How Spike Jonze’s realistic take on tech and the future is one of the best sci-fi movies ever

By: Keaton Marcus

What if you didn’t need another person to be in a relationship with? What if in the not-so distant future, a robot could be your wife? These are the questions that Spike Jonze’s Her asks, a science fiction masterpiece that transcends its genre trappings with special combinations of humor, drama and interesting ideas. I’ve been trying to occasionally watch acclaimed movies on Netflix that I missed recently, and just happened to come upon this after viewing Ex Machina (which was a life-changing experience), and thankfully so. This is a brilliant film, and despite all the warm reception it received back in 2013, it still feels overlooked and underrated, like it went under so many people’s radars. This is why I’d like to share my personal thoughts on the movie.

The acting, for starters, is truly a gorgeous thing to witness. Her stars a pretty talented cast, including Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, and Amy Adams, in which all of them give sensational performances, especially Johansson. Phoenix headlines the film, however, and he’s absolutely great as this man who’s in a bit of a mental dilemma with himself. We see his character, Theodore, call this woman on a futuristic “dating app” for cyber sex, and we can see that he’s clearly looking for some sort of sexual connection, but he can’t seem to sign the divorce papers with his ex-wife (Catherine, played by Rooney Mara). This creates juicy, tangible conflict for the character, and further deepens him as someone who looks to the future, but cannot forget the past. Now, for the star of the show, let’s talk about Scarlett Johansson.

The actress plays Samantha, who’s the main love interest for Theodore. Don’t get ahead of yourselves, she’s not actually human. In fact, she’s a computer with a consciousness inside a phone-like device he carries around. Basically, Theodore’s crush is simply a voice. Nonetheless, this gives a true challenge to Johansson, to voice her entire character while conveying such sheer human emotion. This doesn’t seem to be an issue for her, and she kills every single line. Samantha isn’t just the paint-by-the-numbers robot, she’s nearly human. This is how Johansson becomes the standout of the film, with her character not being physically there at all. This is what separates the movie from, say, Ava in Ex Machina. Alicia Vikander does a superb job, but her character is has a womanly figure, which isn’t as much of a difficulty.

The cinematography is where Her brings home the medals. From master cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, who’s the mastermind behind the camera for films like Interstellar and Ad Astra, has stunned me once again with his work. The color palette is so delicately chosen, seamlessly making viewers feel a certain calm while watching. Not only this, but it conveys the tragic loneliness of our main character as well. With the usage of bright colors for the most part, the film truly succeeds when audiences can bear witness to the craft on display here. Of course, the film has its other merits, as it should, but who doesn’t want some good old eye candy. Every shot is composed for relaxation, to put you in a trance, perhaps…And it works. Oh, does it work. This is partly thanks to the careful usage of yellow, burgundy, beige, and more tranquil coloration to bring the feeling to life.

It’s painfully difficult to think of any true flaws I had with the experience. The only complaint that I could come up with is that the start of the first act isn’t as engaging as the rest of the movie, especially the last one. Besides these beginning 25 minutes or so, I was perplexed on how perfect it was. Directer Spike Jonze, you’ve stolen my heart, and Joaquin Phoenix, you needed a damn Oscar for this. From the occasionally laugh-out-loud humor, tear-jerking ending, and a clever tampering of the boundaries of love, Her deserves our recognition.