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AfrAId opens with an Artificial Intelligence program being used by a young girl, Ava, who’s far too engaged with her on her tablet, much to her parents’ total ignorance, not realising how controlling it can be of children, but then the whole family go missing…
Then we move to Hollywood’s favourite, the ‘blended family’, here with mom Meredith (Katherine Waterston – The End We Start From), pop Curtis (John Cho – Ghosted) and various offspring, some of indeterminate origins, including teen daughter Iris (Lukita Maxwell– Shrinking), who’s too busy Snapchatting her lady lumps to her controlling boyfriend, Sawyer (Bennett Curran).
But in a film where AI is presented as the greatest threat to mankind ever, the voice of AIA (Havana Rose Liu, who also portrays company employee Melody, explaining her voice has been used for the AI bot), first tries to win over all the members of the household, such as by helping Iris out with her relationship problems, even talking to Iris through her own phone while she’s out and about, despite the AI machine supposedly being limited to only making contact with anyone on the ground floor of their house.
Plus, there’s plans afoot for an even bigger and better version of the device to come, so maybe that’s saved for the sequel, if this one makes enough money. Then again, even though AfrAId only cost $12m to make, while my local Odeon had four screenings a day in the first week, it goes down to ONE a day from week 2, so this film is heading for Flopsville, USA.
However, while AfrAId builds some decent intrigue throughout most of it, when we get to the last act and some eventual revelations that horror films have to explain all the weird stuff, it just doesn’t work. So, yet another film that starts off great, goes a bit middling, then falls apart. It’s largely a fun ride, but the wheels come off the longer it goes on.
As an aside, AIA looks like an oversized baby-seat cover in a shopping mall. Oh, wait, that’s BEFORE they take the cover off. Odd that an initial demostration is given with AIA still boxed up, then(!)
As another aside – and GOD, this is frustrating! After booking my seat in Premiere, I later saw that in an almost-empty room, two people had booked to my right, RIGHT NEXT TO ME!! WTF?!
I figured I hoped I could get there early enough before they arrive, to put my coat inbetween me and them. And if they were there already, I’d leave a couple of seats gap.
Ok, so when you book, the system won’t let you book on the same row with a single seat between you and the next person, but don’t be a dick – just leave TWO seats! Make it more comfortable, yeah? I don’t want you sat on my lap.
As it turned out, I did get to my seat just a few minutes before the other two on my row did. I’d sat in my seat, put my jacket on the seat inbetween me and where they would be (including one of those two selected seats), and they came past me on my row (even though they could’ve gone round), and respected the gap. Maybe they intended that all along, but it’s just how the app works.
That said, it is possible to circumvent this, but before you book your seat, you have to go to the website without booking in, attempt to book that inbetween seat and confirm it, as if you’re then going to buy it as a guest, and that blocks the seat for 12 minutes. Then go back to your app and book your chosen seat. 12 minutes later, that ‘blocked’ seat will clear, and you have your gap – unless the film is as popular as Barbie or Oppenheimer.
However, just before the film proper started (after just 14 mins of ads/trailers), one of them still had their phone torch on while they’d left it in the cupholder (which still left a bright light on the screen!) and after a minute, I had to say something. After that, it was mostly fine, except that the guy closest to me had an Apple Watch or similar that kept lighting up with the time every time they moved their damn hand, and took forever to switch off.
So, an almost perfect screening…
Then, at the end, one guy, 3 rows in front of me clearly got the memo about a single mid-credits scene, since he stayed for that, but as soon as it was over, “BOOM!”, he stood up and rushed off. Maybe he was dashing off somewhere for another film? For me, I was about to go and see the first Harry Potter movie for the first time, but I had enough time for that without rushing.
There’s also a mid-credits scene, as I get into in the video below.
AfrAId is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release date TBA.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 84 minutes
Release date: August 30th 2024
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 5.5/10
Director: Chris Weitz
Producers: Jason Blum, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz
Screenplay: Chris Weitz
Music: Alex Weston
Cast:
Curtis: John Cho
Meredith: Katherine Waterston
Marcus: Keith Carradine
Melody / AIA: Havana Rose Liu
Iris: Lukita Maxwell
Sam: Ashley Romans
Lightning: David Dastmalchian
Preston: Wyatt Lindner
Cal: Isaac Bae
Sawyer: Bennett Curran
Henry / RV Man: Greg Hill
Maud / RV Woman: Riki Lindhome
Jackson: Ashton Essex Bright
Eli: Mason Shea Joyce
Kaden: River Drosche
Papa: Todd Waring
Johnny: Simon Craig Raynes
Young Man: Rogelio Douglas III
Paramedic: Zeke Alton
Lady: Pam Cook
Ben: Ben Youcef
Samuel: Louis De La Costa
Original AIA Voice: Rachael Hip-Flores
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.