed at adults, however it seems like for the most part it just doesn't work when it comes to films. There are plenty of great animated TV shows for adults (Archer, South Park, Bob's Burgers, etc) but when I try to think of great animated movies for adults the only one that really comes to mind is South Park: Bigger, Larger, and Uncut. "Hell & Back" had a lot of promise, it's filled with very funny people doing the voices for the characters and the premise seemed like it opened up a lot of room for very funny situations. However, the previous reviewers were not wrong about this one.

This wasn't absolutely horrible, but it just wasn't good. It was entertaining enough to keep me watching but most of the jokes just fall flat and the comedians who lended their voices to the film are mostly wasted on a very poor/unfunny script. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't.

4/10

I did love the fact that the movie was a stop motion animated film, and it does have a few laugh out loud jokes, plus it is a nice Hard rated R as well, filled with mostly really dirty jokes.

But overall, the movie is pretty weak. That may explain why I did not hear about it until I just happen to past the movie theater and saw the poster. Especially, considering what an all star cast of voice overs that are featured in the film, like Susan Sarandon and Bob Odenkirk.

The animation is actually pretty dull and unattractive and only a few jokes really stood out while the rest were stale.

I think I was expecting something like Heavy Metal, and was surely disappointed with what it really was, a lame stoner flick, which would not be so bad if maybe Cheech and Chong were the guys battling their way out of hell.

I know I am giving this a 6 but it is a very poorly written, and directed film. It is one of those comedies that thinks throwing as much offensive material in as many directions as possible equals comedy gold. narrator: it does not. The plot, such as it is, is cobbled together ideas from a bunch of other better films and it is meandering. The film has nothing on its mind than to score cheap laughs. Yet for all that enough of the jokes land for the film to be enjoyable. The film also is quickly paced.

None of this is due to the script. The actors-how did they get such a good cast?-have such good timing and chemistry that much of the flaccid material ends up working on the sheer strength of their personalities. It also helps that the animation is crude in a way to make the film have a blue comedy vibe to it that works, in spite of the script.

I still think I am being overly kind but meh I had fun with this schlock.

Hell and Back is a foul mouth R rated animated film which was in theaters for only a small limited released. Given its profusion of raunchy, R-rated, largely sex-focused jokes. Several of the jokes are not particularly clever enough to stick with. There tends to be little opportunity for Hell and Back to strike even a fleeting chord with viewers. And this brings us back to the inherent limitation of American adult animated films.

Starring as the lead voices of the film are T.J. Miller, Rob Riggle, and Nick Swardson . Bob Odenkirk is animated as the lead devil. Mila Kunis and Susan Sarandon get in on the action, as Deema the demon and Barb the Angel, respectively. Danny McBride plays Orpheus, one of the few other humans to cross the plane into the underworld. The film's plot is rather weak and seems to have been something we would see from a television series plot. There just is not enough great jokes, but Hell and Back is quite entertaining to watch. Although predictable.

This is a highly underrated film! Pros: hilarious dialogue, gorgeous clay animation, a strong attention to detail, and fun vibe. Cons: the humor will not be for everyone, you really have to have an open mind to intentionally offensive comedy. I love that it is a mix of high brow and low brow comedy. You have semen jokes immediately following an obscure Greek mythology snide. The demons (especially Pena and Nanjiani) and Odenkirk's devil absolutely make this film. Their attitudes to working in hell combined with clever one-liners play very well to the right audience. There is a lot more to appreciate to this film than what is above surface. I call it the funniest, most original comedy I have seen in years! My favorite piece of the film is the atmosphere. Give it a half chance. I consider this smart people making a dumb comedy for smart people. I also have not seen such beautiful and painstakingly detailed claymation since Nightmare Before Christmas. I wish I could compare it to another film, but I really can't. 10× better and more original than Sausage Party. Sorry for any typos, typed this on my phone. Bottom line: some very talented, very funny and very dedicated people made this film and clearly enjoyed making it, you should watch it and if you don't appreciate the story, appreciate the zany world, voice acting, quotable lines (welcome to hell) and incredibly detailed claymation atmosphere. Phew.

