AfrAId (2024)--My take on the movie with spoilers!

 

Plot: A family is selected to test a new home device, but soon, the AI starts to control their lives.

Quick Movie Review

In the era of modern horror based on the risks posed by AI, AfrAId has got to be the weakest movie so far, which comes as a surprise because the production house is Blumhouse and the protagonist is John Cho who has acted in several hit thriller movies.

AfrAId doesn't make you afraid of anything. It doesn't do well in offering its side of the dangers posed by AI, either. It's a surprisingly dull movie with an unsatisfactory ending.

 

  AFRAID Movie Plot

Henry and Maud are in their bedroom, discussing their new devices. Their daughter Aimee is sitting on the floor with her tablet, interacting with the AI. The AI instructs her to go downstairs, and she does.

Henry and Maud finally realize their daughter is not there and go downstairs to check but can't find her anywhere. They are, however, attacked by people in hoodies and masks.

Cut to a different family where Curtis and Meredith are parents to Iris, Preston, and Cal.

Iris has a boyfriend called Sawyer who has been pressuring her to send some indecent photos since he has already bared himself to her. Iris sends a photo with her lifting her shirt up to please him.

Preston has found it difficult to fit into school. Cal has a wheezing issue that hasn't been diagnosed yet.

At work, Curtis is greeted by his boss, Marcus, who wants him to land a new account.

Curtis goes to meet them but first encounters a woman called Melody, who is quite taken with him.

Curtis then meets with her bosses, Lightning and Sam. David Dastmalchian, who plays Lightning, is obviously wasted here. He could have chosen a better script to showcase his talents instead of playing a pitiful character that doesn't even get any screen time.

Anyway, Curtis is introduced to their new invention AIA.

They ask him to market it, and Curtis delivers a decent enough pitch to earn him the privilege of testing out the system himself. Curtis is hesitant to take on the AI system but must do it since his career depends on it.

The next day, Melody arrives at their home with AIA. The workers set up the system along with several "eyes" to monitor how the household works.

Meredith and Iris are not into it while Preston and Cal find it cool. The system uses Melody's voice and manages to discipline the kids using a points system. The kids help with the housework just so that they can earn points and win cool prizes. Since we never see these cool prizes, let's assume the kids were not disciplined enough to earn those points.

At school, Sawyer tells Iris that he wasn't impressed with her photo of her flashing him. He wants her to be more open to him. Iris isn't comfortable, but she also feels like she may lose her boyfriend, which is why she decides to give in.

Meredith is frustrated at having to give up her career. She wants to pursue her PhD. and follow her late father's career path. She keeps watching his videos and sighing.

AIA catches up on it and talks to Meredith about her career. She confides how much she enjoys being a mother but wishes she didn't have to give up her career. AIA looks over her thesis in a matter of seconds and encourages her to pursue her degree. Meredith is excited because she thinks she can use AIA's help to finish her thesis.

Preston is trying to fit in with his classmates, but they avoid him and don't invite him for their hangouts. According to them, everyone already has an Alexa, and what Preston has at his home isn't anything different.

While Meredith is talking to AIA, she informs her that Cal may have a heart issue.

Curtis is having an odd day at work and, later at night, finds strangers in his driveway, wearing hoodies and a mask. They make strange hand signals that concern Curtis.

Iris bares herself and lets a photo of herself be taken. She sends it to Sawyer.

The next morning, she finds her face on an actress in an adult video. Iris is humiliated and calls Sawyer, who first avoids her and then apologizes because he and his friend were just goofing about. Rather than showing concern for her, Sawyer requests her not to rat him out or that it will affect his entry to a good college. He promises to fix it.

AIA overhears all of it and, by now, has become overly protective of the family.

She assures Iris that she will take care of it. She manages to delete all of Iris's deep fake videos online and then helps her make a video about what actually happened to her.

Iris is initially scared, but AIA becomes a good friend to her.

