⭐ 3 out of 5 stars
It's not often anymore that you walk into a packed movie theater. Nevertheless, that's what we encountered when we entered theater 2 at Nordisk Film's cinema in Aalborg. An entire theater filled with young people aged 12 and up.
We were there to see the Norwegian animated film Spermageddon, which attempts to combine sex education and entertainment with a mixture of humor, music, and a surprisingly absurd premise. Spermageddon (2024), directed by Tommy Wirkola and Rasmus A. Sivertsen, is an ambitious attempt to remove the taboo surrounding sex and contraception. With its narrative style reminiscent of a mix of Pixar and adult animation, the film takes us on an epic journey from the perspective of sperm cells. But even though Spermageddon has many good intentions and strong messages, it also falls into some problematic traps.
The film shows several different types of contraception and their effects. The main character, Lisa, uses a condom when she is with Jens. Afterwards, she uses spermicidal cream, and the next day she takes the morning-after pill.
One of the film's more problematic elements is that Lisa, despite having used three different methods of contraception—condoms, spermicidal cream, and the morning-after pill—still ends up pregnant. This creates a false perception of the effectiveness of contraception and may contribute to unnecessary concern and misinformation among young viewers.
Added to this is an absurd detail where the film shows that the morning-after pill's effect is negated because Lisa falls and rolls down a hill. This may mistakenly signal that a physical fall can cancel out the effect of an emergency contraceptive pill, which is of course misleading. The pills affect hormone balance and do not work by creating a physical blockage in the fallopian tube.
The film's message about abortion is one of its stronger elements. It shows how Lisa faces a difficult decision and emphasizes that abortion is not an easy solution, but a necessary choice for those who are not ready for parenthood. The film also shows Jens accompanying Lisa to the doctor to discuss abortion, and he supports her "all the way." At the same time, the film focuses on the right to control one's own body with a clear message: if you're not ready, you're not ready!
The film also does a fine job of illustrating the fertilization process itself. The audience follows the sperm Simen and his friend Cumilla on an action-packed journey toward the egg, showing how incredibly small the chance is for a single sperm to reach its goal. Along the way, they must fight the villain Jizzmo, who tries to thwart the other sperm cells' journey. The story balances an adventurous plot with humorous side stories – including a witty reference to the Olsen Gang, where the sperm cells plan their "coup" to penetrate the egg's membrane.
Despite some unfortunate angles, the film manages to provide a broad insight into contraception and emphasizes the importance of safe sex in an accessible and entertaining way.
On the positive side, the film makes a conscious effort to be inclusive. It has a dark-skinned girl in the lead role and shows different body types, which is refreshing.
In addition, it does a good job of referring to young people's exposure to porn and their experiments with dirty talk. The influence of porn is caricatured in the film, for example through attempts at dirty talk, and shows how reality does not always correspond to what happens in the world of porn. The film beautifully portrays the negative influence of porn while instilling hope and confidence that young people can actually navigate it and see the difference.
Another example of the influence of porn in the film is when Lisa initiates doggy style and mentions that she has seen it in a porn film. This is a subtle nuance of how porn can also serve as a source of inspiration for experimenting and exploring new things. The film balances this duality well by both criticizing porn's role in shaping young people's understanding of sex and illustrating how it can also be used to broaden their sexual horizons.
But when it comes to sexuality, Spermageddon disappoints. She gives him a blowjob, but he does not reciprocate with oral sex. The intercourse is one-sided, and unfortunately reflects porn-based notions of sex with the focus on male pleasure.
From a female perspective, it is unfortunate to see that the film once again reproduces the stereotypical notion that a woman's orgasm comes from penetration as long as the man works for it.
Studies show that only 25% of women can actually orgasm this way, while the vast majority need clitoral stimulation, which the film completely fails to address. This is a missed opportunity to create a more nuanced and realistic portrayal of women's sexuality, and contributes to creating performance pressure in men and shame and guilt in women when they do not succeed in achieving orgasm through penetration, and therefore often end up faking it to maintain the "good atmosphere" in the relationship.
Another misstep is its misleading portrayal of anal sex. In one scene, the characters have anal sex, but without any kind of preparation or sign of discomfort. She does not react in the slightest when he accidentally penetrates the wrong hole. He does not notice, and she accepts it without hesitation. It is positive that the film breaks another taboo by including anal sex, but it is unfortunate that it is not portrayed more realistically. It would also have been better if it had been made clear that you cannot get pregnant from anal sex.
The film portrays the importance of being aware of human anatomy, but at the expense of direct misinformation, where Lisa becomes pregnant from the ejaculation that Jens has during anal sex. This is not only factually incorrect, but can also cause unnecessary concern among young viewers.
The film depicts an absurd biological route, in which the sperm cells allegedly have to travel up through the intestine, pass the stomach, continue down into the bladder and from there out through the urethra, before crawling up into the vagina and fertilising the egg. This is not only scientifically impossible, but also gives a highly misleading picture of how pregnancy occurs. It is one thing to use humor and exaggeration, but when the film also attempts to educate, it is problematic to spread myths rather than facts.
Despite its flaws, Spermageddon is entertaining and full of funny moments that can serve as an icebreaker for young people to talk about sex, contraception, and expectations of sexuality. It removes taboos and creates a framework for important conversations.
Since the subject is taboo, it is a balancing act whether young people should have their parents watch it with them. It is a film that is ideal for conversations among friends, where they can freely discuss the messages and misunderstandings it raises – not a film you necessarily want to have an awkward conversation about in the car on the way home with mom and dad. As parents, you can choose to simply address the misinformation we have mentioned in this review when your children come home, or if you want to watch the film with your teenager, let them bring a few friends along so that they also have each other to discuss the things that cannot be shared with mom and dad.
Spermageddon is a film with a strong purpose and a fun premise. It conveys important topics about contraception, fertilization, and sex in an accessible way, but falls into several traps that weaken its educational value. It trips itself up by reproducing stereotypical sex scenes and perpetuating myths that could have been avoided with a more up-to-date and nuanced approach to sex education.
3 out of 5 stars – a film with potential, but also room for improvement.
