In 2055, an artificial intelligence of U.S. government design detonates a nuclear explosion over Los Angeles. The U.S. and western allies decide to eradicate A.I. from the Earth to ensure the continued existence of the human race. But New Asia, which embraces A.I., resists. The U.S. declares all out war against A.I. and Nirmata, which is supposedly the chief architect of Asia’s A.I. The US North American Orbital Mobile Aerospace Defense (NOMAD) is a space station able to launch attacks from orbit.
Ten years later, Sergeant Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is working undercover in New Asia. He is married to Maya (Gemma Chan) who may be the daughter of Nirmata. The U.S. attacks his home and Maya, who is pregnant, is killed. Five years later, General Andrews (Ralph Ineson) and Colonel Howell (Allison Janney), tell him that Maya is alive and recruit him for a mission to destroy a new weapon. He discovers that the weapon is a robotic simulant in the shape of a little girl who can remotely control technology. They call her Alphie (Nadelaine Yuna Voyles). Taylor refuses to kill her and he takes her into a city to find Taylor’s former C.O. Drew (Sturgill Simpson), his old friend.
Drew tells Taylor that little Alphie could grow into the most powerful weapon on the planet. The Police attack Drew’s apartment, killing his simulant girlfriend Kami (Veronica Ago). Howell and her henchman McBride (Marc Menchaca) close in. As he dies, Drew tells Taylor that Maya is Nirmata. Taylor and Alphie are captured. Harun (Ken Watanabe) is a simulant soldier. He says that L.A. was destroyed by human error but A.I. was blamed.
Taylor escapes, rescues Alphie, and flees as the place is attacked. Alphie defends them but is injured. She is rushed to Nirmata, who is in a coma. Alphie was based on her unborn child. Taylor takes Maya off life-support as Howell’s forces arrive. Harun kills the attacking forces and tells Taylor that NOMAD must be destroyed to end the war.
Taylor and Alphie are captured and taken to L.A., and Taylor is forced to kill Alphie with a stun-gun. But this is fake and they escape. They board a lunar shuttle at the spaceport. Alphie forces the spacecraft to land aboard NOMAD. Just as an all-out assault on A.I. is launched, Taylor plants a bomb and Alphie disables the ship. Taylor is prevented from entering an escape pod. Taylor reunites with a simulant looking like Maya. Nomad explodes around them, but Alphie returns sadly triumphant to Earth.
The film was directed by Gareth Edwards, who wrote the script with Chris Weitz. It was shot in ultra-wide aspect ratio to make the exotic sights look epic. It is quite gorgeous. ILM, Weta, and other companies did the effects, which are amazing. They were going to have the music written by an A.I. but decided to go with Hans Zimmer. Good move. Ironically, it was released during the SAG-AFTRA strike, which took place largely because Hollywood artists were afraid of being replaced by A.I. The film and the music were released at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con.
The visual effects were highly praised, but they clearly overshadow the human drama. The end was called disappointing. One thinks of Siskel and Ebert’s complaint that “Hollywood has forgotten how to write the third act: Act One, Act Two, Car Chase.” Someone said it looked like they had cut up bits of successful SF films and given them to an A.I. with instructions to write something like that. Derivative is a word used a lot in regard to SF. It’s a literature of ideas, and most of these ideas have been around since the Golden Age in the Fifties. If you go to see cool science fiction sights and sounds and music, you’ll have a good time. You might even fall for the kid. But you probably won’t rush out and buy the DVD to put on the shelf with Blade Runner, E.T., and Aliens.