Vague Visages’ Project Dorothy review contains minor spoilers. George Henry Horton’s 2024 movie features Danielle Harris, Tim DeZarn and Adam Budron. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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Project Dorothy, an AI-themed “horror” film, never raises the stakes throughout its 80-minute runtime, nor does it build upon the best comedic moments. Tim DeZarn (The Cabin in the Woods) and Adam Budron (Special Ops: Lioness) star as James and Blake, respectively — two bank robbers on the run who hide in an abandoned warehouse and discover the truth about a failed government tech program from the 80s. When “Dorothy” (an AI baddie voiced by horror icon Danielle Harris) learns about the internet, she seeks unlimited access to knowledge and power. Director George Henry Horton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ryan Scaringe, seemingly couldn’t decide if Project Dorothy is a bromance flick with a tech influence or a timely thriller with a throwback aesthetic. The dialogue lacks depth, and the best Kubrickian visuals get overshadowed by questionable humor.

It’s clear early on that Project Dorothy will be a rough ride. The opening sequence suffers from brutal editing, with the robbers speaking about a “client” but never identifying anyone by name. What world is this? And where did the police go? Who are these people? The filmmakers establish a father/son dynamic between the grizzled James and his relatively young protégé, Blake, though Project Dorothy essentially ignores the outside world and the big picture, which is fundamentally the main concern for any film about artificial intelligence. It’s almost like the main characters walked into a parallel universe. In fact, Blake seems like he’s trapped in an 80s action movie, which makes his attempts to outsmart Dorothy rather laughable. Unfortunately, Horton never embraces a camp element — a missed opportunity for fun and visual flair.

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Project Dorothy establishes the villain’s immediate motivations, and the AI visual design looks fantastic. On top of that, Harris provides a devilish voice acting performance that works wonderfully until her character suddenly gets scared during the final act. But Project Dorothy’s action sequences seem more influenced by 80s sniper films than Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — a classic that presumably inspired the villain’s lair. Due to the film’s lack of a cinematic identity, the weak character development stands out even more. What exactly does Blake want beyond James’ approval? Anything? And what does Dorothy plan to do in the outside world? Just some internet stuff? It’s a bad sign when the best moments in a film about AI involve menacing forklifts.

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Tighter editing and five minutes of extra exposition — clean exposition — would’ve significantly improved Project Dorothy. The flashback sequences feature a memorable supporting performance from Olivia Scott as Dr. Jillian, yet the dialogue as a whole — at least between the bank robbers — comes across as unnatural and underdeveloped. Overall, Horton and company needed to settle on a specific genre style in order to increase the suspense and stakes. There’s no camp and no scary moments in Project Dorothy. So, what is Horton’s film beyond an unimaginative chamber piece tech thriller? I still can’t connect the dots, as Project Dorothy has nothing meaningful to say about the lingering AI threat to humanity.

Project Dorothy released digitally in January 2024 via Gravitas Ventures.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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