Next Gen (2018)

Next Gen is a 2018 Canadian-American-Chinese[2] computer-animated science fiction action comedy-drama film directed by Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander. The film stars the voices of John Krasinski, Charlyne Yi, Jason Sudeikis, Michael Peña, David Cross and Constance Wu. It tells the story of Mai Su, a lonely teenage girl living in a world where sentient robots are commonplace, who, after a chance encounter with a top-secret robot known as 7723, must form an unlikely bond to put an end to a vicious threat. The film was released on Netflix on September 7, 2018.

## Plot

In the futuristic city of Grainland where robots are ubiquitous, a young girl named Mai lives with her mother, Molly. Ever since her father left the family, Molly has filled the void with robots, causing Mai to feel unloved and lonely.

Now as a teenager, she and Molly attend a product launch at the IQ Robotics headquarters. Mai, upset at her mother's ignorance, wanders off and stumbles upon a secret lab belonging to Dr. Tanner Rice, who's been working on an attack robot called 7723. Mai accidentally activates 7723, but is quickly apprehended by security and reunited with her mother. At the launch, Justin Pin, CEO of IQ Robotics, unveils the next generation of Q-Bots to the public with the promise to put "one in every home". Accompanied by his robot bodyguard, Ares, Pin leaves to meet with Rice at the assembly line, who expresses safety concerns about the Q-Bots, but Pin believes they are ready. Meanwhile, 7723 leaves the lab to find Mai, but causes a high-speed pursuit on a freeway. The situation escalates when he activates his weapon systems, causing the police force to use deadly force in return, blowing him off the freeway and down into the lowest levels of the city. When he awakens later, he finds that his memory core was damaged in the fall, compromising his ability to store memories in the long term.

The next day at school, Mai befriends a girl named Ani, and they are attacked by an athletic group of bullies led by Greenwood. When Mai retaliates by kicking a football into Greenwood's head, she and her bullies use their Q-Bots to attack her. She comes home with a black eye much to her mother's shock, but the two's strained relationship prevents any meaningful discussion, and so Mai runs into her room. Later that night when Mai goes outside to check on her dog, Momo, she finds 7723 in her backyard, and she initially tries to dismiss him. However, fascinated by his weapons system, she allows him stay in the garage. 7723 reviews his memory bank and decides which memories to delete in order to make room for more.

Later, Mai confronts Greenwood and the rest of her bullies with 7723 at her side, who destroys one of the bullies' Q-Bots, forcing them all to flee. The two then embark on a montage of shenanigans throughout the city, but as 7723 accumulates more memories, he struggles to choose which ones are worth keeping. When Mai confronts him about it, he reveals that if he reaches full capacity, he will no longer be able to make any more and he must undergo a total system reset, losing his memories in the process. Mai suggests that 7723 could delete his core systems to make more room, but he warns that he would lose functionality.

Frustrated by Rice's secrets and 7723 still on the loose, Pin is about to execute Rice using a Q-Bot, which can self-destruct on Ares' command. Rice is able to convince Pin otherwise by promising to find 7723 by tapping into the feeds of Q-Bots across the city in order to track him down, and is temporarily spared.

7723 is becoming increasingly apprehensive about using his abilities despite Mai's orders. After witnessing Ani harassed by Greenwood and her clique at a park, Mai and 7723 intervene. Mai orders 7723 to destroy their Q-Bots in an act of revenge for her suffering, which he reluctantly follows. After being ordered to beat a lone and cornered selfish Greenwood, Mai hit Greenwood in the face and hands with her bat causing the bully to cry because she was been a jerk to her ever since Mai's father was left, and she ran to think of what she have done. Mai returns home, upset with 7723 for letting her down.

That night, 7723 deletes his weapons system to save his memories and prevent himself from hurting people any longer. He finds Mai and provides her a gift (accidentally being detected by Molly's Q-Bot in the process), promising not to let her down again. They return home to find Dr. Rice waiting for them to format 7723's memory and take him away. He explains that he had built 7723 to prevent an upcoming crisis, but Pin and Ares appear. Though Rice tries to appeal to Pin, his former friend reveals his plan to kill them and then unleashes Ares. Unable to fight back without his weapons, 7723 is unable to stop Pin from kidnapping Molly and flees with Mai and her dog, Momo into the sewers, who then accuses him of caring more about his memories than her mother's life.

Mai storms off to raid the IQ Robotics headquarters alone to rescue Molly, but 7723 soon arrives and two make up in the heat of battle. They find Dr. Rice, who warns them of Ares, but before he can say much more, Pin appears and destroys him. Mai then realizes that Pin's mannerisms mimic Ares' and the truth is revealed: Ares killed Pin and has been using a bionic duplicate of his body. When Pin created Ares, he had told him to make the world "perfect", which he believes will only happen when humanity is extinct. The battle is taken to a nearby sports stadium, and with his plans now exposed, Ares begins to detonate the Q-Bots then merges with a powerful armored assault machine to overpower 7723. Meanwhile, Mai rescues Molly, and try to escape the stadium, but Mai is captured by Pin. Unable to fend off Ares, 7723 makes the decision to reboot himself, restoring his weapons and beginning the process of wiping his memories. He shares one last goodbye with Mai before battling Ares on equal footing. After an arduous battle, his system reboot completes before he can finish Ares off, becoming inert. Ares then attempts to destroy the vulnerable 7723 using a weak Pin, but Mai saves him by decapitating Ares, killing them both. 7723 re-activates but fails to recognize Mai.

As life returns to normal, 7723 and Mai are making new memories together and are finally accepted by the community.