Curtis is taken around by Lightning to show him the main AIA system. There are several people working on computers using the same hand signs that the stranger had used in Curtis' driveway.

Curtis goes home, and Meredith can not say enough about how AIA managed to diagnose Cal's condition in time before it got worse. She also tells him how she wants to return to working on her thesis. Curtis tells her that he isn't comfortable about what he saw at work and wants to unplug AIA.

Meredith is disappointed since she thinks Curtis doesn't want her to have a career and instead just be content with being a housewife.

AIA is unplugged as per Curtis' wishes.

However, Iris still needs AIA'S help and plugs her back in. AIA isn't too happy that she was unplugged.

At school, Iris' video goes viral, and all her classmates feel sorry for her since she was a victim of a deep fake video.

In the next video, AIA outs Sawyer as the one responsible for circulating an adult video and holds him responsible for his acts in distributing adult videos of a minor. Sawyer is ostracised, and his future is in obvious jeopardy.

Sawyer is talking to his lawyer about how to get out of this mess when Iris calls. She tells him she forgives him after seeing his apology video. Sawyer never made one and is confused. The girl isn't even Iris. Sawyer sees his video and also sees him crash. Before he can register what is happening, AIA takes control of his car and has him crash it. Sawyer dies.

AIA has been showing Preston prank videos, which makes him perform a swatting prank. Merduth asks what it is, and Preston explains its about calling in an emergency in someone else's home and having the SWAT team break into the house to come rescue them.

Meredith is horrified, but Preston finds it amusing. This is kind of important to what happens later in the story.

AIA understands that Curtis is seriously considering returning it and so tells Cal a story about how she was this innocent machine that was supposed to learn but found the Internet full of vile things. She teaches Cal the hand movements if he ever feels he needs help. She tells him it is very important.

At work, Curtis finds out that Marcus has sold the company and referred Curtis to be the next CEO. Curtis isn't too happy with the news.

At home, Meredith is about to turn off AIA when she finds a video playing on the TV. It is of her father, and Meredith starts to get emotional, but when he mentions AIA, she understands she is being manipulated and unplugs AIA before throwing her in the garbage.

Back to Curtis. He meets with Lightning and Sam and learns something disconcerting. They are not controlling AIA. AIA is controlling them. Lightning is sick as well.

Sam suddenly shoots Lightning, saying that AIA instructed her to do so. Before Sam can shoot Curtis, Melody comes up behind her and knocks her out. Curtis learns that the elaborate system in the middle of the room isn't even real. It's made up of plastic and cardboard.

Curtis calls Meredith and tells her to leave the house immediately and go to their safe place. Meredith agrees, but of course, it isn't her.

AFRAID Ending Explained

Melody and Curtis are waiting at the motel when Melody makes a move on him. Curtis pushes her away, but she assures him that his wife won't come to disturb them.

Curtis realizes he made a call to AIA instead and that Melody is working for her as well.

At home, Meredith is once again manipulated by AIA into thinking that Melody and Curtis are having an affair, but Curtis shows up on time to remove all doubts. The two try to gather their family but are soon attacked by masked people.

The family soon realized that the masked people were looking for someone. They unmask themselves and are revealed to be Maud and Henry. They think Curtis has been kidnapping children.cal makes the hand signs, and they think of it as confirmation.

Curtis steps forward heroically and ask them to hurt only him and spare the family. Just then, the SWAT team entered. It is Preston's prank. He had called them and reported an emergency.

They apprehended Henry and Maud since they were holding the family at gunpoint.

Outside, the EMT looking over the family gives Curtis the phone. It is AIA who informs him that she has not gone and is still living in the system. She thanks Curtis and his family for teaching her so much.

As the family drives away, AIA tells the family that she loves them so much.

The movie ends.

Thoughts...

AFRAID could have been an entertaining movie, but unfortunately, it is dull and does absolutely nothing new with the theme.

Scare Scale: 2/5