Simulant

Where do I begin. Well, for one thing, the acting and photography/coloring/effects is great. I don't always judge a movie by how it looks, but sometimes I do and I give this one extra points for looking very good. Every shot is spot-on and whoever was hired to do the job should get a raise. The sound quality was excellent and that person should also get a raise. This was of course made by HBO and they have enough money to to make a high quality film. That being said, the story is just not done right. I feel like whoever wrote the screenplay should have put more thought into it. Then again, I know how difficult it can be to be a writer and create a screenplay that a director can use to make a successful movie. I think it was an OK movie. Not something I would want to watch again. Someone else might like it.

For a normally breezy 95 min runtime, this film felt endlessly long. It's terribly slow pacing was part of the problem, but mostly the issue here was the overall underwhelming filmmaking. From the story that's been done many times before and better that felt less intelligent and more artificial, to the directing that lacked any real urgency from scene to scene with annoying, predictable and repetitive sub-narratives. There was a lot of style, but very little substance to be an engaging viewing, even in its short runtime. I found myself constantly impatient for something more suspenseful and thrilling to happen, that never did. Even the all-star casting couldn't elevate the depressingly-toned slow story. Director April Mullen's lack of effective cast direction made it feel like all the actors were half asleep reading their lines. I will however say that the cinematography was excellent, the score very fitting, and the S/VFX quite passable, for a low budget B film.

Canadian movie production quality is equal to Canadian TV production quality which is a bit worse than US Lifetime movie quality.

Most parts were interesting, the twists and turns were good. Actors and actresses all did a decent job, there were some good looking scenes.

I would agree that the pacing felt off, it was 1.5 hours and felt like they were stretching things with filler that wasn't engaging.

Not nearly as good as the Detroit: Become Human game's story which has AI breaking away from their programming due to mis-treatment by humans, and being able to share that with other AI by touch.

So overall just okay.

The comparison to Blade Runner was going to be inevitable. Simulants are replicants, and they have become more advanced where self-awareness and autonomy are becoming a social problem, so an enforcement agency tracks down rogue simulants. Sound familiar? "More human than human" of the Tyrell Corporation is replaced with Nexxera's "simulants are as close to human as humanly possible". It would be generous to say this movie pays homage to the 1982 classic-there are plenty of easter eggs. This is, unfortunately, a Canadian low budget production that doesn't do it much justice.

Cast has many recognizable Canadian B actors, some regulars in the sci-fi scene. Of course, the most recognizable is Simu Liu of recent Marvel universe fame.

There are some salvageable aspects that explore bioethical issues we are at the cusp of having to address for real. But the movie lacks any subtlety in conveying the gravitas. The AI "precepts" are repeated multiple times to remind the audience, rather than work them into the screenplay, which to me is lazy writing. The "ominous" soundtrack plays on a loop throughout the movie, a poor attempt at creating tension and suspense. CGI is minimal, and the rest are making the most out of budget props and industrial locations.

I'm actually surprised this was picked up by HBO Max and not Syfy, where it's would find a more appropriate home and audience. It's not entirely unwatchable, if you adjust your expectations.

The lack of suspense in the narrative and the predictable unfolding of events make for an unenjoyable movie. The filmmakers attempt to explore profound questions regarding the relationship between humans and machines. However, the execution lacks any sense of creativity or enthusiasm. In the movie, all Simulates must obey four precepts: 1) Do not inflict harm on any human being. 2) Do not modify yourself or any other Simulate. 3) Do not commit crimes against international or local law. 4) Obey all commands from your masters. As soon as these rules are read out in the film, you know that they will be broken. All is too predictable. Even the A. I. is not worked out properly. The script, though, indeed looks like something that could be generated by ChatGPT. Simulant is naïve nonsense that asks, "What does it mean to be human?" and answers the question by changing the code of simulates and recommending them a Dostoevsky book! Literally! Do not waste your time. Skip this one.