“Finch” Review
(Left) Newly born robot Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) discovers his abilities in front of his creator Finch (Tom Hanks) in the new Apple TV+ film “Finch.”
When it comes to original content from streaming, Apple TV+ is very underrated compared to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. With films like “CODA,” “On The Rocks” and “Wolfwalkers,” this is a streaming service worth looking at. The latest film on the platform, ‘Finch,” is an engaging story that showcases the talent of America’s most beloved actor: Tom Hanks.
Hanks stars in the film as the titular robotics engineer surviving in a post-apocalyptic world where the ozone layer has depleted, extreme weather plagues the Earth and there are few survivors. To keep himself company, Finch lives with his dog Goodyear and two robots, Dewey and Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones), who help him with daily tasks as he dies of radiation sickness in an abandoned St. Louis. When a storm threatens to destroy St. Louis, Finch leaves in an RV with Goodyear and his robots for San Francisco on one last journey.
Upon watching this film, I was reminded of this year’s “Cry Macho” which wasn’t incredibly engaging, but more laid back and showcased the actor’s talents. “Finch” mainly rests on Hanks’ shoulders and his performance is, once again, fantastic.
The motion-capture performance of Caleb Landry Jones as Jeff is wonderful as Jones portrays a robot who is slowly developing a personality and learning from Finch. While there were some effects used to give Jeff movements that resemble facial expressions, a majority of the robot seen in the film was on set. The tangibility of these special effects is incredible and Hanks always acts like this thing is really alive.
The father/son relationship that develops between Finch and Jeff is quite special as Finch tries to teach Jeff how to take care of Goodyear while Jeff inspires Finch to love life after ten years of just surviving. Jones brings a lot of humor to Jeff as this robot struggles to understand the world he lives in. By the end of the film, I realized just how far Jeff’s character had come and I was moved.
Everything about this film feels very small and that’s not a bad thing. There have already been a lot of gigantic science-fiction films, including this year’s “Dune,” so it’s nice to see something small-scale in this genre. Earlier this year, “Cry Macho” was a film that was more subdued and perfect for a Sunday afternoon viewing. “Finch” is a similar film and worth checking out.
