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Alpha test

Clowntergeist’s Aaron Mirtes delivers yet another KILLER treat with the release of The Alpha Test.  Startling and timely, this ode to artificial intelligence gone AWOL will leave you as cold as the hardware in the Alpha Home Assistant’s murderous touch.  Seriously. This flick, full of gore and malice, is completely on point, solidifying my own personal distrust of what the future and our technology has to offer us.

"Suburban science fiction doesn’t get any deadlier then with it does here with The Alpha Test"


And it starts with, as all things do, a harmless invention of the future.   Hell, The Alpha Test might not even be that far into our own future. Imagine it: a humanoid robot doing all the work around the house.  I mean, we are practically there. Need help getting your bottle of beer open? The Alpha Home Assistant is what you need! But what if there was something wrong with the design; a bug that has yet to be fixed or even noticed?  That’s where the movie The Alpha Test gets its mojo from.  

Starring a very capable Rae Hunt as Alpha, this thriller finds the ugly in us all and rubs our faces in it.  You will feel sorry for the AI that gets used and abused by this upper class family. Hell, even the maid doesn’t want her around.  So, what’s a poor robot to do?

The Alpha Test answers the question with violence and twisted situations.  With Wynn Reichert, Brad Belemjian, and Mack Bayda also starring, this movie explores some pretty dark, domesticated stuff in its running time.  The thing is, especially with this cloud-situated design, this robot; this AI, that is, can download herself into other makes and models that are already in homes around the world and the grudge she carries for the humans that do her wrong is all sorts of Old Testament-like.  Ironic, isn’t it? {googleads}

Throwing Asimov’s robot programming right out the proverbial window comes The Alpha Test.  When a suburban family tries out their new family-friendly gadget, brought home by their son, they have no idea the chaos that it brings with it.  The Alpha Home Assistant might not be ready for prime time. It also might not yet be ready for dealing with human relationships. As puzzling as they can be, Alpha forms an undeniable bond with her maker’s sister and the two, with Lily (Bella Martin)  not being aware of Alpha’s bigger threat, spend a lot of time together.  

It will come back to haunt Lilly later.  Alpha test

Suburban science fiction doesn’t get any deadlier then with it does here with The Alpha Test.  Written, directed, filmed, and edited by Mirtes, The Alpha Test keeps things smooth and tightly focused on the domestic situation before including other homes and shocking its audience with the totality of its harrowing vision.  This is smartly-made and entertaining as hell, especially when the domestic disturbance aims for the fences and scores a major win with an ending that no big name studio would dare commit to. The Alpha Test is THAT ballsy.

An interactive nightmare has been unleashed.  The Alpha Test will be available on DVD and Digital March 10 from High Octane Pictures.

4/5 stars

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Alpha test

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Home Video Distributor:
Available on Blu-ray

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Alpha test

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
87 mins
Director
: Aaron Mirtes
Writer:
Aaron Mirtes
Cast:
Rae Hunt, Wynn Reichert, Alice Raver
Genre
: Sci-fi
Tagline:
An interactive nightmare.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I think she'll be great to have around."
Distributor:
High Octane Pictures
Official Site: https://www.highoctanepictures.com/
Release Date:
March 10, 2020
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
August 20, 2019.
Synopsis: A suburban family drives their new gadget, The Alpha Home Assistant, to a killing rampage after mistreating and abusing it, leading to a full A.I. uprising.

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Alpha test

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