tomilipin

I watched this on Amazon Prime a couple of days ago and had to give myself some time to digest it. The story is quite OK, but whoever decided to fill the movie with irrelevant crap should indeed be fired. The film is full of slow-paced memories, some of which actually do explain some things and are helpful in understanding and following the story, however, there is very little story to follow. Acting is acceptable, music - almost non-existent. Fortunately, there are special effects, which I consider to be the only high quality and enjoyable feature. I would gladly watch an edited version with all the non-essential scenes removed. Oh, and did they use StartCraft (the game) "bunker load" sounds when the doors open and close in the movie? LOL, I'm pretty sure that's the exact same sound.

It is impossible not to compare it to the 1999 (classic in my opinion) movie Cruel Intentions. It's the same story, only adapted and updated to fit contemporary audience. So, instead of keeping a paper diary, Lucien records his achievements with his smartphone. There is no horse riding or playing polo - very little upper class entertainment. Ryan Phillippe's and Reese Witherspoon's lookalikes may be considered a great choice. They are really good actors and do visually resemble some of the 'original' cast, although in the 1999 movie Reese Witherspoon was 'the bet', and now her lookalike is 'the evil step-sister'. Still, very enjoyable to watch. There is also a lot of additional drama which increases the number of characters, but I guess it's OK - modern audience seem to prefer it this way. To sum up, it was great to watch the story again after 25 years. A little bit altered, but it's basically the same tale of the fight between values, money, influence, manipulation, lies and seduction. It should appeal to modern teenagers and young adults, but I still recommend watching the 1999 movie afterwards. Just to see what you've been missing.

That's just yet another movie in the theme of an evil AI ruining people's lives by sneaking into their homes, playing nice and friendly and then, suddenly, changing sides and attacking them. Because of this stereotypical approach, most of the movie is very easy to predict, as there is nothing new, nothing grabs your attention. Surprisingly, what I found most interesting were the family issues which most parents could easily relate to, and not the AI stuff.

The acting was great, the story very generic, but it seemed very life-like and, thanks to that, very close to ordinary people. A couple of twists here and there, just to add some color to the story, but nothing outstanding.

Overall, I recommend watching the film. It's well directed, there are nice special effects, looks futuristic (which I personally enjoy) and not too long.