Great concept, but so trippy in its narrative that it was often incomprehensible. Maybe that's the part of the point, that AI embedded into people will be impossible to disentangle, or that the advancement of technology is like putting humanity on a dizzying Mad Tea Party ride, but regardless, I think a little restraint would have made this ten times better. The quiet moments (like "Parenting is programming") were far more interesting than the spew of jargon or the various surreal moments, and the interactive experience complete with merchandising sounds even less like my cup of tea. Had promise, but ended up a mess.
4 Reviews
Chaotic and incomprehensible
sophievandoornmalen-747-98662714 December 2021
Could not finish this film. The story is all over the place and it is impossibly hard to follow what's going on. Mix than in with epilepsy inducing imagery and we left the room half way through saying to each other "what the .. did we just watch?"
Never seen anything like it before
rahimh4 December 2021
If you're into sci-fi in any capacity, definitely watch. It was the closest thing to a cinematic video game experience that I've ever had...in a great way. So hard to capture given that it was such a unique experience watching, but regardless - I highly recommend, and also make sure to try out the different parameters that set you on various "subplots"
Intricate and original
ehdfs28977931 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This piece is not easy to digest if only watched once. It contains a lot of novel concepts and intricate storylines that, for me, only became clear after multiple viewings. If you like sci-fi and films that reveal something new to you every time you watch them, this is one of those.
(Spoilers below) At first, I was mostly amazed by the "Destiny B. O. B." Chalice has and how powerful it can be to have a program that plans your future for you. Then the story took a dark turn when Chairman Ava explains the potential dangers of living with a Destiny B. O. B.(failure to identify/reconcile with the person B. O. B has helped you become). This is when Orlando's attempted suicide at the beginning of the film start to make sense. Then the story becomes darker when it shows that Dr. Wong seems to have complete control over Chalice's B. O. B. Since Chalice's Destiny B. O. B. Obeyed Dr. Wong instead of Chalice at New Year's Eve Event when Dr. Wong wanted Chalice to sing. However, it's not clear to me whether Chalice's being "permadroned" is Dr. Wong's decision or simply B. O. B. Usurping its user.
There are a lot of intriguing details that I hope to better understand in the story, for example, how Chyna "experimented with parallel paths" and why Chalice got permadroned. Perhaps there are answers in the story already, but I couldn't capture all of it; perhaps they were just left unexplored in this film. I'm looking forward to sequels and the series being available outside of a limited-time museum exhibition setting.
(Spoilers below) At first, I was mostly amazed by the "Destiny B. O. B." Chalice has and how powerful it can be to have a program that plans your future for you. Then the story took a dark turn when Chairman Ava explains the potential dangers of living with a Destiny B. O. B.(failure to identify/reconcile with the person B. O. B has helped you become). This is when Orlando's attempted suicide at the beginning of the film start to make sense. Then the story becomes darker when it shows that Dr. Wong seems to have complete control over Chalice's B. O. B. Since Chalice's Destiny B. O. B. Obeyed Dr. Wong instead of Chalice at New Year's Eve Event when Dr. Wong wanted Chalice to sing. However, it's not clear to me whether Chalice's being "permadroned" is Dr. Wong's decision or simply B. O. B. Usurping its user.
There are a lot of intriguing details that I hope to better understand in the story, for example, how Chyna "experimented with parallel paths" and why Chalice got permadroned. Perhaps there are answers in the story already, but I couldn't capture all of it; perhaps they were just left unexplored in this film. I'm looking forward to sequels and the series being available outside of a limited-time museum exhibition setting.
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