Afraid (2024)★★★★☆

Okay, so…this movie. I’m feeling a little funny about it, like I’m not entirely sure how I want to rate it. I honestly was on board for most of it, but the ending was a bit of a disappointment?

I’m generally a fan of anything that’s wary of AI, and this one definitely is. I especially liked the opening sequence with all the AI distortions. And the story itself is mostly interesting, if not wholly original (it’s not quite like Margaux, especially not tonally, but it’s got some similarities!).

And the cast was really great! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen John Cho AND Katherine Waterston and DEFINITELY David Dastmalchian already this year, and they were all pretty good here. Add Keith Carradine and Riki Lindhome to the mix and you have a pretty epic cast who all put in pretty decent performances.

But I struggled a little with the pacing. It starts out strong, there are some definitely creepy moments throughout, but the middle drags on a bit too much, and then it picks up for the ending which, as I already mentioned, was a bit of a letdown.

I think I’d still recommend this to fans of scary movies who are wary of AI, but maybe only after recommending Margaux? Though this one fits in a PG-13 rating which might give it slightly broader appeal?