Finch – A Sensational Sci-Fi Drama (Early Review)

Tom Hanks has not had the best luck as of late when it comes to his last three films with Greyhound being sold by Sony to Apple, News of the World getting an underseen theatrical release in North America before its international rights being sold to Netflix by Universal, and now Finch (originally Bios) once again being sold by Universal to Apple. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a fickle thing in terms of the film industry so this hasn’t necessarily been his fault and isn’t necessarily a testament to those films. When it comes to Finch, it is a shame that the film will likely not be available on the big screen for most viewers but regardless of the platform, it is a film that should be seen. This sci-fi epic has all the technical acumen of any big, blockbuster offering, boasting some great cinematography, solid production design, and a powerful score. However, all of that merely served as a backdrop for a compelling and smaller-scale tale that while it may not be an original one, is sure to pull at viewers’ collective heartstrings, riding the legendary charm of Hanks.

Finch takes place in a near post-apocalyptic future and follows a man named Finch (Hanks), a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic event that has turned much of the world into an inhabitable wasteland. With his trusty canine companion Goodyear by his side, all he wanted to do was make sure he was cared for if anything were to happen to him. Living in an underground bunker with Goodyear, the two have made quite the life for themselves over the years but as with all good things, they must come to an end as an incident forced them out of their bunker in search of a new home. Creating a robot who would later name himself Jeff (Jones), the three set out on a journey across the West. This road trip would serve as a learning experience for the three of them. Though a story centered around the relationship between a human and a dog has been done countless times in countless films, the added element of Jeff made for a fresh dynamic, giving him what was essentially a coming-of-age tale on top of everything else.

Learning about life and the beauty of the outside world, both good and bad, and what it truly meant to be alive made for a fun perspective as viewers got to see the world through Jeff’s eyes. This journey also meant that he had to learn on the fly which meant plenty of moments where his inexperience showed but that just made him more endearing. It will be easy to forget that he is a robot as he more than proved himself and his worth to the team. However, proving himself to Goodyear was another issue. Still, that sense of camaraderie among the trio was so fun to watch as they fought to survive this mysterious new world. Though this brought on plenty of epic moments that saw them take on their fair share of challenges, Finch excelled with its lighter moments involving the three, be it a life lesson or just riffing off of one another. Instead of being an indictment on the circumstances that led to the world becoming the way it was, the story’s more hopeful approach throughout that focused on the future of humanity was refreshing as there was still hope out there.

In the end, the best part of Finch was its performances by Hanks and Jones as Finch and Jeff respectively. They were both certainly up to the task as the only two actors of note in the entire film. What more can be said about the charm of Tom Hanks? His charm, relatability, and screen presence helped bring humanity and depth to one of his best performances as a tortured engineer who had been beaten down over the years while simply trying to survive. What kept him going was his connection to Goodyear, a dog who he clearly cared about. Making some headway was Jones’ Jeff. Despite only providing his voice to the robot character, he also delivers one of his best performances in giving the young and naïve Jeff a surprising level of humanity to the point that it is easy to forget that he is a robot. A certified scene-stealer, he’ll make audiences laugh and cheer as much as he will them cry.

Do it for Jeff.

still courtesy of Apple

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.