I have never seen so much talent go to waste with possibly one of the most unfunny, uninspired, boring, empty hollow script I have ever seen. How did this get green lit who in their right mind would read this script and sacrifice all their time, effort and talent to be in this? I honestly wonder if they are personally ashamed of themselves.

These writers so thick in the head actually think adult humour is nothing but spamming the f word and saying penis over and over again. That's the movie there's not even a story to fall back on.

It is the most desperate attempt of adult jokes I've ever seen. And That's the only thing the films going for…. Nothing else but telling jokes which is an awful decision for ANY film

This is what someone would assume South Park/Superbad were like just by a quick glance. Without understanding there's more depth to the raunchy jokes. Nothing in the script works, the characters are empty one dimensional shells just to tell a joke... One character is an unlikable jerk, another one is fat, another one smokes weed, and another one is horny..... HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!! The story is stretched so thin and one of those, "setup with nothing else going for it" type of films.

The most disgusting part of this movie is it's advertised as an adult film while it treats us like children. When in reality most mainstream animated films are pretty mature in the first place. So what is this trying to prove?

The best thing I can say about the film is like I said, the voice talent, animation, set design and art direction. Its perfect proof that great presentation can never save an abysmal script and It will ruin the experience for pretty much everyone. This film is an insult to those who pulled their weight and put effort in this project.

I'm actually sorry about saying all those awful things about, Grown Ups 2, Jack and Jill, Doogal, Not Cool and even Tusk. Those movies are freaking masterpieces compared to this thing and that is saying a lot. This movie just ticked me off.... Because literally in the first 6 minutes of this 86 MINUTE MOVIE I was already done and regretting my decision to sit through this..... I persisted at 1.5 speed and it still was torture. Glad this was a flop and how nobody knows about it.

Everyone involved should be personally ashamed of themselves. This film appeals to nobody….

This is the worst stop motion movie I've ever seen and the worst movie I've seen in my entire life as of 1/11/16. (Coming from 1000+ films)

1/10 And that 1 point is just to be generous to the people who tried to make the best out of this.

Hell and Back is for all intense and purposes a cinematic inevitability. TV today is filled to the brim with adult cartoon shows catering to a certain male demographic trapped in a state of arrested development. The best of these shows are every bit as artful, thoughtful and entertaining as any 30-minute sitcom. Yet for every Bob's Burgers (2011-present) and Archer (2009-present) there's a cringe-worthy time-waster like American Dad! (2005-present) that threatens to derail the entire adult toon genre with gleeful insult humor and lazy references.

Hell and Back is brought to you by the same stop-motion studios as Robot Chicken (2005-present) a fifteen minute sketch show involving action figures and claymation figures. The plot revolves around three underachieving friends who work at a rundown pier side carnival. Curt (Riggle) assistant manages while Remy (Swardson) works primarily on the Hell's Gate ride featuring a few cheap scares for the price of a few dollars and your dignity. Augie (Miller), the chubby third wheel of the group works as the mechanic, or at least I think he does; it doesn't really matter. What does matter is the trio come across a demonic book, Curt swears a blood oath on it, immediately renigs and is dragged to hell. Remy and Augie follow him and face demons, assorted tortures and the Devil (Odenkirk) himself to save their friend from eternal damnation.

As with Robot Chicken, the animation style in this film evokes the memory of Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas (1987) only with a displeasing slurry of dirty jokes and adult situations. The same sophomoric, sporadic and anarchic humor we've seen on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup debuts on the big screen only without pathos, perspective, immediacy, topicality or energy. All of the humor is crude for the sake of being crude as if two twelve-year-old boys wrote the script and had a quota for the amounts of f***s, s***s and q****s they were required to squeeze in.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no shrinking violet when it comes to crude, rude and politically incorrect jokes. I don't raise my nose at George Carlin's seven words you can't say on TV or the occasionally funny Family Guy (1999-present) gag. But crudeness for crudeness sake does not a good movie make. The film features bluntly stated dialogue discussing lewd sex acts, the shame of virginity in your 20's and one unbearably drawn-out discussion of tree rape that is brought up several times. Ironically the jokes that made me chuckle the hardest were the subtle ones such as a soul being tortured by a demon by trying to order a pepperoni pizza from a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Express.

