Smart House (2023) User Reviews

Well the movie poster looked cool...

[talentest · 1/10 · 4 March 2024]

I was not prepared for just how 'no budget' lo-tech syfy* this was (*not a misspelling). This "Smart House" is essentially like a cramped little townhouse and we're supposed to believe the whole place is operated by a super Alexa (named Cassandra here) that the heroine calls on to do every little thing.

She walks up next to the $30 coffee maker, arms crossed, and asks the Smart House to turn it off. She walks up to the ordinary looking front door and asks the Smart Home to lock it. All met with her satisfied approval.

And I'm no hair expert but why does the main girl look like she's sporting a terrible wig? The part in her hair actually changes from shot to shot (sometimes left, then right, then down the middle) all within the same scene.

Now in full disclosure, I make it a point to never rate a movie I don't see through to the end, but once the ASMR segment started (and kept going) I had to stop, making it through just 10 minutes of this... endurance test. And I felt compelled to leave a review as a warning for others.

FANTASTIC

[szabopatrick · 10/10 · 18 February 2024]

This film stands as an absolute masterpiece, seamlessly weaving together brilliant editing and captivating storytelling. It emerges as a formidable contender against cinematic giants like Star Wars and Avatar, showcasing state-of-the-art technology that elevates the entire film industry. Despite its brevity, the movie's impact is unparalleled, leaving an indelible impression and challenging the boundaries of what a film can achieve. I enthusiastically recommend this cinematic gem to audiences of all tastes, as its brilliance transcends genres. Its succinct runtime is powerfully utilized, delivering a punch that resonates long after the credits roll. With a perfect 10/10 rating, this thriller film is a testament to its excellence, and the anticipation for its second installment is palpable. In the realm of cinematic experiences, this movie stands tall as a must-watch, promising a journey that is nothing short of amazing.

A generally likable thriller more than anything else

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 19 October 2023]

After a series of strange incidents, an ASMR streamer trying to get to the bottom of the encounters finds that the smart home technology she lives with has been corrupted by a hacker that's looking for revenge against her family and tries to stop it from affecting her life and career.

This was a highly effective and enjoyable indie thriller. Among the film's better bright spots is the strong build-up that brings the effective premise into view quite clearly. With the early setup of her living in the house alone due to the relationship she's trying to get away from, the conditions surrounding her being there, and how the living conditions are being manipulated by the house's controlling forces, the idea of what's going on in the house is gradually built-up by the events at play here. Slowly realizing that the events in question, including the capabilities of not recognizing her authoritarian commands, offering alternate care under the guise of misinterpreting instructions that were quite clearly given, and the snarky comebacks that all seem unnatural to her build everything up quite nicely. That serves the film well to get to the main point of this which is the livestream where she's held hostage and forced to perform what her captor demands to the terrified audience. This isn't bad on its own, mixing the unknowing with her going against her usual programming to do what he instructs of her which keeps this one going while highlighting the one issue with this one since what she does isn't that impactful. The livestream that she's forced to go through is only done under vague threats without much actual harm or malicious activity against her which does lessen some of the tension of what's going on. A lot of this is also taken up with a rather uninteresting hacker search which features people looking at computer screens the whole time, so it does feel rather bland and repetitive. This, though, isn't bad and doesn't distract from anything too much.

Rated Unrated/R: Language and Violence.