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7.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Modern Inventions remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have about eight minutes and a need to watch a duck get bullied by inanimate objects, yes. This is essential viewing for anyone who has ever felt like their toaster is actively conspiring against them.
Who will hate it? People who need a plot that goes somewhere. There is no destination here, just pure, unadulterated slapstick chaos.
The whole premise is basically a death trap masquerading as a high-tech exhibit. Donald walks in, all polite and eager, and is immediately subjected to a robot butler that treats his hat like a personal enemy.
It’s honestly kind of mean-spirited, in that way only old cartoons can be. You just watch the poor guy get wrapped up in twine until he’s basically a duck-shaped mummy.
The sequence with the automated barber chair is the peak of the short. It’s relentless. The way the machine just keeps trying to shave him—even when he’s clearly begging for mercy—is weirdly terrifying.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Love 'Em and Weep, where everything that can go wrong, does, and usually with more noise than necessary. You can almost hear the animators laughing while they drew this.
It’s not trying to say anything about the human condition, thank god. It’s just about a duck getting his face mashed by a robotic arm. Sometimes that's exactly what you need on a Tuesday afternoon. 🦆
It’s less stressful than watching The End of the Tour, that's for sure. Less talking, way more getting hit by mechanical objects.