Finch Review

PLOT: In a post-apocalyptic future, a terminally ill scientist (Tom Hanks) creates a robot (Caleb Landry Jones) to care for his beloved dog, Goodyear, once he passes away.

REVIEW: For Finch, comparisons to Cast Away are inevitable. The films are similar in that they’re essentially one-man shows for star Tom Hanks. However, while he only had a volleyball for company in that film, he has a walking, talking, likeable robot and a really good dog to wander the post-apocalyptic future with (I prefer the original title, BIOS). Guaranteed to jerk some tears, it’s a smart pickup from Apple TV+, who bought the film from Universal a while back. Hanks is still a beloved figure, and Finch plays well for all ages.

While not up there with some of his classics, Finch is a likeable entry to Hanks’ filmography. His Finch is a friendly, sweet old scientist among the loan survivors of a solar flare that turned the ozone layer to “swiss cheese.” Humanity has gone down the drain, so Hanks hides out in a bunker with his only companion, a lovely dog named Goodyear. But, alas, years of radiation exposure has liquified Finch’s insides, and his days are numbered. To him, the only thing that matters is raising a companion for his dog, and to that end, he’s able to build a droid named Jeff, who, as the film goes on, begins to learn about humanity and love from his creator.

Their relationship forms the crux of the film. Finch is a road-trip saga to some extent, with the crew forced to go on the run from a dangerous storm, with them deciding to drive to San Francisco, where Finch hopes the radiation isn’t as harmful. The film is different from a lot of other post-apocalyptic movies in that the threat of humankind is mostly existential here. You never really see any of the survivors, and there’s little to no violence, with only a tragic flashback showing how dangerous life in such a dismal future can be.

Instead, it’s a kinder, gentler post-apocalyptic tale that’s nowhere near as grim as George Clooney’s recent The Midnight Sky. Jeff and his more diminutive robot sidekick, Dewey, are of the Star Wars/Wall-E kind in that they’re cute and lovable as they try to become human. Finch and Jeff’s quasi father/son relationship is compelling, with Hanks superb as the sometimes frustrated Finch, while Landry voices Jeff with a sense of childlike wonder.

Finch is directed by Game of Thrones helmer Miguel Sapochnik, who also made the wacky Jude Law vehicle Repo Men a decade ago. This is a much lower-key, emotional film than that blackly comic, ultra-violent outing (which I actually kind of liked back in the day). Most movies that sport a cast of one can be a bit of a test, but when that actor happens to be Tom Hanks, you’re in pretty good hands.

Certainly, the CGI is terrific, with Dewey and Jeff seeming ultra-realistic. The FX work done to animate them is impeccable. It’s also really well shot by His House/ Limitless cinematographer Jo Willems. Indeed, it certainly could have been a theatrical release had Universal/Amblin not sold it, but in the end, this should find a solid-sized audience on streaming. It’s worth checking out and might even make you cry just a little. And, really – Tom Hanks and a dog? That should be reason enough to watch right there.

Finch

GOOD

7

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