Simulant (2023)

Simulant (2023). Simulant: Directed by April Mullen. With Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Simu Liu, Sam Worthington. Set in the near future, a humanoid enlists a global hacker to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities, triggering an A.I. uprising and a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness.

“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? u0026quot;More human than humanu0026quot; of the Tyrell Corporation is replaced with Nexxerau0026#39;s u0026quot;simulants are as close to human as humanly possibleu0026quot;. 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 doesnu0026#39;t do it much justice.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCast 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere 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 u0026quot;preceptsu0026quot; are repeated multiple times to remind the audience, rather than work them into the screenplay, which to me is lazy writing. The u0026quot;ominousu0026quot; 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;m actually surprised this was picked up by HBO Max and not Syfy, where itu0026#39;s would find a more appropriate home and audience. Itu0026#39;s not entirely unwatchable, if you adjust your expectations.”