Though the cast is full of recognizable names and faces, none of them are up to the task of elevating Simulant in a meaningful way.
April Mullen’s seventh feature film, Simulant, is drenched in classic sci-fi tropes, but it never makes a mark of its own. Ryan Christopher Churchill's script is predictable up until the final ten minutes of the film. The production value is where the film shines and both the practical and special effects are seamless, but Simulant is a story we’ve seen before that sadly brings nothing new to the genre.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT In a world of increasingly more human A.I., the line between man and machine is blurrier than ever. These new hybrids, called simulants, are identical to humans with two notable exceptions.
The main issue with Simulant is its lack of originality. From Blade Runner to I, Robot the history of A.I. gaining sentience is a well-worn element of great sci-fi films. Simulant needed better filmmaking, acting and a script with something more to say about the human condition to elevate its storytelling. Simulant has none of the above. The production and CGI are perhaps the closest it gets to overachieving.
Amell, Worthington, and Brewster have plenty of experience in the B-movie space, but the same cannot be said for Liu, who starred in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simulant marks his return to live-action feature films since his star-making turn in the MCU. With Barbie coming out next month we will get to see him in a hopefully more superior film. That being said, Liu is not killing it as Casey by any stretch of the imagination.
Simulant is not a total failure and there is one genuinely shocking moment in the film, but the overall experience is lacking across the board. Amell is ostensibly the lead, but the film bounces between being an ensemble and focusing on his character to the point that no one's arc gets the attention it deserves. The motion graphics are very well-executed and cannot be denied, but the script and performances end any chance of the story rising above average.
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