NEUROVENGE (2025)

3 stars

Reel 2 reel Films. Digital. 30th June

The film opens with a flashy advert and informs us about Neurotropic Enterprises introducing their product Homebox – a digital assistant. A sort of Alexa but better. More hi-tech.

A noisy prom night party. Jill (Isabella Shibuta) is waiting for her stepdad Henry (Jacobs James) to pick her up, but instead Charlie (Blake Canning), her stepbrother turns up. They also take one of the other girls who is the worse for wear. Her Dad had been boozing again, perhaps understandably as Jill’s mum had recently died from cancer.

However it ends in tragedy when Charlie tries to text and drive (which as we all know is never a good idea). With him now dead, her stepfather is drinking even more than before. Henry decides to sell the house, as they are in debt, much to Jill’s anger as she was planning to go to Uni to study computer science (make a note of that nugget of info).

Then she gets a text from Neurotropic about a beta testing programme for their latest OS patch to their advanced AI. It is a new iteration called Jackie. Oddly, they want both of them to take part, because of the tragedy they have been through, and are prepared to pay handsomely. Which would solve their money worries and enable Jill to go study.

They have to go to the facility run by the company to stay and there are rules. They must wear the clothes provided and mustn’t mix with anybody else who might be there. They fare to stay in smart home with everything integrated with the Homebox. One in every major room in the house.

The device is constantly watching. Picking up on micro movements and trying to interpret them. Trying to make connections. To enable it to better help. Of course you know the tech is ultimately going to go wrong and the creators will have a sinister agenda…

Whilst this has an interesting, if not especially original, central concept –especially with the increasing way AI is starting to impact life in general. How many of us now rely on our Alexa or other devices for certain tasks and think nothing of it. Though it’s not as if we haven’t been here before with numerous other sci-fi movies with errant computers. The presentation here is a bit on the bland TV movie style — with its relatively short run time of 77 minutes, it plays like an episode from an anthology show. It does manage to generate some sense of tension as it goes awry. Shibuta is fine in the lead. After a slow build, the ending feels rushed.

Steve Kirkham