Finch <\/em>opens on a windy, dusty landscape so alien it could be mistaken for a distant planet, if it weren\u2019t for the detritus of human civilization like husks of cars and overturned shopping carts. Finch Weinberg (Hanks) appears to be one of the few survivors after a solar flare and the ensuing panic have driven humanity to the brink of extinction, but radiation sickness has doomed him to soon join the billions of dead. The robotics engineer has holed up at his job, where he has created a droid with a single purpose: to protect Finch\u2019s dog after his imminent death. When a weeks-long superstorm drives them out of their haven in St. Louis, the trio journey in an RV toward San Francisco, avoiding the deadly rays of the sun and the threat of desperate people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve seen Hanks carrying a film in isolation before, thanks to 2000\u2019s Cast Away<\/em> (no offense, Wilson), but despite all appearances, Finch<\/em> isn\u2019t that. The Oscar-winning actor isn\u2019t just playing off himself here as the engineer who was anti-social even before the collapse of society. There are charming interactions with the beloved dog, of course, but what makes Finch <\/em>work is the interplay with the robot. In a motion-capture performance, Caleb Landry-Jones is doing something truly magical. This isn\u2019t the first childlike robot in movie history, but there\u2019s something ineffable about this character, as a result of the fine work of both the actor and the crew who created him. Despite knowing the current limitations of tech, there isn\u2019t a moment where you doubt that Hanks\u2019 scene partner is an actual robot. It is seamless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the effects of creating the robot, this is a surprisingly spare film. It finished production before the pandemic, but it feels like the kind of small-scale movie that would have been made in its wake (with themes to match). Though Sapochnik made a single feature before Finch \u2014 <\/em>2010\u2019s critical and box office disappointment Repo Men<\/em> \u2014 he\u2019s better known for his work in TV, particularly Game of Thrones. <\/em>The episodes he directed for the HBO juggernaut were epic ones, like \u201cHardhome\u201d and \u201cBattle of the Bastards,\u201d but oddly, he goes much smaller for this big-screen effort (that most people will watch on Apple TV+). Despite its post-apocalyptic setting, there are no zombie hordes here. Instead, it\u2019s just these three characters surrounded by a hostile planet. There\u2019s some excellent world-building in the script from industry veterans and first-time screenwriters Craig Luck and Ivor Powell. Sometimes the movie relies too heavily on the dog\u2019s cuteness, but this is a small complaint. (It\u2019s a cute dog!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finch<\/em> may be about America\u2019s Dad dying at the end of the world, but this sweet and funny drama is somehow anything but grim. The movie is honest about the dire situation for Finch and the human race, but hope persists, despite the circumstances. Finch and the audience share a sense of wonder over what we can accomplish, with the film itself sometimes achieving a similar sense of awe. “Finch” streams Friday on Apple TV+<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/finch2-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/crookedc-01.svg\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA-<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n