AI (artificial intelligence) is not new to the horror genre, but it’s certainly felt more prevalent during the past few years with the likes of M3GAN and AfrAId. S.K. Dale is prepared to join the conversation with his new sci-fi thriller, Subservience. The film follows construction worker Nick (Michele Morrone) who is struggling to look after the house and care for his daughter, Isla (Matilda Firth), and baby son, Max (Jude Greenstein), while his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) is in the hospital awaiting a heart transplant. With lifelike robots a prominent part of life, Nick is talked into buying Alice (Megan Fox), a domestic AI specifically designed for mimicking human emotion and taking care of children. But things take a turn for the worse when Alice becomes obsessed with Nick and wants to replace Maggie.
Fox is the best part of the film. She is robotic in speech and movement, something she has been previously criticised for, but obviously works well here. She evokes an inhuman quality while maintaining the sexiness she has been known for during her entire career. Any scene she isn’t in feels flat. There is some cognitive dissonance in believing that anyone—AI or otherwise—would become obsessed with Nick, let alone someone played by Megan Fox. She and Morrone are naked enough in sex scenes, allowing both actors to show off their sculpted physiques, but Nick is a boring character with no real depth, which isn’t aided by Morrone’s weak performance. Some of the supporting characters who appeared for only a few minutes were more interesting than him.
Written by Will Honley and April Maguire, Subservience is sometimes confusing. The opening scene misleads viewers into believing that Maggie has died. Parts of the story are dark in theme and it keeps you guessing as to how far it might go with Maggie’s health problems, which aren’t clearly defined. Zima gives a convincing performance in Maggie’s rightful suspicions of Alice. Her scepticism and distrust are well acted, but her character fails to reflect the impact of her illness.
The subplot around Nick’s workplace is dull despite commentary on AI replacing humans in the workplace. AI, however, is successfully integrated into the film’s world, right down to the surgeons who operate on Maggie. They have no mouths, likely to reduce distractions while performing such an important procedure. It’s an eerie but effective detail as Honley and Maguire’s screenplay reflects a potential future reality alongside the standard message that AI is dangerous.
Subservience is a slow burn with little build up and no real pay-off. The third act’s violence seems promising but quickly dips out. Several attempts are made to kill Alice but she keeps coming back. The film feels repetitive with uninteresting scenes. The cinematography has some great moments that are moody and atmospheric, but it’s ultimately drab. The story and dialogue are weak overall. There’s no real spark other than Fox’s performance. It would’ve been cool to see what Fox could’ve done given a stronger screenplay. S.K. Dale’s Till Death is a much better film starring Fox.
Subservience will be on EST 13th September and TVOD from 20th September.
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