Finch

Der gute Hanks, der gute Roboter und der gute Hund fahren mit einem Van durch das postapokalyptische Amerika. Sie lernen einander kennen, sie bringen dem Roboter das Autofahren bei und werfen dem Hund einen Ball. Die klischeehafteste Banalität, die dieses Jahr auf dem Gebiet der Filme entstanden ist, bei denen man mehr als nur eine technische Perfektion erwartet. Der einzige interessante Moment des Films, der aber unvollendet bleibt, ist der Augenblick, in dem sich der Roboter im Spiegel sieht. Er dauert ungefähr 20 Sekunden. (06.11.2021)

A well-crafted film for people who like to be moved by cute little dogs, cute little robots, and Tom Hanks in good-hearted, warmly human mode. Otherwise, kitsch as hell. (06.11.2021)

For the entire (unjustifiably long) running time, I couldn't tune in to the simultaneously unstimulating stylisation of robot uncle, dog and family escapades like Short Circuit and Wall-E and the hopeless post-apocalypse where man becomes wolf like in The Road. And the standard good (however routine) performance of Hans together with the solid pace and visuals doesn't save much. (07.11.2021)

An optimistic, post-apocalyptic road movie with a subliminal storyline about people all being bastards and so you’d better kill them or run away if you see them. Hanks survived Covid-19, just to be taken out by a solar flare on Sun-28 and an ozone layer full of holes (like Swiss cheese), so he builds a robot to look after his dog when he is no longer around. Because a mega-storm is headed for St. Luis, he packs up his stuff, robot and dog, and heads for San Franscisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge before he dies. This picture that everybody and nobody will like is rather clichéd, but alternates moods (from over-the-top joy to pessimistic depression) unexpectedly naturally. The robot’s whistles in tried and tested Number 5/Wall-E style is fun and Hanks’ stern scolding that often presents the main human protagonist as an anti-social asshole acts as a dark counterbalance. Sapochnik’s fairly original approach is enhanced by several catastrophes that the heroic threesome come up against on the journey.  It certainly could have been approached from a different direction and called it Jeff and looked at bringing a robot to life, using the potential of the material to the full (and make it three hours long), but the storyline about coming to terms with death also has its positive side. (11.11.2021)