I Am Mother Movie Review: This Netflix Offering Is Creepy and Engaging but Not Memorable

I Am Mother is not a very novel concept, honestly. We have seen enough renditions of Artificial Intelligence going against humans. And this pre-conceived idea is also what works against Netflix's I Am Mother. You are already suspicious of the machine even before anything happens. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a robot, simply referred to as Mother (Rose Byrne's voice) throughout, is raising the only remaining human, a female, simply referred to as Daughter (Clara Rugaard), in a high-tech facility. There are hundreds of thousands of more embryos stored there which will one day be used to repopulate the Earth. Despite the oddity of the circumstances, everything is going hunky dory in the facility. The girl grows up to be a sane, stable, intelligent, talented, artistic, brave, teenager under Mother's guidance. She is studying to become a doctor and can even perform surgery. Black Mirror 5: Striking Vipers Review - Charlie Brooker’s Take on Technology and Sexuality Deserves Attention.

Things begin to spiral out of control when a Woman (Hillary Swank) enters the premises, bloodied and wounded, against Mother's 'happiness'. Daughter is now torn between Mother and Woman as to who is speaking the truth. Is the outside world really inhabitable as opposed to what Mother has said? Or does the Woman have ulterior motives? The movie keeps you guessing until the final moments. The final blow is delivered right before the closing credits elevating the quality of the movie. Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too Review - It Is Not Terrifying Anymore But Miley Cyrus Plays The Best Of Both Worlds!

Grant Sputore's direction keeps you at the edge of your seat. The background score works equally well. The robot, a bodysuit and not entirely CGI, is impressive. The writing by Michael Lloyd Green is where cracks begin to show.

The woman is not given any substance or character other than being an unwanted intruder, thus wasting a talent like Swank. You'd think the woollen cross she carried would be alluding to a Carrie like situation, but, alas, it is just a prop. The plot is predictable at many points, but, again thanks to the direction and cinematography, you stay involved. The movie goes for an emotional climax as opposed to a high octane action set-piece that sci-fi movies usually go for, which is not my cup of tea. But maybe it is yours. The robot is as menacing as it is loving. There is a certain creepiness to its demeanour which is not thoroughly explored in the plot.

Yay

- Clara Rugaard is quite a rockstar. Great screen presence.

- The set is awesome

- There is one scene where the robot sort of SMILES, which is so creepy

Nay

- Not enough character details are given to any of the main protagonists for us to root for anyone

- Sci-fi cliches in abundance

- It takes guts to waste Swank

Final Thoughts

The movie is what we love to call one-time-watch. I Am Mother can be watched for its grand sets, the menacing robot, and for the decent amount of time it keeps you guessing who's evil and who's not.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2019 05:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).