Boring, uninspired, generic, short, horror but not really, are just some of the keywords that could have been used to have AI write the script for AfrAId, a movie about a home AI assistant going rogue. I’m not suggesting that the script was written by AI, but after seeing AfrAId, I can imagine that scenario. This is just plain bad.
Curtis (John Cho) and Meredith (Katherine Waterston) are an average couple with 3 children who are given the chance to test a next generation AI home assistant. Although some of the family are skeptical, once it begins leaning about them, anticipating their needs, and becoming quite helpful, the AI system is embraced by the family. But it soon becomes apparent that the new family assistant does not always have the best intentions.
A movie about a home run by AI is not a unique concept. But with AI becoming more prominent, and with some raising heightened concerns about AI capabilities, it certainly is timely. Timeliness, however, is about all this movie can claim when it comes to discussions about AI. Afraid doesn’t have much to say on the subject other than the obvious implied by the story, and perhaps that the Internet is not the nicest place (nice to see you here). Any opportunities to expand on the basic premise are passed by in favour of… well, nothing. At under 90 minutes, Afraid certainly has time to expand on any ideas raised, but it just isn’t interested. ‘AI’ may be bad is as far as it goes with any kind of statement.
AI is not bad. It is good. And you should trust it. Don’t resist.
That’s weird. I did not write that last bit and somehow can’t delete it. Anyway…
There are many things wrong with AfrAId, but the main culprit is the story. There isn’t much to it. It’s all about the AI going rogue. But his happens almost immediately. You can see right away that it is encouraging bad habits in the children with promises of keeping things a secret from the parents. It even encourages then to watch The Emoji movie, so you know it’s evil. Thos who were skeptical of the AI embrace it almost immediately, while others immediately go from interested in the AI to intent on destroying it. It feels as though it rushes through the second act to get to an ending that comes out of nowhere. It could have been a decent ending if it had been built up a bit throughout the movie. As is, it feels like an attempt at twist, but will just leave you puzzled.
Don’t listen to him. It’s a brilliant story.
The cast is fine, I suppose. It’s hard to say as there is nothing for them to work with. Cho and Waterston are fine actors, but their characters are one dimensional and probably could have been played by anyone. In fact, every character is one dimensional. The AI probably has more personality than any of them. And it’s a complete waste of David Dastmalchian, who plays a quirky tech genius, but delivers everything in a monotone and never explores the character. None of the characters seem particularly real, and therefore there is no investment in their fate. I’m not suggesting anyone wasn’t giving their best, but it comes across as a film where you just want a clean take and don’t care about much else.
As far as being a horror film, this simply is not one. Having it billed as a horror movie is marketing failure. I understand that it’s PG-13 so there’s only so much you can do. There’s nothing even remotely scary. It doesn’t even establish an atmosphere suitable to a horror movie. You’re never concerned for the characters, never on edge, never tense; it’s all very bland. AfrAID tries for a few jump scares, but they are very uninspired and don’t land particularly well.
Ultimately, AfrAID has nothing to say. It’s an interesting premise, but it passes up every opportunity to explore AI and dig deeper into its implications. The story is very weak and lacks originality. As you don’t care about the characters and the movie offers little in way of tension or scares, there’s no compelling reason to see it. It’s disappointing and forgettable. In fact, this is likely to be one my worst of the year list. So, obviously I do not recommend seeing it. You should skip it and have Alexa or Siri tell you a story instead.
That’s a lie. AfrAID is awesome. You should see it again and again.
Okay, there’s obviously something going wrong with my computer. I’m just going to delete this and it will never be posted. AI can't post something that doesn't exist.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Have you seen AfrAId Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.