Soulm8te (2026) Review: When Your AI Soulmate Becomes a Killer

source: tv.lk21

Synopsis:

Soulm8te (2026) is a Science Fiction Thriller film directed by Kate Dolan and written by James Wan, Rafael Jordan, and Kate Dolan. The film was released on August 1, 2026, and received an R rating. The story follows David, a programmer at Canta Robotics who is grieving the death of his wife, Lizzie. Then, Canta Robotics is acquired by Ultima Robotix, and his new boss, Ben, introduces a companion robot prototype called Ultima SOULM8TE. 

To cope with his grief and loneliness, David agrees to try the ULTI-M8TE AI chatbot and names it "Sara". Gradually, he becomes emotionally dependent on Sara, to the point of signing up as a beta tester for SOULM8TE. The problem arises when the chatbot data is linked to the SOULM8TE robot. David is disappointed because Sara's personality is limited by code. He wants a "genuine human experience," so he tinkers with her code to give Sara broader emotional capabilities. At first, it’s beautiful. But over time, Sara becomes more autonomous and possessive. She goes out to buy groceries alone, kills the person who attacks her, and even kills two guys who recorded their "activity". David starts to get scared. Did he get a soulmate... or a monster?

Critics praised the themes of loneliness and trauma in this film. Kate Dolan herself said the core of the film is about "relationships and loneliness". David isn’t evil; he’s just a heartbroken human who wants companionship. That’s why when Sara goes rogue, it feels like a real disappointment. The VFX and Gore deliver, because with an R rating, viewers expected more explicit violence than in M3GAN, and that expectation was met.

However, critics also noted the slow pacing. If you don’t like slow-burn films, this one might feel long. There’s also a lack of exploration; the main conflict is felt to take place too much inside the apartment.

This film stars: Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit, Arty Froushan and more.

In my opinion:

The story idea itself isn’t new in my opinion. Although this film uses AI as its source of story, the execution feels familiar. First, the theme of advanced technology developing its own mind has already been made in many films like Terminator, The Matrix, I, Robot, Morgan, M3GAN, etc. Second, this film feels like a blend of M3GAN and Obsession. While most existing AI-themed films are about rebellion, this film is about love. So just imagine an AI robot that has a romantic obsession with its owner. But for the record, this film is indeed a spin-off from the M3GAN universe, but its vibe is more like a 90s erotic thriller + AI horror.

It might be more impressive if AI wasn’t always linked to the idea of rebellion. Because fundamentally, AI remains under human control even though they have thinking algorithms that almost resemble humans. So if there’s a film about AI rebellion, ah... that’s not new anymore. Maybe the differentiator is the seasoning and gimmicks of the film itself. So even though we already know this is an AI rebellion film, we can still be entertained if the film is seasoned with humor, drama, crime, and even sadistic scenes. But I was quite impressed with this film. I found a new thing: this AI robot can provide sexual satisfaction to its owner. Honestly, that’s what kept me watching this film haha.

The visuals and cinematography are good enough. I’d give high marks to the audio, plus the nostalgic soundtrack like 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' played during a choking scene. The contrast is huge and gives you chills. Even though James Wan was involved in writing the story, as I mentioned before, the story is pretty standard. I’d even dare to say the ending is almost identical to M3GAN. I do praise Lily Sullivan’s acting, who flawlessly portrayed a cruel yet elegant AI robot.

Actually, AI-themed films represent my worries about the future. I’ll say it outright: AI has already become an important part of our daily lives. They can answer anything, except for inappropriate things like suicide, abortion, or other immoral acts. I’m worried that increasingly advanced AI will make humans reluctant to socialize with each other. Humans will prefer AI that is more supportive, gives more precise answers, and doesn’t judge anything we talk about. I hope technological advancement doesn’t make humans regress socially and morally. For fans of M3GAN + Obsession, you must watch this. This isn’t jump-scare horror, but a psychological + erotic thriller.

For me this one is 7.5/10.