A.I. Rising

A Serbian Film (no not THAT one) about a man on an isolated spaceship, his only companion a female Android. Right off the bat, I have to admit there are specifically two points this SF feature got right: lighting and sound design. These two things genuinely enhanced the atmosphere of the movie and made you engaged in the universe it created. So many big budget SF movies Hollywood pukes out these days just fail to realize the importance of these two attributes in the genre. The premise, coming from a Socialist country, seems a bit .. of a stretch. Apparently , Capitalism is a plague in the future that has even infected whole galaxies and it is up to the ever righteous Ederlezi Corporation to send social engineers to these space colonies to restore normalcy the socialist way. That being said, I really wouldn't have had a problem of they actually fleshed out this premise even more. Instead, the film chooses to mainly concentrate on the chemistry between the cosmonaut and his robot sex partner. Which I guess wasn't bad on its own.

The robot is played by an actual pornographic actress, the beautiful and enchanting Stoya, so there is absolutely no body double or vfx used during the sex scenes. Also, she is naked most of the time even when the script didn't call for a sex scene. However, I admire that her particular athletic,not voluptuous, figure and the incredible lighting actually transcends any sleaziness and gives her a more sublime aura. It helps amplify the other worldliness instead of just being gratuitous nudity.

All in all, considering the low budget, I am very impressed. We genuinely need more atmospheric sci fi instead of another season of Star Trek Discovery.

I can see why people review this movie poorly. There is little action, No galactic battle.No grand cgi.

This is scifi from when I was a kid reading stories by Heinlein, Herbert and Asimov; watching Night Gallery and Twilight Zone. Where science and the future is used to ask questions about the human experience.

This a story about free will and consent. A man is alone on a spaceship with a female android he can use and control. Is that satisfying? What happens if the android gains free will?

If you like the old psychological sci fi and you're not a prude , you might enjoy this one. If sex and nudity offend you or you crave alot action, this isn't the movie for you..

So this movie was okay... but it could have been so much more. The only reason I didn't turn it off right away is because it set a really good atmosphere with some of the shots and good sound.

Then it kind of devolves into a bland movie with bland acting, could of been really good but it just lost me after 30 mins probably would of excelled as a short film.

Two words: huh & ytho (yes, you have the right image in your head)

85 mins was waaaay too long for this screenplay. I will say the visuals (although 75% repetitive and irrelevant) and the sound/score were the best features of this film. Lastly, it was the awesome directing (his first major film) by novice director Lazar Bodroza, and outstanding cinematography by Kosta Glusica, that offered some redemption for the terrible writing/screenplay by (apparently) seasoned writer Dimitrije Vojnov .

The writing/screenplay had many issues and flawed this film drastically. This was pretty much a Sci-Fi + Soft-Porn = Sci-Porn? Perhaps a good new genre, but not from this film. Then, a spaceship so huge with large empty spaces and basically a computer center in the middle? Unconvincing. Add to the misery completely irrelevant graphic/CGI shots, cheesy command computer dialogue, and consistent high-school puppy love drama. I understand it was a low budget international film, and even moreso for that reason it should have been a short film 20-30 mins long, instead of the slowly paced dragged out long and repetitive sex and boring irrelevant dialogue scenes that made it an unbearable 85 mins. I feel the 'message(s)' this film was trying to tell would have been more effective and obvious as a short, and probably should have been re-made/cut/edited-down as such, seeing this film is based on Zoran Neskovic's 1980's short story.

The acting was between decent and bland, both by Sebastian Cavazza and porn star (yes, you read that right) Stoya.

Would I recommend it? Only if played on a big screen muted with your favorite playlist during a party - only for the visuals. Would I see it again? See previous answer.

A disappointing and underwhelming 4/10 from me

I'll try to be as objective as possible, therefore even though I am from Serbia I won't give this movie a pass "just because it's ours" or because of its' small budget. Also, no spoilers.

At first I was very surprised by the visuals - the movie started and it looked genuinely good...at first, before you realize that the filmmakers had only 2, maybe 3 small sets and that the film is visually very repetitive (even some of the same shots are used multiple times). That in itself isn't such a huge issue, seeing how there are plenty of films that take place in a single location but they compensate for their visual simplicity with an interesting story and engaging performances, something that's very much lacking here. As for the visual effects, they are ok by early 2000s standards.

The music was good and well implemented. The standout piece for me is Arvo Part's "My Heart's in the Highlands" which was also used in "The Great Beauty" (a good film worth checking out if you're not into conventional films or if you're a fan of Fellini).

The performances are not great. Sebastian Cavazza's performance as the astronaut Milutin is either bad or at best mediocre (I don't know if I can blame him, the director or the poor script for that). Milutin has no real depth and I struggle to describe his personality beyond saying that he's an astronaut with a gruff voice who swears a lot and is horny (oh, and a bit sad, I guess). At one point in the movie we are told that he's severely depressed and if it weren't for that line I would have never guessed that that's where he's at emotionally, you just can't feel it. The few times Cavazza tries to convey emotions that aren't anger and frustration his performance is borderline laughable. Stoya, who plays the part of Nimani, did her job...ok. She plays the part of an emotionless android with a few preprogrammed emotional settings well enough, nothing noteworthy though.

The story is very derivative. If you've seen a film that deals with AI than there's nothing here that you haven't seen before and done way better. The plot is bare bones and shallow with plenty of meandering (albeit aesthetically pleasing) shots of the same 2 (or 3) sets of the ship or of Nimani standing/sleeping/levitating around the ship - shots that don't progress the plot in any way or give any information to the viewer - they're just there to stretch the runtime of the movie. The questions this film raises are raised in other, better movies/TV shows (most notably "Her", "Ex Machina", both "Blade Runner" movies and "Westworld") and done so with more nuance. If you're someone who just wants to watch a movie to pass the time you'll probably find this movie boring and bland, on the other hand if you're someone who wants to experience a deep and meaningful film you'll find it lacking as well.