Subservience 
Directed by S.K. Dale
Written by Will Honley and April Maguire
Starring Megan Fox, Michele Morrone, Madeline Zima
Unrated
Runtime: 95 minutes 
On digital September 13

by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

Horror has always been great at reflecting the fears and anxieties of the time and culture in which it was made. The upcoming presidential election and the indoctrinated Trump supporters and loud religious right has opened the door for religious and cult horror (Immaculate, The First Omen, Longlegs). And now that AI has become a real part of our lives as companies push for its use, it has become another trend in the horror films we consume. M3gan quickly became a fan favorite and the movie AfrAId has just recently hit theaters, and close behind it is the new S.K. Dale and Megan Fox collaboration, Subservience. What’s particularly interesting about  Subservience is the way it combines the AI sci-fi/horror genre and cheesy erotic thrillers to showcase Fox as a sexy robot who is so fixated on her master she will do anything to keep him safe. 

If you are a 90s kid like myself who spent a lot of time watching Disney Channel Original Movies, you probably saw the film Smart House. Subservience is like the sexy adult version of that. Nick (Michele Morrone) struggles to handle his domestic responsibilities when his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) becomes ill and has to stay at the hospital. So he purchases a “domestic SIM” that his daughter names Alice (Megan Fox, to take care of the household duties. Since Nick is Alice’s “primary user” she takes on the task of doing whatever she can to make him happy and healthy and eventually this leads to her trying to rid him of the primary stressors in his life; the family. 

S.K. Dale uses the guise of an AI horror film to make a erotic thriller that aligns itself with melodramatic movies such as Obsessed, The Boy Next Door, The Roommate, or Fatal Attraction. It is a clever idea to find logical reasons to make the sexy robot fill the role of a jilted lover. From the beginning, the script is full of double entendre that makes it clear which direction the film is going to take. When Alice says “I have no desires outside of filling yours” it's clear she has the same sort of preoccupation as the antagonists of these specific kinds of thrillers. It is also clear that the S.K. Dale knows exactly what he is doing and what tone the story will have. So if you are a fan of this brand of sleaze you will probably enjoy it for what it is. Just go in knowing what you have in store. Subservience is an entertaining watch that emulates the feel of 90s-2000s thrillers that have mostly fallen out of fashion. 

When Subservience is attempting to half-heartedly make social commentary on the dangers of AI is when the movie begins to flounder. Nick is a blue collar worker, and we spend a fair amount of time dealing with his work life and his friends getting laid off from their jobs. In these moments, the film tries to engage with the potential repercussions of AI; putting people out of work so corporations can make more money, or the moral gray area of human hatred towards humanoid machines and the violence that could ensue. These are certainly important areas to explore, and the movie does have some interesting ideas surrounding it, but it feels a little forced in a film with this tone. Especially when it even displays the same sort of problematic sexual politics and representation of the 90s. 

Similar to previous Dale and Fox collaboration, Till Death, it is clear that Fox understands the assignment. She has often been cast as a sexpot and she knows how to work it. She brings the femme fatale energy that is so essential in these kinds of stories. And once the film ramps up the violence it gives her the opportunity to have a lot of fun and display superhuman strength. Madeline Zima also brings it with a great performance as Maggie. That role can be a little thankless in these films but she is given some moments to really shine and show off her acting chops. Michele Morrone has the weakest performance of the three as Nick, as it often feels forced and unnatural, more so than the actual robot in the movie. 

If you are looking for some good scares, this will probably leave you disappointed, but it does feel a bit like being on a carnival ride, so you might as well have fun and enjoy. There are very entertaining action sequences and it uses some of the technical features of Alice to great effect. Overall, Subservience is an unserious, sleazy story and is great for those looking to have some laughs. It is probably great to watch with a group of friends as there is plenty to chatter about. It may not be the most profound in its use of AI horror but Dale uses the technology to effectively craft the story he wants.