Review of Swan Song (2021) by Bertobellamy — 24 Dec 2021
At first, 'Swan Song' looks like an Apple concept products ad, and then it turns into the usual derivative sci-fi film with a "profound" moral dilemma.
Mahershala Ali — who finally shines in a leading role — plays Cameron, a terminally ill man that contemplates the possibility of leaving a clone to live with his family when he's gone.
The premise is cool and all, but the execution is poor. The philosophical, ethical, and moral questions that the protagonist's decision convey are far from being explored here. Apart from Ali, the only other interesting character is his wife, played by Naomie Harris. Glenn Close and Awkwafina are completely irrelevant.
The film tries to go into 'Blade Runner' — there's even an origami moment! — and 'Ex-Machina' territory, but it all just stays on the surface.
Like 'Finch' and 'Foundation', the recent sci-fi Apple projects pretend to ask difficult questions about being human, but almost everything in them looks fake and very calculated. Hope they would take more risks in the future.
This review of Swan Song (2021) was written by Bertobellamy on 24 Dec 2021.
Swan Song has generally received positive reviews.
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