Reins to the Robots
The Hollywood AI Handover: The Good, The Bad & The Downright Shit
Hollywood’s gone and handed the reins to robots. Chin-strokers, we're diving into the brave (or bonkers) new future of AI‑heavy flicks slated for 2025.
The Loaded Lowdown: Upcoming AI‑Touched Blockbusters of 2025
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
You bet Ethan Hunt’s not done wrecking stuff—he’s squaring off against a rogue AI hell-bent on nuke-the-planet type antics. High-octane stunts, Cruise defying gravity, and explosively polished CGI—this one’s pure adrenaline-fuelled spectacle.
Good: Jaw‑dropping visuals, decent action, and a high‑concept AI threat to chew on.
Bad: Feels a bit like “Saw: The Algorithm Strikes Back”; human nuance’s been thrown under the limo in favour of pixel-perfect chaos.
Tron: Ares
Here’s your neon dream: the grid comes to life with Tron—digital worlds and sleek AI sidekicks were on the menu. True, Disney scrapped an actual AI character called Bit to dodge backlash, but the vibe stays ultra‑futuristic.
Good: Gorgeous world‑building, obsidian visuals, a feast for the eyeballs.
Bad: Without that AI sidekick (sniff), it's got visuals but maybe not the AI bite we expected—more style over substance.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron's Pandora is back, bigger and shinier. World‑class CGI, underwater Na’vi stunts, and probably more depth than most—but still, CGI ginormous.
Good: Cameron’s visual wizardry is back—massive scale, immersive environments, and cotton‑on‑the‑skin realism.
Bad: Again, AI? More like CGI wizardry. Human emotions feel like an afterthought in the tech symphony.
Uncanny Valley
Natasha Lyonne’s directing debut is actually about AI—not just an add‑on. The film centres around a video‑game‑meets-alternate‑reality powered by custom AI, Asteria. It’s meta, reflective, even coy about what tech can—and can’t—do.
Good: Smart storytelling, emotional stakes, and AI as a storytelling device—not just fireworks.
Bad: May lack blockbuster glitz; introspective rather than wall‑smashing.
Loaded’s Rant: This AI Future vs. The Good Old '90s
Right, lemme park in yer noggin for a sec:
Back in the ’90s—think Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, The Matrix—we got AI and CGI with a proper soul. Spielberg’s dinos? Make‑you‑lean‑forward suspense. Schwarzenegger’s T‑800? Cold, menacing, yet oh‑so‑human. Matrix? Mind‑bending visuals wrapped in philosophical existential dread. CGI was sprinkled, not shoved—effects served the story.
Now? Everything looks CGI‑slick and AI‑enhanced because pixels seduce. But what’s missing is the grit, the soul, the sweat on the actors' brow. We’re being dazzled by how good a pixel can look rather than what the actor believes. AI’s great for lightning effects and background polish, but if you're banking on it to deliver a laugh, a tear, or deliver a wallop to the heart—well, that’s still a human’s job.
That said, AI can shoulder some heaviness—like Lyonne’s Uncanny Valley, which actually uses it to examine connection, fear, and reality. That’s the sweet spot: tech serving story, not the other way around.
So here’s to 2025—full of shiny new blockbusters pushing pixels to their limits. But let’s raise a pint to the days when Hollywood didn’t need a neural net to make us gasp, laugh, or cry. We'll still want our humanity in the tech, yeah?