Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and Digital from writer/director Chris Weitz and Blumhouse and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the AI and being AFRAID.

Curtis (John Cho) is a computer engineer who enjoys a great relationship with his boss Marcus (Keith Carradine). He wants the company to design something A.I. realizing it is a growing industry. Curtis isn’t really happy about what is happening with the A.I. industry but holds his opinion when he meets Melody (Havana Rose Liu), Lighting (David Dastmalchian) and Sam (Ashley Romans). They have come to a meeting to show Curtis and Marcus their own idea with AIA.

Convincing Curtis to allow AIA into their home to wife Meredith (Katherine Waterston), daughter Iris (Lukita Maxwell) and sons Preston (Wyatt Lindner) and Cal (Isaac Bae), almost immediately Curtis sees unusual people around their home. AIA makes herself invaluable to Meredith and finds a way to ingratiate herself to teen daughter Iris but Curtis is not fooled. He decides to take matters into his own hands when Marcus informs him that the company has been sold and Curtis can become the new boss. Going to the headquarters is where Curtis makes a stand but AIA isn’t about to let him get away with anything.

At home, it all begins to become crazier and this time, he has the family behind him. Will it be enough to go against a strong AIA?

Cho as Curtis is a man who is happy with his family and his work. Of course, there are struggles with the kids and trying to make everyone happy but he does try. Bringing AIA home offers a bit of time with the wife and a connection for the kids. Surprised at first that the family finds their own place with AIA, it doesn’t take long before his return feelings about A.I. are validated.

Waterston as Meredith is a wife who begins to question being a Mom. AIA is there to listen but there comes a time when even she questions how the line blurs between a human beings’ true feelings and A.I.’s programed responses. Maxwell as Iris is a typical teenager who lets social media rule her life until AIA steps in. Bae as Cal is a youngster with an ipad and we all know how that can be. Preston as Lindner gets the chance to show he is just as brave, and a tad cleverer, than his dad. 

Shout out to Liu as Melody, Dastmalchian as Lightening and Romans as Sam for providing the creepiness needed for this to work. To be honest, had I ever met these three – I’d have run the opposite way so fast it would make my own head spin!

Other cast include Bennett Curran as Sawyer, Greg Hill as Henry, Riki Lindhome as Maud, Todd Waring as Papa and Ben Youcef as Ben.

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Extra features include Five Deleted & Extended Scenes Including Alternate Ending and Dark Side of AI.

AFRAID is a look at how quickly A.I. can permeate family life in a larger sense. We use computers, phones, social media, websites etc. but AIA shows that in a snap how it can be used in the worst way. Cho brings the naysaying to it all but finds himself a bit pulled in by it until it starts to make him suspicious.

AIA actually becomes a bit of a star in this film solving problems and becoming best friends with the wife solving her issues, bff to the daughter solving her teen issues yet with the sons, the A.I. takes on a different look and feel. The film falls into the “beware of A.I.” that seems to permeate films right now and truthfully, I’m a bit on their side. Although, I have to also say I do like having Alexa around when I have weird questions I’m too lazy to look up myself so there’s that.

That being said, watch the film and discover which side you are on.

In the end – be careful what you let in!

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