Jenna Ortega’s New Sci-Fi Movie Turns Compelling AI Drama Into One Big Joke
Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, adapts Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel into a near-future story about an AI companion who forms a bond with a young girl. The review finds the film’s premise and emotional moments compelling, but argues that director Taika Waititi’s frequent juvenile jokes undercut its drama.
Klara is an “Artificial Friend” who is bought by Josie, a girl living in a polluted, overpopulated world where children undergo procedures to improve their intelligence. The reviewer praises Ortega’s performance and the film’s visual depiction of Klara’s glitches, but says abrupt tonal shifts keep the character and story from reaching their full potential.
In short
- Jenna Ortega plays an AI companion in a Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation.
- The review praises the premise and Ortega’s performance.
- Frequent jokes are said to weaken the emotional drama.
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The case for
The film’s comedy may be intended to make its unsettling future feel recognisable and to keep an intimate story from becoming relentlessly bleak. Its playful tone could also reflect Klara’s distinctive perspective, while Jenna Ortega’s performance and the visual glitches give the character emotional depth.
The case against
The story’s themes of artificial companionship, social inequality and pressure to enhance children’s abilities call for sustained emotional attention. Frequent juvenile jokes and abrupt tonal shifts can weaken that seriousness, making Klara’s bond with Josie and the film’s strongest moments less affecting.
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