Finch

A nice Hanks, a nice robot and a good dog take a van ride across post-apocalyptic America and get to know each other. The robot learns how to drive and to throw a ball to the dog. Finch is this year’s most clichéd banality in the field of films from which you expect more than just technical perfection. The only interesting, though half-baked, moment of the film is when the robot sees itself in a mirror. It lasts about 20 seconds. (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)

Sure, the premise might remind you of I Am Legend, but Finch has something special — Tom Hanks. He really brings Finch to life, and the post-apocalyptic vibe is always a winner. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s definitely an enjoyable watch. (18.01.2022)

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)

Finch is one of the last living humans in a post-apocalyptic world shaped by inhospitable climatic conditions (tornadoes, sandstorms), who travels around with his dog and self-made robots. His latest creation addition doesn't quite listen and acts like a little kid, and so begins a journey full of fun and danger. Although at first I was worried that the film was heading more in the direction of a family-friendly comedy sci-fi rather than post-apocalyptic horror, it turns out I was worried for nothing. The ratio of humour to action is quite cleverly balanced, the visuals are excellent and nicely colourful, Tom Hanks is great and the robots are fun, well done digitally and nicely emotionally rendered. The only issue on my part is that the film loses its way a bit towards the end, takes the foot completely off the gas, and drives it more towards an emotional and intimate ending, but otherwise you can see that they clearly knew what they wanted to make, how they wanted to make it, and the film looks exactly like that: a clear vision, a clear idea, and a clear outcome. Those expecting a full-blown sci-fi post-apocalypse may not be satisfied, but if you want a quality Tom Hanks one man show against a sci-fi backdrop, go for it. (05.11.2021)