‘AIMEE: The Visitor’ VOD Review
Stars: Dallas Schaefer, Felix Merback, Faith West | Written by Roger Barron | Directed by Charles Band
AIMEE: The Visitor opens with a title card telling us that AIMEE was not portrayed by an actor or created with digital effects. She is, they claim, the first femme fatale created using AI. The timing is ironic considering the current strikes in Hollywood were, in part, the result of studios wanting to replace writers and performers with AI. However, if this is state of the art, they don’t need to worry just yet.
Scott Keyes (Dallas Schaefer; Shark Side of the Moon, Airliner Sky Battle) is a hacker. You can tell because he has his computer set up in an abandoned loft and sits shirtless in front of his monitor so engrossed in the porn he’s watching he doesn’t notice he’s not alone.
Hunter (Felix Merback; Dark Ops, Catastrophe, Inc.) and his sister Gazelle (Faith West; Maid Droid) have stopped by with some software for him. A top secret AI program which they couldn’t crack, but they know he’s interested in it, more importantly, they know he’ll pay them well for the opportunity to try.
Director Charles Band (Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, Corona Zombies) and writer Roger Barron, aka Neal Marshall Stevens (Thir13en Ghosts, Blade the Iron Cross), waste no time in having Scott’s monitor fill with random images as he quickly, perhaps too quickly, defeats the program’s protections and AIMEE appears on the screen and addresses him by name. Of course, AIMEE has her dark secrets, she wouldn’t be a femme fatale if she didn’t. This puts the smitten Keyes, and anyone around him, in serious danger. That includes a couple of laughable feds tracking him whom she somehow electrocutes.
In terms of her appearance AIMEE, who was realized by effects man Chuck Cirino (Bikini Girls from the Lost Planet, Killbot), looks like an animated screensaver. There’s nothing particularly lifelike or high-tech about her which makes Scott’s infatuation with her seem distinctly odd. Not as odd as Gazelle’s obvious crush on him though, especially after he explains at length why porn is better than an actual girlfriend.
AIMEE: The Visitor plays out as something like an updated version of a 90s erotic thriller with AIMEE scanning Scott’s viewing habits to figure out what kinds porn to create for him. The bit of that we see is an actual film with AIMEE, fittingly for the plot played by porn star Liz Jordan along with fellow adult actress Lexi Lore having a threesome with Scott. It’s creepy watching him watch that as she watches him from another monitor
Unfortunately it never really manages to sell the idea of Scott and Gazelle actually getting involved which undercuts the plot to a certain degree. But, like most of the films that inspired it, the plot wasn’t exactly the foremost of the filmmaker’s concerns. It’s just there to create a bit of tension and an excuse for female cast members to take their clothes off.
Like most of Full Moon’s recent films, it’s just over an hour long including credits which works in Band and Barron’s favour keeping the less-than-developed plot from dragging. It also keeps the obvious low budget, one location, three central characters and two disposable feds, from becoming too much of an issue. There’s enough bare skin and killer Roombas to keep most viewers amused until the somewhat surprising finish.
While it’s hardly a technological breakthrough or a profound statement about the danger of AI, AIMEE: The Visitor is one of the company’s better recent films. It’s also a diverting bit of low-budget nonsense that should keep viewers entertained.
*** 3/5
Full Moon will release AIMEE: The Visitor to digital platforms on September 29th.
______
