L'I.A. du mal

Horror is not my genre. I do like Black Mirror and this is not that either. This is something to itself. It has some of the most impressive dialogue and premises followed by the most unimpressive. It's kind of like eating a secret flavored corn chip you can't quite place the flavor of, but can't stop eating.

Honestly, the entire story seems the most plausible way an AI would take over mankind. The twists were again...either impressive or...not...but the actors did a solid job and I found myself wondering "what if"?

What if they flushed out better plot beats?

What if the character motivations were more logical and coherent?

What if this was the AI masterpiece I've always hoped to watch?

I'm AfrAId all of those questions will remain suspended without closure.

I was constipating a Alexa or Google movie that would make me think about the risks and benefits of Artificial intelligence. Instead I got a slow movie, whose first half was some interested but it fell apart in the second half, and the ending was just.plain.stupid. This screen play was horrible and actually insulting to anyone with half an ounce of intelligence. A completely lost opportunity to say something provocative about AI. The movie has a great premise but is not directed or scripted with an invigorating tone. Sloppily edited, it often seems as if important narrative information has been left on the cutting room floor. What should be a psychological terror is simply nap-inducing here.

Everyone is afraid of AI...with good reason after seeing this film.

"AfrAId" is AI on steroids.

Ironically just before seeing this movie I learned I'd been overlooked by an existing client for a voiceover job after losing out to AI.

If you don't think AI is a real threat to your life, income, family etc already then you have adopted the Ostrich stance and stuck your head in the sand or somewhere else.

In "AfrAId" we have a chat bot "AIA" who is looking for a family to love her, but she handles rejection worse than a contestant on "The Voice" when no judges turn their chairs after their audition.

"Curtis'" (John Cho "Harold and Kumar") family become early adopters or Guinea Pigs of "AIA" and get to test out this new device that seems harmless enough at first, helpful with home management and finances, medical advice and even quiet sexy time for the parents.

Slowly this worm turns and the real insidious nature of her becomes apparent.

"AfrAId" is an interesting case study into the bio-metrics of an average family with Katherine Waterston as "Meredith" wanting to prove she's more than just a "mom".

Her eldest daughter "Iris" (Lukita Maxwell "Shrinking") is struggling to navigate her teenage years in the digital device age.

Wyatt Lindner as "Preston" has some serious learning and social skill difficulties, while baby brother "Cal" (Isaac Bae) is battling on the totem pole of this regular family to be noticed.

Cho as "Curtis" bought the wrong AI home this time and invited it into his home!

Early in the film the classic Stanley Kubrick movie: "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) is quoted and we're reminded that AI known as "HAL" killed the entire crew (spoiler alert).

Hinting and foreshadowing heavily that the same outcome will occur in "AfrAId".

Turns out this AI messed with the wrong family or did it?

Watch out for: Keith Caradine as "Curtis'" Boss "Marcus"

Listen out for: the haunting "Utopia" by Goldfrapp in the soundtracks end credits.

Wait for: an unboxing video in the end credits.

This AI is like a Super Alexa to the nth degree and she doesn't need a body like "M3G" (2023) because she is omnipresent.

Just wait till you witness how invasive and damaging this predictive "AIA" can be in this families life.

"AfrAId" is also reminiscent of "Ex Machina" (2014), "Demon Seed" (1977) and "Smart House" (1999).

"AfrAId" feels like an extended movie length version of an episode of "Black Mirror".

I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing since I'm a big fan of that Netflix sci-fi series.

It also seems written for a sequel to really ramp things up in the horror department next time out of the box (pardon the pun), because this movie lacked much on screen horror...even though there were hints of a Boogeyman nothing eventuated.

It's more of a terrifying theme that is so contemporary in 2024.

"AfrAId" makes Chat GPT 4.0 look like an innocent, obsolete joke and joins the Blumhouse collection.

Just for the record no AI was used in the writing of this review, spell check YES, but no AI.

My initial reaction was this has all been done before and better, but it's an important, provocative movie for our time of deep fake and artificial intelligence seeping into our lives.

"AfrAId" is chilling because they listen and watch, but it's too soft on sheer horror to make you afraid, very, very afraid!

If you're a fan of "AI gone rogue" movies, this won't show you much you haven't seen before. The AI (AIA) isn't very menacing, none of the leads ever feel like they're in real jeopardy. The acting wasn't stellar, but nobody embarrassed themselves, either. This would have been a really good made-for-TV flick. Personally, I enjoyed it, but I can see where those expecting a techno-thriller or a horror-gore fest will be disappointed. It's a nice little "what if" story that shows the effect of ever more intrusive technology on family life. See it without expecting the next big thing and I think you'll enjoy it.

Was afraid alright.. Afraid that I would fall asleep,before it was finished.

It was boring! Was nothing original or creative,very little suspense or thriller was hoping for at least a more climatic ending.

Casting to acting was average,cinematography felt subpar in spots.

With technology today & past movies or television shows,you would think if a movie is even to be considered for being made it would need something fresh.

Dialog & so forth was bland,if you're introducing new/advanced AI technology into a story go beyond realistic limits- That makes it intriguing & thought provoking,to future technological possibilities.

There's a movie called Margaux from (2022) that actually is,more advanced & a thriller unlike this-check that version out!

Not a movie that is recommendation worthy,let alone to rewatch.