i totally agree but i will say that unfortunately this movie wholly reflects my last year of dating— experiences that are exactly as surface level and simple and dark as this movie. its simplicity made it feel all the more chilling to me because i felt that i was watching through the masculine eyes vs my own, an experience maybe not necessary but definitely weird and uncomfortable and impactful to me. it’s shallowness felt eye opening to me bc where i scrounge for the depth of reasoning… i do believe it often is just that depressingly simple for a lot of men.
for me it’s been any kind of ya fantasy (especially shadowhunters) specifically i love infernal devices and dark artifices because there’s a plot but it’s nothing complicated and it always puts me to sleep
I liked the movie. I think her being at 40% intelligence then upgrading herself to 100% was like being suddenly woke. I’ve been going through this, but my partner isn’t participating. It’s not that he’s a bad guy (am I quoting the movie?) it is also his entitlement, assumptions about my autonomy, lack of reciprocity, and taking me for granted. So I felt it… like even the “just smile” and “look like you’re having fun”. This isn’t his advice of course, but he is riddled with ways to superficially manage my concerns. I dunno, I kinda think they nailed it? I was definitely freaked out as parts of this are like the nightmare parts of my life.
When I saw this with my bf I also noted that I enjoyed it and found it fun to watch but found it to be a surface-level ex-machina of sorts. I don't know if it necessarily felt gendered through the male gaze. I do think perhaps adding a feminine perspective to it, perhaps via reading and edits to the script by a woman, may have made it stronger and less shallow in its analysis and its treatment of Kat, the one other woman in the film whose character honestly deserved a lot more depth.
I had very similar feelings about Poor Things! I think the most interesting thing about twists like this should be how the woman feels about suddenly knowing that her life is built on a lie, rather than just pushing through to find success in a pretty stereotypically, masculine way (doin' murders in Companion, subjugating a man through brain science in Poor Things). Westworld actually did this really well in the first season with the character of Maeve!
I wanted to love this movie so much but felt kind of eh about it and I think it was this surface level-ness you just mentioned. What I enjoyed the most was, after finding out that iris is actually a robot, looking back at how other characters have interacted with her (for example cat saying „it’s not that I don’t like you, its more the idea of you“ and sergeys „and this beautiful creation must be iris“ etc.) that already hinted at what she was. But the movie overall felt very predictable and I cared very little for any of the characters even tho the whole Patrick/Eli thing had potential
i actually saw it on a date and the guy was laughing earnestly the whole time then said it was “one of the best releases for sure”… the unbearable ick. was the last time i saw him
see I knew we had a lot in common!! Jennifer's Body is one of my all-time faves too -- I have dressed up as her for Halloween multiple times --- the cheerleader! the prom dress! and the blood-stained puffer jacket! most iconic movie of all time. Loved this essay!
i totally agree but i will say that unfortunately this movie wholly reflects my last year of dating— experiences that are exactly as surface level and simple and dark as this movie. its simplicity made it feel all the more chilling to me because i felt that i was watching through the masculine eyes vs my own, an experience maybe not necessary but definitely weird and uncomfortable and impactful to me. it’s shallowness felt eye opening to me bc where i scrounge for the depth of reasoning… i do believe it often is just that depressingly simple for a lot of men.
i appreciate this pov so much!! that's such a good take on this movie!
“low brain power books” recs ?!
for me it’s been any kind of ya fantasy (especially shadowhunters) specifically i love infernal devices and dark artifices because there’s a plot but it’s nothing complicated and it always puts me to sleep
I liked the movie. I think her being at 40% intelligence then upgrading herself to 100% was like being suddenly woke. I’ve been going through this, but my partner isn’t participating. It’s not that he’s a bad guy (am I quoting the movie?) it is also his entitlement, assumptions about my autonomy, lack of reciprocity, and taking me for granted. So I felt it… like even the “just smile” and “look like you’re having fun”. This isn’t his advice of course, but he is riddled with ways to superficially manage my concerns. I dunno, I kinda think they nailed it? I was definitely freaked out as parts of this are like the nightmare parts of my life.
I thought this was a fun watch, ex machina meets jennifer's body, and I loved it. I don't know that every movie is made to be deep.
When I saw this with my bf I also noted that I enjoyed it and found it fun to watch but found it to be a surface-level ex-machina of sorts. I don't know if it necessarily felt gendered through the male gaze. I do think perhaps adding a feminine perspective to it, perhaps via reading and edits to the script by a woman, may have made it stronger and less shallow in its analysis and its treatment of Kat, the one other woman in the film whose character honestly deserved a lot more depth.
babe i need you to start doing more film reviews. this was everything 🤌🏿
Even though i liked the film i found your review to be very profound! I wrote about the companion too when it came out https://open.substack.com/pub/magdalenavstheworld/p/am-i-a-robot-feminist?r=1rsjw4&utm_medium=ios :)
I had very similar feelings about Poor Things! I think the most interesting thing about twists like this should be how the woman feels about suddenly knowing that her life is built on a lie, rather than just pushing through to find success in a pretty stereotypically, masculine way (doin' murders in Companion, subjugating a man through brain science in Poor Things). Westworld actually did this really well in the first season with the character of Maeve!
I liked the movie but agree with all of this! It was very surface level, funny, and almost too light hearted to be a true horror film IMO.
I wanted to love this movie so much but felt kind of eh about it and I think it was this surface level-ness you just mentioned. What I enjoyed the most was, after finding out that iris is actually a robot, looking back at how other characters have interacted with her (for example cat saying „it’s not that I don’t like you, its more the idea of you“ and sergeys „and this beautiful creation must be iris“ etc.) that already hinted at what she was. But the movie overall felt very predictable and I cared very little for any of the characters even tho the whole Patrick/Eli thing had potential
i love your film reviews
i actually saw it on a date and the guy was laughing earnestly the whole time then said it was “one of the best releases for sure”… the unbearable ick. was the last time i saw him
you should read annie bot, it's basically companion but spent more time in the oven.
see I knew we had a lot in common!! Jennifer's Body is one of my all-time faves too -- I have dressed up as her for Halloween multiple times --- the cheerleader! the prom dress! and the blood-stained puffer jacket! most iconic movie of all time. Loved this essay!