Megan Fox. In spite of her good looks, I truly believe she’s an actress who should be much more famous, especially considering the whole Transformers fiasco. Any non-mainstream role she’s tackled – like Among the Shadows and Rogue – has been a rather enjoyable experience. Subservience, of course, is no different. And this is a role that really catered to her strengths. I don’t know how to quite put my finger on it, but Subservience showed off all the qualities that made her famous in the first place. Written by Will Honley and April Maguire, Subservience tells the story of a somewhat modern world where “common” jobs are replaced by AI robots. When a construction worker’s wife falls ill and forces him to raise two young children alone, he ends up buying an AI robot to help with nannying. Only the robot goes completely offline and starts terrorizing the family with a mission to become her owner’s new wife.
Directed by S.K. Dale, Subservience stars Megan Fox, Michele Morrone, Madeline Zima, Matilda Firth and Andrew Whipp. It was produced by Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Yariv Lerner, Les Weldon and Tanner Mobley, and featured cinematography by Daniel Lindholm and editing by Sean Lahiff. Having received a small international theatrical release, Subservience is now available to stream on Netflix from Millennium Media, Grobman Films and XYZ Films. An interesting mix of Megan, I Robot and Stepford Wives, Subservience is a science fiction thriller with a few elements of horror. It’s definitely a slow burn story with a lot of suspense, with the narrative relying on Alice’s (Megan Fox) descent into madness and deterioration of the bonds that make the family so strong. I tried to keep a tally of the death scenes in the movie, and I think it’s four or five – more if you factor in multiple AI robots who also lose their shit.
As a production, I don’t have any complaints. It’s picture perfect and even when the science fiction really kicks in with special effects, it’s still extremely capable as a scifi thriller. I don’t think Subservience is necessarily anything new and invigorating as there’s a lot of films out right now about AI smart-homes attacking people, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun watch. The lead actor, Michele Morrone, is amazing and rivals Megan Fox for hottest one in the movie. There’s a lot of subtle sexuality and plot twists you may not expect – especially nearing the end of the movie. It’s a fun winter movie to watch while high (like I did) and it knows when to wrap things up. I know I’m rattling off random thoughts, but I’m just trying to figure out other things to say besides “this one is really good.” I know some people are going to hate it because they want Avengers: End Game in every movie they see, but I can appreciate Subservience for what it has to offer.
Final Score: 7 out of 10.
S.K. Dale’s Subservience is a gripping science fiction thriller with psychological depth, effectively blending AI terror with family drama. Megan Fox’s performance shines, bringing both suspense and nuance. Though familiar in concept, the film excels through its slow-burn tension and sharp plot twists. A fun, thought-provoking watch for fans of the genre.