Amelia 2.0

All in all, please just suspend disbelief. Doesn't get into the technical aspects of creating a simulacrum, but instead goes more after the moral implications of doing so. The choices are more on the order of black or white, not really much in between. And leave out the husband. He's there, and not really all that sympathetic, or quite mentally stable. Likely could have been better, but it seems to be more about moralizing than much else. The omnipresent, "if we can do it, should we?"

When I found "Amelia 2.0" I didn't even read the synopsis for the movie, nor did I know anything about the movie, I just picked it up and decided to give it a go.

First of all, I must say that writer Rob Merritt definitely came up with a very interesting and entertaining story here. And better yet, it is a story which raises a lot of questions in the audience as you view it, in terms of your own views on the issues being dealt with throughout the movie. And for a movie to be able to raise that kind of questions, that is something that I find rather impressive.

The special effects and CGI effects in "Amelia 2.0" were quite good and really worked in favor of the movie. And for a Sci-Fi movie of this nature then having special effects is definitely a plus. If the movie had less impressive CGI, then the movie would have been much less enjoyable or convincing.

"Amelie 2.0" has an ensemble of good acting talents, which were for the most part new faces to me. And I do enjoy watching new actors and actresses on the screen, as there are no associations to other previous characters linked to the performers. So that was a definite plus in my book. The actors and actresses in the movie were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters, and that was working well in favor of the movie.

Director Adam Orton did a great job in bringing writer Rob Merritt's story to life on the screen.

The characters in the movie are quite well-rounded and they have very distinct personalities and traits. And the dialogue throughout the course of the movie was well written and delivered by the various actors and actresses.

The movie makes use of way too many short shots of random and pointless images that serves absolutely no purpose to the movie, aside from being fillers. That was particularly true for the first 10-15 minutes of the movie.

I really enjoyed how this movie raises some issues and questions about humanity, the ability to replace the body in parts or as a whole, and how the soul fits into all of this if you take a religious stand on it. But also how traditional and inbred thinking stands in the way of technological advancement and the fear of embracing new and innovating things that break up with how things traditionally are and have been for a long, long time.

I have a feeling that this movie might be very underrated and slip under most people's radar. However, I can most strongly recommend that you take the time to sit down to watch "Amelia 2.0" if you have the chance.

The ending of the movie was not really one that did the movie or the storyline much justice, and it felt just like it was a very, very wrong way to end the movie.

This is an interesting movie about the potential effects of technology on humans. It's great to see some original subject matter in these days of comic book retreads and franchises! The cast does a fine job and it really does make you think about life and humanity. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

At the time I write this review, the average rating is 5.6, which makes my rating of 9 a bit of a reversal for my reviews (I'm demanding in my story-telling and tend to rate films lower than the average audience).

This is a highly unusual rating situation for me. On the one hand there is almost nothing truly exceptional about this film. On the other... I almost gave it 10 stars for sheer excellence in presentation.* This movie is slow-moving, intricate, and asks some very difficult questions. I will not spoil any of the plot by discussing precisely why I found this story so engrossing, but there are several elements that make it applaud-worthy:

1. Sensible discussion of the concept of God and contrary opinions to such without overt blasphemy. It simply presents both sides of the viewpoint... quite well in my opinion.

2. It discusses the "soul" without becoming dogmatic.

3. It addresses ethical issues in regard to reproducing humans in a non-standard manner (again, no spoilers by discussing how. All that I am going to discuss here is what's presented in the summary and trailers.)

4. It really hits the emotions of every single role and does so very well. This is some of the best directing, acting and character portrayal I have seen in a long time.

5. It presents a couple of unexpected twists that really tie the story line together very well.

This film presents the questions, the arguments, the positions and personal issues of the subject matter in a surprisingly short period of time. This could have been a lengthy mini-series and held together well. That they accomplished what they did within the time allotment of a single film is pretty awesome.

In short, this film accomplished what I see so very few films accomplish these days: it told a story and told it very well. It didn't rely on heavy CGI, had almost no "action", and focused almost exclusively on the lives and roles of the people involved. There were no sharks jumped here, no absurdities (which is admirable in itself), no great big plot loopholes where there could have been many. They did surprisingly well in almost every aspect. It came very close to getting 10 stars, which I've given to fewer films than I have fingers. It may be a bit slow and uneventful for the adrenaline junkies of today's generation-- but for those who still appreciate the art of story telling and the morality play, this is a rare gem.

* I dropped my rating to a 9 for a single F-bomb which was out of context with the entire rest of the film and unnecessary to the plot. Consequences for directorial stupidity. It would be nice just once to see someone make an entire movie based purely on great story-telling rather than resorting to shock schlock. This movie *almost* made it. Still, worth every bit of the 9 stars I give it.

Amelia has a debilitating illness, her mind works well but her body is quickly becoming non-functional. At the same time a technology company in Cedar Rapids is working on a far out project, the intent is to take a mind like Amelia's and place it into a constructed body. Married only a few months, her loving husband is mostly at a loss for what to do. But convinced it is his only chance to remain with Amelia he signs all the paperwork and the conversion begins.

The science and technology is secondary here, our own logic says this can never happen but who really knows? This movie is more concerned with the ethics of doing something like this. Do we have souls? And would a soul remain with this type of hybrid? Would the far right evangelical politicians move to prevent this type of work? If the conversion is successful would the husband (or wife) be able to accept this new being?

Good watch, it makes you think, and overall it is very well made and acted. At home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped, not her type of movie.