WIRED

There’s no doubt that the theme that’s going to dictate much of the landscape in entertainment over the next few years is AI. In the 80s there was the Cold War, in the 90s there was fears of terror attacks and in the 2010s there was a rise on zombie apocalypses, but now it’s the turn of AI, and ‘Wired’ is a film that fits right into that burgeoning trend.

It is difficult to make films that feel fresh and new about AI, which is one reason why it will be an interesting theme to watch out for over the next decade, and whether filmmakers are able to adapt the parameters already set out and invent with creativity films about the topic. There are already such strong benchmarks of films that use AI, from the terrifying HAL 9000 in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, to the eerie Mother in ‘Alien’, and in more recent films such as ‘Ex Machina’, not to mention the villainous Skynet in the ‘Terminator’ franchise. AI has been a theme, and a character, in some of the most significant films of all time, almost always as an ominous presence that will ensure mankind’s destruction.

‘Wired’ follows suit in that regard, with the villainous AI smart hub, named MAIA, and voiced by Polly Maberly, gaslighting Becca, who is played by Amy Beth Hayes, eventually leading to a path of violence and technological superiority over its human companion. MAIA has convinced Becca that in order to stop the rot of an unhealthy lifestyle of drinking, eating junk, and being generally combustible, the best step is total isolationism for a few months, thus limiting the risk of exposure to danger or things that may lead her away from the path of being the perfect human - which to MAIA means a very robotic one.

She keeps Becca in a house that progressively feels more and more like a prison, through the subtleties of Will Jewell’s direction - which is magnificent throughout, especially in the climactic moments of the screenplay, which Jewell also wrote, alongside Lee Mancini and Mark Hurdle. Jewell highlights the danger of MAIA immediately early on, and the ominous, eerie atmosphere only grows as the lighting becomes ever more faint and the house begins to feel more and more hollow.

Whilst the screenplay is obvious, and each move the film takes tracks with that of previous AI-orientated films, it is nonetheless thrilling to watch unfold. What could easily have felt tepid and dull, is instead filled with life, largely down to the strength in which the screenwriters created the character of Becca, who feels fully fleshed out and real, even in just a short film. This is helped by a strong, endearing performance by Amy Beth Hayes, who grabs the screen and our empathy for the unwitting way in which she is put in her plight.

‘Wired’ is an interesting watch, with strong directing and performances that make up for any originality that is lacking plot wise.