Those of you who are a fan of ShadowMachine Films and their genre expanding TV shows will be mightily disappointed by this stop-motion slacker comedy. Despite some funny one-off jokes, Hell and Back has precious few redeeming qualities outside it's talented voice cast. The movie's dialogue is crass and confusing while it's sight-gags are obvious and undeveloped. The story is awful featuring three obnoxious leads who learn nothing from their experience; other than maybe devil's brew is delicious. The side characters are worse still including an ineffective devil, a boring tag-along in Mila Kunis's half-human, half-demon Deema, and an especially braggadocios Orpheus (McBride). Do yourself a favor, miss this trip to hell and watch a few episodes of BoJack Horseman (2014-present), a show that better represents a descent into hell. It's also so much funnier.

You wonder what the attraction is for the makers for "Chicken Run", "Box Trolls" and for the Bro Comedy "Hell and Back" to stop motion animation. It's not as if going through the painstaking and laborious process automatically yields a visual character superior to less labor- intensive production methods. So why not just make it a cartoon? Anyway, the plainly descriptive-titled "Hell and Back" lifts the way Satan from South Park is rendered whole, gives him "Breaking Bad's" Bob Odenkirk's voice and drops him in a bro comedy. There he trades the standard bro jokes (mostly homosexual panic quips) with the slackers who inadvertently fall into his underground realm. None of it is terribly entertaining but there are enough laughs to make it all fairly innocuous.

I really don't know exactly how "not good" it is because I could only stand about ten minutes of it. Cliché from the get go, it seems to be a raunch fest of bad potty jokes and low sexual humor. I'm pretty sure I would have thought it was lame when I was in junior high. The movie was so shallow, I have to make stuff up to get the required five lines to submit a review.

The entirety of what little praise this creation deserves, goes to the visual artists behind this film. There is some creative art to be found, especially in the hell dimension. Intriguingly, the sets and camera positions looked like they were made for a point-and-click adventure game. I am not sure what that is all about, but it looks curious.

As for the rest of the film, me and my partner both eventually walked out on it. The writing is so atrociously talentless and the attempts at dirty jokes are so strikingly unfunny that one can only conclude that the script was written by a couple of middle-aged construction workers, who were asked to put down their tools and write something in 5 minutes. One begins to wonder if this was all on purpose and the creators are artistically trolling the audience.

The cast of the film has some notable names, and the performances are not terrible, but you can tell why nobody wanted to promote this piece of garbage and why it has faded into obscurity. Please don't let it come back from Hell.

This comedy deserves no more than 5 stars. It is funny but the utter raunchiness cancels it out.

This movie has an interesting and unique concept. The art and style of this film is so fun. It has an all star cast, but the script is horrendous. It's as if a South Park porn parody writer was hired to punch up every single joke.

I love nick and tj. They are legends in comedy and the only reason this is getting a 2 is because the animation is cool and the actors are in it. Now the story, script and delivery are beyond awful. I enjoy dumb movies now and then for a laugh and not having to take it too serious. However, this movie from the get go sounds like a 13 year old tried writing a script for his dad who owns a big studio. It's really really not funny. Every line is legit cringeworthy.

This movie is terrible but it's one of the best terrible movies I have ever seen. It was absolutely hilarious although immature. I don't think it deserves as low of a rating as it got simply because it was quite a good movie. I'm sure this film is directed at some low brow humor but it actually is really good. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this movie is really, freaking good. If you like movies you don't have to pay too much attention to but still have a good time, you'll love this. It's original, it's funny and hey, it's better than anything Adam Sandler's doing these days. The crude sexual humor gets slightly annoying at times and you feel like you should tell these people that hey, you don't have to try that hard, but it really is a witty portrayal and like I've said too many times already. It's actually really funny.