Entertainment
M3GAN's Raunchy Sci-Fi Thriller Spinoff Goes Straight To Streaming
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
M3GAN first hit theaters in 2023. It feels like longer, but it’s only been three years, and we’ve already received a sequel (M3GAN 2.0) and on August 1st, a spin-off: SOULM8TE. The first film caught fire thanks to a viral TikTok trend based on a brief clip of the killer AI doll performing a creepy dance. The second film went the Terminator 2 route of making her the good guy, which didn’t quite work out, and now, the spin-off is being described as “an erotic thriller.” While huge in the 90s, that’s one genre that’s fallen off in the last decade, which explains why SOULM8TE won’t be in theaters and only available for digital rental on August 1st.
SOULM8TE First Look Reveals AI Obsession
SOULM8TE stars Evil Dead Rise’s Lilly Sullivan as Sara, a highly advanced AI companion being worked on by Neil (Fargo’s David Rysdahl), a talented engineer grieving the loss of his wife. His attempt to turn Sara into the perfect companion, or soulmate, backfires and kicks off a chain of events that may or may not involve murder. It started with the best of intentions, as Neil wanted a genuine human experience, and not, as the company behind Sara intended, a sexbot.
When Sara arrives, she comes with a few outfits: apron, sun dress, a shiny silver clubbing dress, and a schoolgirl outfit. All Neil wanted was to be loved, but programming Sara to love him backfires, and she becomes, you can say, obsessed with him. Stalking, murder, resisting his commands, and a strong aversion to girl power slogans soon follows. Going by the initial trailer footage, SOULM8TE is going to be compared to Obsession, and it’s going to fall short of Curry Barker’s instant classic every time.
Direct To Streaming
SOULM8TE is walking on well-worn ground by combining a guy who only wants love from a source that can’t give it to him (Obsession), and an AI sexbot (Companion). There was also the Megan Fox thriller, Subservience, and if you think about it long enough, you’ll come up with a dozen more examples. None of the AI sexbot gone rogue films have been blockbuster hits, though Fox’s take and Jack Quaid’s Companion were both solid, which helps explain why Universal is dumping it on direct-to-streaming digital platforms.
As time goes on, it’s looking more and more like M3GAN was the perfect combination of right time, and right place to be a hit. Attempting to turn it into a sci-fi horror franchise was the wrong move. The social media sensation that powered the first hasn’t been there for the latest two films, and in the case of SOULM8TE, it’s actively working against the film. Comments under the trailer on every platform talk about how it’s an Obsession knock off, but with how movies are made, this was in the works before Obsession was even in post-production. It’s bad timing.
SOULM8TE may turn out to be a great movie and a fun throwback to the erotic thrillers of the 90s, or it could be a waste of everyone’s time. No one can say for sure until August 1st when it’s available for rent.