Project Dorothy

This was a movie that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Justin Cook. Looking at the press release, I saw that this was featured Tim DeZarn and Danielle Harris. I've had a crush on the latter Halloween movies she was in. She is older than I am, but at the time I thought we were the same age. DeZarn is an actor that has a distinct look and fits the roles that he takes on. After confirming that this is horror and a 2024 release, I agreed to watch.

Synopsis: after a botched robbery, two men take refuge in a remote and lifeless scientific facility, inadvertently awakening a monster within.

We start this with images of a factory including a darkened screen that is housed inside of a structure. We also see a woman in a lab coat who we will learn later to be Dr. Jillian (Olivia Scott). She along with others are in a panic due to an alarm and we see her flee with the rest.

This then shifts over to a cornfield. Blake (Adam Budron) and James (DeZarn) head toward a barn that is falling apart. These two committed a robbery. James was shot in the process, so he is limping. They're followed by two police officers, Neilson (George Henry Horton) and Romano (Emily Rafala). The two cops are called off though since the thieves entered a restricted zone.

They enter a large factory that turns out to be the one from the beginning. The only lights that are on would be the security ones. This duo gets cleaned up and look for a place to bed down for the night. There is something eerie going on here. The security cameras are watching them. We see through these that it is assessing the two individuals and watching what they're doing. James tends to his leg, which is worse than what he's letting on. He also finds documents that were being destroyed, but due to those working here fleeing like they did, it wasn't completely.

There was an experiment here with Artificial Intelligence. That was 30 years ago. Despite all that time, Dorothy (voiced by Harris) wakes up. James reading about the project increases the security threat. The true goal is hearing Blake state that he has an item that would allow the computer to connect to the internet. Dorothy is trying to escape and use everything in her power to do so.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start then is that I thought this has an interesting set up and premise. Not necessarily one that is new, but with AI making a resurgence for different things, it does make this poignant. I did get vibes here of things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Terminator, Ghost in the Machine and Transcendence. There are a plethora of movies using this that you can think back to.

Where I'll start delving deeper is that this feels like a movie effected by the pandemic. We have a cast of six people. One of which is the writer/director. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that Harris did all her voice stuff in a day. Scott and Rafala also probably did all their work in a similar timeframe. This is dominated by DeZarn and Budron as they make it to this building and then trying to survive the night. I'm not saying this as a slight. Due to the abilities of this intelligence, Dorothy traps them. This system also toys with them as it demands the item that Blake has. This isn't a new idea and it's not doing anything too far out of normal. We get the classic anti-hero set up following criminals.

I will say that even though I've seen stories like this in the past, I don't mind the botched robbery set up. James is the veteran here where this is the first job that Blake planned. He got greedy stealing an extra necklace that resulted in James being shot. There is that guilt on both sides. James blaming himself for getting the younger thief involved. Blake feels bad for what happened. I thought both DeZarn and Budron were solid here in bringing their characters to life.

The only other thing for the story is that I love the setting and having this computer trapping them. Harris brings personality to this AI system. It uses forklifts as weapons. I do like that there's a place the thieves find to formulate their plan. Again, nothing new here, but I thought it was entertaining with the story they built.

I've already said that our three leads were solid. I'll say the rest of the acting was fine in their limited roles. That takes me to the other aspect which is filmmaking. I thought the cinematography was good. This is a few setting and it captures that feel. It also feels like a labyrinth was disorienting. It also makes it tough to escape. We don't get a lot in the way of effects here, which I'm glad. The security cameras being the 'eyes' of the system work. Also, the thing that houses the screens to be the 'face' is a good touch. Everything else seemed practical from what I remembered which I'm glad. Other than that, the soundtrack was fine. It doesn't necessarily stand out. I do like the sound design for Dorothy to taught these guys. Harris' work works well for that.

In conclusion, this is a solid low budget, independent film. It uses ideas and concepts that we've seen before. When looking at it like that, it is generic. I still enjoyed my time here. I thought that the three leads, Harris, DeZarn and Budron, played their characters well. This has a good setting and I think the cinematography captures that. The rest of the filmmaking is fine. Sound design is a bright spot there. Won't be for everyone. I'd recommend it if you're into independent cinema as this is a fast watch.

My Rating: 5 out of 10.