Hulu, Movie Reviews

‘MOTHER/ANDROID’ Review – Chloë Grace Moretz Shines in an Otherwise Uneven Film

By Michael Cook
December 19, 2021
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Synopsis

Set in the near future, “Mother/Android” follows Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her boyfriend Sam (Algee Smith) through their treacherous journey of escape as their country is caught in an unexpected war with artificial intelligence. Days away from the arrival of their first child, they must face No Man’s Land – a stronghold of the android uprising, in hopes of reaching safety before giving birth.

Robot apocalypses are a dime a dozen. They’re so common that the story that first introduced the word “robot,” Karel Čapek’s R.U.R., was itself about a robot apocalypse. A fact which Mattson Tomlin’s new film, Mother/Android references in one of its better sequences. Unfortunately, that’s not the only allusion to other robot apocalypse stories that Mother/Android makes. In fact, much of the film ends up feeling cobbled together from previously existing stories, with only a few hints at new ideas. Where Mother/Android shines, though, is in Chloë Grace Moretz’s absolutely stunning performance. The story itself is fairly uneven, a mixture of clunky exposition, forgettable world-building, and riffs on familiar themes and character arcs. But in the moments when the film offers something new, a glimmer of potential shines through. It’s just a shame that those moments are few and far between.

Too Much Familiarity

Set in the months following a (vaguely explained) robot uprising, Mother/Android follows a very-pregnant Georgia (Moretz) and her boyfriend, Sam (Algee Smith), as they make their way toward Boston, where they hope to find passage across the ocean. Along the way, they encounter plenty of morally dubious human survivors and a whole host of androids looking for blood. What caused the android uprising and what, exactly, the androids are trying to accomplish remains a total mystery throughout the film. In fact, Mother/Android features very little world-building at all. And the little that does get explained is delivered in clunky exposition drops. Instead, a feeling of vagueness and stale familiarity surrounds the film.

While watching Mother/Android, it’s easy to be reminded of the numerous films it seems to be paying homage to. Scattered throughout are bits of The Terminator, A Quiet Place, Don’t Blink, and even Children of Men. And while it’s not uncommon for sci-fi movies – and genre movies in general – to riff off of each other, it frequently feels like Mother/Android doesn’t have much new to add to the mix. Every time it gets close to creating its own mythology (like the androids’ penchant for kidnapping and torturing humans, or a possible piece of tech that camouflages humans from androids), the film shies away from venturing too far off the beaten path. Until its ending, that is, but more on that in a minute. Despite how much inspiration the film takes from similar stories, Mother/Android scarcely seems interested in the android half of its title.

Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Sam (Algee Smith), shown. (Photo by: Seacia Pavao/Hulu)

Unsatisfying Character Arcs and Themes

Instead, most of the film revolves around Sam and Georgia’s interpersonal conflict. The two were on the verge of breaking up the night the uprising began. And little seems to have changed in the nine months since. In some ways, they’ve learned to lean on each other and work as a team. And in other ways, they remain as dysfunctional as always. On the surface, this seems like the start of a compelling arc. The problem is that Mother/Android never properly pays it off. Most of the couple’s interactions throughout the film’s first half just go around and around in circles. Georgia says she wants to stay where they are. Sam initially agrees. Then, the next day he changes his mind and convinces her to keep going, usually with some kind of speech about how he can protect her. Lather, rinse, repeat.

It’s a pattern that continues until the couple gets separated and Arthur (Raúl Castillo) arrives to break up the monotony. Ironically, this is also the closest the movie comes to exploring any of its ideas. True, most of the ideas continue to be familiar ones (what separates the androids from the humans, what does it mean to be human, etc). But it’s still nice to see them explored, especially through the deeply enjoyable scenes Moretz and Castillo share. Unfortunately, Mother/Android undercuts this thematic exploration with its perplexing ending. Going on far longer than it should, seemingly in search of one twist after another, the movie fails to satisfyingly pay off any of its arcs or themes. And perhaps that lack of satisfaction is the point, but that point remains equally underexplored. Instead, the ending just feels needlessly cruel to its characters, for seemingly no apparent reason. Which isn’t particularly fun.

Arthur (Raúl Castillo), shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)

The Good – The Performances, the Pacing, and the Action

While Mother/Android never manages to be more than the sum of its parts, there is some enjoyment to be found. Moretz, Smith, and Castillo all deliver admirable performances. But really, Moretz and Castillo steal the show. The bulk of the film rests on Moretz’s shoulders, and she carries that weight brilliantly. Her performance is an absolute tour-de-force, and she brings a lot of internal complexity to Georgia. Castillo, on the other hand, delivers an almost baffling performance. At first, his choices seem like they belong in another film, rotating between moments of genuine sincerity and borderline-overacting. But soon enough, you realize what he and the film are doing, and it all clicks together in a deeply enjoyable way. Plus, the scenes he and Moretz share are genuinely electrifying. And I wish they’d been given more screentime together.

On the technical side of things, Mother/Android largely pleases. The film moves at a fairly brisk pace, and the visuals are quite enjoyable. But the real joy is found in all of the action sequences. While there aren’t many of them, the few there are end up being pretty exciting. There’s a particular sequence towards the middle of the film where Sam and Georgia try to outrun some androids on a dirt bike that proves absolutely thrilling. Equally exciting is the creative ways the film utilizes various kinds of robotics (drones, physical androids, etc) throughout its action sequences. While Mother/Android clearly isn’t trying to be an action movie, its action sequences are where the bulk of its creativity lies. And I wish Tomlin had found some way of carrying over that creativity to the more dramatic and emotional scenes.

Final Thoughts

While I can’t say I adored Mother/Android, I also can’t say that it’s bad. For every bit that I didn’t care for (the underexplored themes, the unsatisfying character arcs, and the unoriginal worldbuilding), there’s some aspect that I enjoyed (the stellar performances, the brisk pacing, and the thrilling action sequences). In all honesty, Chloë Grace Moretz is easily the highlight of the movie. She delivers a stunning performance, bringing a harrowing, authentic sense of humanity to this robot apocalypse. It’s just a shame that the movie never fully clicks by the end. The potential is there, and it’s fairly captivating. But it doesn’t stick the landing. While I can’t see this being particularly appealing to anyone who doesn’t adore robot apocalypse stories (or Chloë Grace Moretz), there are definitely worse ways to spend a couple of hours. And Mother/Android is mostly enjoyable, even if it’s also somewhat disappointing.