Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gory violence, sex, language in killer-robot M3GAN spin-off.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Soulm8te
What's the Story?
In SOULM8TE, engineer David (David Rysdahl) is grieving for his late wife, Lizzie, and working mainly from home. When his company, Canta Robotics, is bought and taken over, the new boss, Ben (Arty Froushan), introduces the employees to a lifelike female robot designed as a companion for lonely men. Ben encourages David to try the companion app on his phone. David finds that it helps a little with his grief, so he volunteers to beta-test a robot of his own. He names her Sara (Lily Sullivan) and starts making little changes to her code to make her seem more "real." Unfortunately, the changes begin to contradict one another, and Sara's behavior becomes increasingly volatile.
Is It Any Good?
This killer-robot horror tale is reasonably well made, and the characters are mostly likable, but it's so routine and generic that it almost would have been better if it were terrible. Soulm8te is set in the same universe as M3GAN and its sequel, M3GAN 2.0, but it introduces an entirely new set of characters. David and his colleague Aubrey (Claudia Doumit) are fun additions, especially in the way their relationship turns from awkward flirting to full-blown romance. Aubrey is smart, too; she's the only one who asks, "Are there male soulm8tes?" The robot is also pretty effective, not because Sara is scary or terribly interesting, but because Sullivan's skillful performance is eerily robot-like.
The movie also asks questions about what it might mean to be intimate with AI, even if the questions are largely superficial. Unfortunately, as if in a hurry to wrap things up, Soulm8te abandons most of its commentary, dropping the ball as it roars into a pretty typical final act, ripped right out of 1980s and '90s "erotic thrillers." It ultimately lacks the scrappiness and surprise that made M3GAN a success. It's as if the humans gave up and let the robots drive.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Soulm8te's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How does the movie depict sex? What values are suggested?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes seem to enjoy being scared by movies?
What lessons can be learned from this story? In what ways was David wrong in trying to create the "perfect woman"?
How does the movie talk about AI? Are there reasons to fear AI? Reasons to feel hopeful?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 1, 2026
- Cast : Lily Sullivan , David Rysdahl , Claudia Doumit
- Director : Kate Dolan
- Studio : Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Robots , STEM ( AI )
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language
- Last updated : August 12, 2026
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