SOULM8TE

There's certainly no shortage of films in which androids, created to please humans, go bonkers and do the exact opposite. After all, robots and AI have been a hot topic for several decades, particularly since The Terminator. But in recent years, there's been something of a revival. That's hardly surprising, given how much more of a presence AI has come to have in society, having gone from a nightmare scenario in the world of film to something used professionally and beginning to dominate the music and film industries, as well as literature - the field in which I myself work. Now it's used for everything from image and video generation to shopping lists and medical advice on rashes in unwanted places.

But enough about AI in real life. We were going to talk about fiction. In 2022, M3GAN was a hit. On the face of it, it looked rather daft, but it was both entertaining and quite stylish. The sequel, on the other hand, flopped completely, which I can understand. It was also well-made and quite entertaining, but it completely abandoned the concept of the first film and tried to deliver some sort of mix between sci-fi and action comedy that didn't quite work. Last year we also got Companion, in which Jack Quaid from The Boys gets an android girlfriend. It had its moments but didn't quite hold up throughout. I read that Soulm8te, which is a spin-off of M3GAN, was postponed due to the sequel's flop. It has now been released digitally, though.

So, what's it about?
A man who has recently lost his wife decides to try out the company's new AI partner. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he accidentally transforms a harmless love bot into something completely different. A programming error that has disastrous consequences.

A film about a murderous lovebot. Does that sound daft? Yes. On paper. But so did M3GAN, which, all things considered, surprised me in a good way. The same goes for Companion, even though it perhaps didn't quite hold up throughout. I've therefore decided to approach this quirky M3GAN sequel - or spin-off - with an open mind.

Kate Dolan is at the helm; she made her feature film debut with You Are Not My Mother, an Irish horror film I haven't seen. She has also directed episodes of the superb Kin and the Netflix series The Tourist. Horror veterans James Wan and Jason Blum, along with others from the M3GAN team, are listed as producers, and it shows, as the formula is the same, even though Soulm8te contains fewer light-hearted elements.

In the role of the robot Sara, we see Lily Sullivan, known for her roles in Lee Kronin's films Evil Dead Rise and The Mummy, amongst others. The hapless, horny David is played by David Rysdahl from Alien: Earth, Fargo (the series) and Oppenheimer. His colleague Aubrey is played by Claudia Doumit, known for her roles in The Boys, amongst others. The acting is generally good and there's really nothing to complain about here. Lily Sullivan delivers some truly creepy and admirable robotic facial expressions.

Soulm8te is sometimes described as an erotic thriller. Let me dispel that myth. The 'erotic thriller' genre is loaded with connotations and brings to mind films like Basic Instinct, where sex and steamy scenes are a driving force. Admittedly, there is a bit of sex in Soulm8te and, after all, the theme is a robot created to please, but it's not exactly raunchy. Not enough to be called an erotic thriller. So those of you hoping for raunchy robot sex are likely to be disappointed.

That said, it's very entertaining and beautifully made. It's an interesting and topical concept, and the choice of a female director feels, in a way, obvious. There's a deeper message that isn't hammered home or felt forced, yet still adds something. I imagine there would have been a great deal more focus on superficiality, sleaze and close-ups of specific bodily attributes if a man had been at the helm, and perhaps especially if the film had been produced a few years earlier. There's nothing wrong with that, especially as it's described as having a much greater focus on eroticism than the final product actually delivers.

The pace is relatively fast and it keeps you engaged, even though we naturally realise that the whole thing is going to go to hell. And quite quickly at that. Soulm8te also offers some lovely gore, even if it isn't excessively bloody compared to much else in the genre.
But it's welcome.

I don't find it either scary or particularly unpleasant, but the entertainment value and tension are high. I also appreciate - as I often go on about when it comes to horror - that the cast consists of lesser-known names. It adds something to the experience. We can clearly say that Soulm8te leaves the door open for more, and I certainly wouldn't have minded that. In fact, I could even have seen myself settling back on the sofa for more M3GAN if it had crawled back towards something more horror-inspired, rather than the attempt at an unnecessarily drawn-out action comedy that the sequel delivered.

All in all, I think Soulm8te is another of this year's more interesting experiences, even if it isn't flawless and leans a bit more towards sci-fi and thriller than horror. Give it a go.