'Superintelligence' Featurette Touts An Apocalyptic Love Story With Melissa McCarthy

Just last week, the underwhelming first trailer for Melissa McCarthy's new comedy Superintelligence arrived with a whimper. The movie from director Ben Falcone was intended to be released in theaters in December 2019, but it has now been relegated to a release on HBO Max during Thanksgiving weekend. Perhaps that's because the movie looks like a strange mesh of sci-fi and romance that doesn't make much sense, and not even a new Superintelligence featurette can sell it properly.

The featurette touts the movie as an apocalyptic love story where artificial intelligence voiced by James Corden monitors the life of the incredibly average Carol Peters (Melissa McCarthy). When the program informs her that its decision to preserve, enslave or destroy humanity will be based on the value he finds in how she lives her life, Carol decides to reconnect with the guy who got away, played by Bobby Cannavale.

For a movie that hinges on a romance, there seems to be very little charm on display here. The high-concept premise doesn't align with the romantic side of the story, and the comedy that comes from government agents (played by Ben Falcone and Sam Richardson) keeping an eye on this precarious situation feels like it's from a very different kind of comedy. It just feels like a mess right off the bat.

Is it just me, or does everything in this featurette feel kind of somber? It makes me wonder if all these interviews were recorded after they realized that the movie didn't work and it was being dumped on HBO Max instead of being put in theaters. There's just a hint of sadness in everyone's voice as they talk about the movie, which is pretty depressing when this is supposed to be a romantic comedy intended to be watched around Thanksgiving. Then again, since Thanksgiving is going to be a lot more depressing this year, maybe it'll fit right in with the vibe of 2020. Maybe it will force us all to reflect on what we would do with our lives if an artificial intelligence mimicking James Corden threatened to destroy humanity. Or maybe it will just be a crap movie.

An all-powerful Superintelligence (James Corden) chooses to study the most average person on Earth, "Carol Peters" (Melissa McCarthy), the fate of the world hangs in the balance. As the A.I. decides to enslave, save or destroy humanity, it's up to Carol to prove that people are worth saving.

Superintelligence activates on HBO Max starting on November 26, 2020.