T.I.M.

IN A NUTSHELL: The story is about a prosthetics engineer named Abi, who moves to the countryside to work on Integrate Robotics's latest product - a humanoid artificial intelligence called T. I. M. Which stands for Technologically Integrated Manservant.

Cool? Creepy? You decide!

The film was directed and written by Spencer Brown with writing help by Sarah Govett.

THINGS I LIKED: The robot, T. I. M., is played by Eamon Farren, who does an excellent, believable, and scary job.

Other cast members also do a great job: Georgina Campbell, Mark Rowley (gotta love his accent), Amara Karan, Tom Bell, and Nathaniel Parker.

I love the idea of a robot doing everything for me. I have several Alexa and Google Home mini devices at home, but instead of becoming sentient, it's as if they're becoming dumber. They used to be able to answer all kinds of questions for me but now they often say, "I don't know that." (sigh) The tension builds with each scene.

The AI house is really slick!

The film is definitely timely. With the launch of ChatGPT in November 2023, Artificial Intelligence has been on everyone's mind. How far will it go? Are you excited about it or a little bit afraid? As a university professor, I've already seen a huge uptick in plagiarism as students are using AI to write all of their assignments for them. While AI has revolutionized how businesses can operate more efficiently, it has been quite damaging to the way students are/aren't learning in education now. Don't get me wrong; AI has already done wonders for education with apps and learning tools. It's just too much of a temptation for students when it comes to academic integrity.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: It's so annoying when characters do dumb things.

The last big fight scene was super frustrating to watch. I hate it when a character just stands still in a scene, inevitably becoming a victim, rather than running or fighting back harder.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: We see a married couple in bed trying to get pregnant (some movement, sound effects, and skin).

Talk of infidelity We see a car crash We see some attempted murders Some profanity and F-bombs.

Have you noticed how most of the artificial intelligence movies that are out are about what can go wrong? Maybe it is the fear of the unknown or the fear of what can happen, but this movie does a great job pushing the envelope. This movie is full of surprises which makes who wonder who was T. I. M.s programmer? They say garbage in, garbage out and that certainly applies to T. I. M. I won't say what he does for the sake of being a spoiler, but let's just say you may want to think twice about smart homes and driverless vehicles. Either way, this movie will take you on a ride as T. I. M. Does not disappoint.

Abi Campbell is employed by at a cutting edge robotics company where she works on T. I. M. The 'Technologically Integrated Manservant'... basically a human looking robot that does household tasks and is fully integrated into its owner's computer systems. She has moved to a remote rural home, hoping that away from London her husband Paul is less likely to keep straying. Their new hi-tech home comes with a T. I. M. Both a perk and a condition of her job. It appears to be very helpful but Paul doesn't like having it in the house; is he worried that T. I. M. Will make it harder for him to carry on with the neighbour or is there something genuinely sinister about their robotic servant?

I thought this was a pretty solid science fiction film even if the concept of humaniform robots in the home is hardly original; I couldn't help being reminded of the film 'Ex_Machina' and the TV series 'Humans' and 'Better than Us'. It is somewhat predictable but that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. Georgina Campbell impresses as Abi and Eamon Farren is delightfully creepy as T. I. M., firmly positioning the robot in uncanny valley even before its behaviour becomes obviously suspect. Most of the action takes place in the house and the surrounding countryside or occasionally the works; this provides an excuse to keep the cast fairly small. Most of the time things are merely creepy but there is occasional, effective action. The denouement is okay but not much of a surprise. Overall a decent if minor addition to this genre.

"T. I. M." offers an engaging cinematic experience, although it falls short of the psychological intensity of a "Black Mirror" episode. The film, with its well-acted ensemble of a small cast, manages to captivate despite its differences in scope.

Running for 1 hour and 41 minutes, "T. I. M." struggles to fully develop its characters, leaving the audience wanting more depth. The narrative occasionally feels pieced together, hindering the film from realizing its full potential. Yet, surprisingly, the film's emotional resonance isn't entirely lost.

In a world where AI integration is becoming less fiction and more fact, "T. I. M." explores a topic of increasing relevance. It prompts us to contemplate the ramifications of advanced technology on our lives and emotions.

Despite review scores that might suggest otherwise, "T. I. M." isn't as lacking as some critics assert. I rate it a solid 7.5 out of 10. While it may not scale the heights of other films and shows in this genre, it still offers thoughtful moments and a glimpse into a world where time and emotions intertwine, even if not explored to their fullest.

I really hoped that this would explore A. I in a different way to most of the A. I films that have been produced .Sadly this film has No memorable features or twists in its storyline and runs along very similar paths to all the other A. I films. It is very obvious from the start just how this story is going to play out and the writers are so lazy they don't try to either cover it up or attempt to add any mystery whatsoever to the storyline so you can basically predict 99% before it occurs! Rendering the film quite boring to be honest. The only thing I salvage from the many A. I films is the question just how realistic are the varying possibilities and is mankind taking technology towards its ultimate destruction?