Despite great characters and near-future setting, Her doesn't quite land emotionally

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2018)

Her is a smart movie with great performances across the board, led by Phoenix who truly gives many layers to Theodore. Her asks difficult, large questions about love, similarly to Ex Machina and Black Mirror's Be Right Back. As much fun as it is to consider, I would argue it's more of a romance and a character study than a sci-fi film. The characters are all realistic and the cast is excellent, but the emotional attachment at the end with Theodore losing Samantha just didn't land for me. It felt that it was more Theodore trying to understand himself and using Samantha to help himself do that and feel positive than a true relationship. The film looks beautiful and the lighting contrasts were gorgeous from scene to scene, and I thought the script was very good, but the progression of events kept me from being really drawn in. I can understand why many love it and think it's a valuable film to watch, but not a unique experience for me emotionally.