Megan Fox is no longer the current It girl for Hollywood films, but she has found a lucrative and sometimes quite entertaining career as a B-movie leading lady. In Submissivenessshe leans into her old pin-up image as a sexy robo-helper who develops an unsettling bond with the family she lives with. Is the film a joke or just another ridiculous DTV affair?

Submissiveness: STREAM OR SKIP?

The essentials: Nick (Michele Morrone, the Adonis from Netflix 365 days) needs help. As a construction worker in an increasingly digital future, he is also tasked with caring for his children full-time while his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) endures an extended hospital stay due to a heart problem. Fortunately, there is one advantage to humanity’s near obsolescence: the relative affordability and availability of helper androids. Soon, a disturbingly attractive robot named Alice (Megan Fox) is in the house helping with chores and even parenting. But when Maggie returns home, Alice begins to act out towards “her” family, especially regarding her bond with Nick. Just think about it Submissiveness as M3GAN Fox.

What will it remind you of?: Oh, what won’t it remind you? Apart from the obvious parallels to M3GANit’s pretty much a sci-fi take on 90s femme fatale domestic thrillers The hand that rocks the cradlee or Fatal attraction.

Performance worth seeing: Although she is not the point-of-view character, this film belongs to Megan Fox. In the years since the underestimation, it hasn’t always been easy for her to find the right vehicle for her particular affect Jennifer’s body flopped. But director SK Dale built his second Fox vehicle after the fun Until deathunderstands that its leading lady’s sometimes flat performance can be an asset, and Fox herself is clearly having self-conscious fun with her image as she gradually unleashes her inner Terminator (the villain from the first film who is only convinced that she is). is). more like the protector of T2).

Memorable dialogue: Who needs dialogue for punchlines when you see the look on Maggie’s face when she sees her family’s new helper for the first time?

Gender and skin: Spoiler: Nick and Alice manage, albeit gently, as Alice manipulates Nick in a weak and stressful moment, even blindfolding him and using Maggie’s voice to calm him down instead of, you know, trying to have sex with Nick with the Foxbot. But yes, you can see Megan Fox’s butt. The robot probably keeps her bra on during sex because she has seen a lot of Hollywood films.

Our opinion: To say it straight away: Submissiveness is not the delightful surprise of Until deaththe previous collaboration between Fox and Dale. (Hopefully these are the first two of many, given his obvious interest in making fun B-movies around their whole thing.) The earlier film came to life, from a sleepy domestic melodrama to a surprisingly immediate and well-made limited one setting thriller; Submissivenessdue to its compelling premise and new cast of star and director, raises higher expectations. That means there are more opportunities to disappoint, and there are moments when you feel like the film should be a little tougher: a little more exciting, a little weirder, a little more amped up energy. On the other hand, Submissiveness is a better movie than we should probably expect from Megan Fox Plays a Boring Dude’s Robo-Servant. It’s an efficient and entertaining sci-fi thriller about the dangers of automation, given a certain edge by casting an infamous figure at the center and a reminder that, for all their trash films and off-screen antics, Fox has one a certain confident star quality.

Our call: If you’re in the mood for a sci-fi B-movie, STREAM it. Just know (unlike Nick) what you’re getting into here.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a Brooklyn-based writer. He regularly writes articles for The AV Club, Polygon and The Week, among others. He also podcasts on www.sportsalcohol.com.

Regard Submissiveness on Netflix