I came across Simulant about a week or two ago around its release, initially seeing a few posts online on what a disappointment it was; most of the negativity seeming to stem more towards actor Simu Liu, who luckily burst into fame with some superhero casting that wasn't met all that well with audiences. I don't think it's fair to really throw hate at an actor due to any specific role they've played, whether it's good or bad or just not your thing. I do have actors I prefer and think don't hold as much talent as others; and I do think that actor Simu Liu is mostly miscast, rather than just a bad performer. And he's certainly not alone in this as Hollywood eyes up its younger performers and tests the waters for the new era of "A List" actors. There's a lot of actors sort of thrown around in a variety of genres they just don't really suit. I noticed this with the Dungeons & Dragons film that recently flopped, for example.
While Liu doesn't seem like someone that screams cyberpunk genre, his performance here in Simulant isn't that bad. In fact, Simulant itself isn't a terrible film. It just seems, similar to the general theme so far, a bit out of place. Thrown together in the slow revival of science fiction films as concepts such as artificial intelligence grow common in the public eye. A few of which I have noticed being suddenly released as of late. Low budget, AI themed, and tackling the blatant question of what it means to be alive. To no surprise, these ideas can only stretch so far, and it's a difficult genre to enter without just repeating that of which has already been said. The result to this is these science fiction films sprinkle in some other ideas that may or may not really work, often pulling influence from this aforementioned works that came before.
To refer to Simulant as Blade Runner without the soul is to admit I open up that big door to the assumption that everything science fiction is just copying Blade Runner because "Well, it's just the best." Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of cyberpunk films that do manage to do their own things and compete with it; Simulant's problem is it effectively copies Blade Runner in many ways. You'll get an idea of just how much as the review goes on. And, of course, you should expect spoilers. But you probably weren't going to watch this anyway.
Simulant
Sam Worthington seems to be appearing a bit more suddenly in these lower budget films, some decent, some bad. This is completely unrelated to anything major here in the review, but it's nice to see he's still getting roles and trying different ideas out. He's a decent actor, and his performances are never an issue. The same can be said for Robbie Amell, who seems mostly ignored by Hollywood and still roaming around lower budget films choosing mostly action and science fiction flicks. While I don't have any issues with their performances, there is some weakness in the script which makes their characters a bit dull. This is a script that drags on for far too long and really tries to stretch out this idea that we already full understand. Simulants are just Replicants from Blade Runner. Individuals rebuilt after death to look and act like the deceased. These simulants are growing more intelligent, leading to fears of them gaining full consciousness and becoming a threat. Here comes the strong reliance on Blade Runner! Simulant's main narrative is that a bounty hunter is hired to destroy these simulants before it's too late (Deckard) as the film, and not-Deckard struggle to come to terms with whether they're really taking a life or not. With the returning question on what life is coming into play far too often.
To no surprise we get the perspectives of these simulants that believe they are alive and hold memories. Displaying emotional attachment to them and very much displaying the idea that they aren't different at all from the deceased they're copying. It feels like the film sticks around a bit too much as it reminds us of all of this over and over, especially with little elements of world building which just aren't that immersive due to budget reasons. Simulant, being a film about AI, feels the need to display a very present environment, with minor changes like special effects drones flying around or those annoying floating touchscreens lazy science fiction absolutely loves using to depict anything remotely futuristic. Not to forget the hologram ads in the sky above buildings which spout some sort of advertisement or not-so-subtle reference to something to come later on. Either some product or corporation that holds some significance to the plot. Simulant's world building is by far the most boring aspect of the film, just completely soulless and stuck to generic tropes.
Though, for a film with a low budget, visually Simulant isn't that bad at all! I noticed some interesting perspectives that made the film a bit creative in parts. Wide angle lenses and a very filmic look, met with immersive editing techniques when necessary. The camera movements and lighting certainly don't scream low budget and time constraints. I was quite surprised to see such quality despite the story just being utterly lacking; especially when the editor weirdly chose to add in some clearly Blade Runner music that is absolutely a knock-off Vangelis composition. Almost synth but without any really emotion or rhythm to it. It would spring up out of nowhere when it wasn't needed to set the tone, and being used so much, it was clear that the attempt was to just promote the cyberpunk, science fiction aesthetic we were supposed to be feeling. I didn't feel it though, aside from floating screens and fancy minimalist architecture, everything pretty much seemed very grounded and close to now. Though I understand that budget means shooting locations and time is limited. I'm just glad that it didn't go full generic cyberpunk and throw in red, blue, and pink lights everywhere.
Perhaps some of this is again down to the casting, to which the actors themselves just don't suit this environment. They aren't that believable therefore immersion is highly difficult to feel. Nobody seems to fit into this world, which only makes you question just what else really does. Simulant unfortunately just falls victim to the science fiction and futurist curse like many before it. Not managing to stand out at all in narrative or visuals. Just another story that'll end up buried in the sea of others, not garnering any additional influence within the genre nor being memorable. It's not terrible, though. It just doesn't have anything new to share.
