|
|
|
|
|
Movies may have warned us about it for decades, but now AI is working its way into our lives more and more every day—to the point where we often can’t tell the difference between reality and AI. And the techno-thriller Renner tells another story of AI gone wrong.
Renner stars Frankie Muniz as the title character, an eccentric tech genius who’s known for his ground-breaking developments in AI technology. His most remarkable project is an AI life coach he’s named Salenus (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden), who helps him maintain control over the smallest aspects of his daily life while also helping him work to be more assertive—with the end goal of helping him find love. When he finally works up the confidence to talk to his neighbor, Jamie (Violett Beane), it seems like things might finally work out for him—but Salenus isn’t so sure.
These days, AI is everywhere. It helps us find family-friendly recipes and then orders the groceries we need for our dinner. It also imitates celebrity voices for unauthorized ad campaigns and creates realistic images that throw social media into an uproar. Like most of AI’s top developers, Renner had the best of intentions when he created Salenus; he just wanted to help people like himself, who just needed some support. But, as is always the case with movies about AI, it all takes a dark and troubling turn for this poor, well-meaning genius.
Renner is anxious and awkward—a high-strung kind of guy who fears germs and disorganization and human interaction. The more we get to know him, the more we understand why he is the way he is. And as he begins seeing more of Jamie, Salenus begins sounding more and more like a controlling mother who doesn’t approve of her son’s new girlfriend—and her constant nagging and nit-picking make him start to come unhinged. He cleans more and scrubs harder—and the pace grows more and more frantic until viewers will feel the growing anxiety of the situation.
Admittedly, the story here isn’t entirely surprising—and its conclusion feels rather anti-climactic—but its growing tension makes it a frenetic sci-fi thriller.
AI thrillers definitely aren’t new or ground-breaking. In fact, the more AI becomes a part of our daily lives, the more of them we see. But while Renner is far from a flawless thriller, it may make you a little more suspicious of the devices around you.
You can meet Salenus and her creator when Renner arrives in theaters on February 7, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
|
|
|
|
