MOTHER/ANDROID: A familiar AI warning sign that doesn’t fully connect the way it wants

Netflix

Directed by Mattson Tomlin

Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Algee Smith & Raúl Castillo

Mattson Tomlin deserves some credit, what he did with the played out AI turning on us genre- is atleast different enough to stand out from the rest of the pack in this thriller sub genre. Not to mention, there is countless times where Tomlin showcases his strengths as a film maker so there definitely is some excitement for what comes next for him in his career. Mother/Android more than anything is just that, a showcase of what a clearly talented filmmaker could do with a larger budget and more opportunities- it may not all work, but it’s more there as a testing ground for Tomlin to prove that he can make something, even the most overplayed of genres work.

In a post-apocalyptic world rocked by a violent android uprising, a young pregnant woman and her boyfriend desperately search for safety.

The story itself is rather unique taking the genre and making a survival story out of the perspective of a pregnant woman is such an interesting take that the film will atleast stand out from some of the others. In fact throughout it we do get some really cool sequences, involving an AI chase with dirt bikes- and some really cool shots involving the colour red to really showcase the level of threat that our leads Georgia and Sam are going through. The hairs on my arm shooting straight up as they walk carefully around trying not to be spotted by some blood thirsty cyborgs that have turned on humans after I imagine years of serving them. The issue then becomes more so with the script itself, one so thin that you can poke holes throughout its plot so easily that it’s covered in plot holes sheer minutes into it. One written so poorly that many side characters have dialogue that sounds so clunky and or out of place for the conversations being had that it takes the viewer out of it. More so than anything, the script decides to make Algee Smith’s character the dumbest man on the planet- seriously every decision he’s makes is sheer stupidity, and only done to move the plot forward. It goes from slightly agitating to infuriating within a short span of time when you realize that this was just a cheap way of getting from point A to point B, rather than finding a reasonable way to get there- why not just have Sam be as careless and dumb as he can be, even in a world that has fallen to pieces because of an Android uprising. The acting is fine, as I said above Algee Smith falls victim more so to his characters poor writing and one can’t take away from his performance. The character being written so badly, really limits what he can bring to the table and drops him further behind his fellow Co Lead and the Supporting character both who deserve their own round of applause. Chloé Grace Moretz has made a name for herself in the lower budget thriller game, and she does it again- her character Georgia, is everything that her boyfriend is not. She’s smart, tough, and knows when to do things and when not too- in order to survive. Not to mention, she’s nine months pregnant throughout the film- the character is meant to be badass, and Moretz does just that. She’s really developed in her career that persona where she can play tough so well. Raúl Castillo steals the show once he is introduced, he gives a really good monologue about the origins of robots- and he captures the screen from his co stars. There’s this type of presence about him, where you begin to believe that this could be a real being that one would encounter in this type of world Armageddon- even if they decided to give him the name Arthur, something that definitely doesn’t suit a strong person such as Castillo.

In the end, Mother/Android sure could use a better name and it doesn’t necessarily deliver the strongest script- but there’s fun to be had in it, and the entire crew involved deserve some credit for trying something unique within the subgenre.

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