The Artificial early reviews are largely positive after Luca Guadagnino’s film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 5. Starring Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the film explores the development of artificial intelligence alongside the ambition, power struggles and personalities behind the technology.
Written by Simon Rich, Artificial also stars Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati and Mark Rylance as AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton.
Critics Praise Andrew Garfield’s Performance
Several early reviews have singled out Garfield’s portrayal of Altman.
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture described the film as both entertaining and terrifying, praising its exploration of power, control, ambition and greed. He also called Garfield’s performance one of his most unsettling and transformative roles.
Eric Kohn of IndieWire described the movie as a “pitch-perfect dark comedy” and praised Garfield for balancing different sides of his portrayal of Altman.
Film critic Jairo Jimnez called the film a visceral corporate drama and highlighted Garfield’s performance.
Artificial Compared With The Social Network
The film has also drawn comparisons with David Fincher’s The Social Network.
Variety critic Owen Gleiberman described Artificial as a playful docudrama exploring the early development of artificial intelligence and the people who shaped it. He called it a potential real sequel to The Social Network and praised its ability to make AI feel like a tangible subject with real-world stakes.
The film’s early Rotten Tomatoes score stood at 92%, although not every review was positive.
Tim Grierson of Screen International criticised the screenplay, arguing that it does not provide enough insight into the people who became wealthy while promoting the technology.
What Is Artificial About?
Artificial is centred partly around the dramatic events of 2023, when Sam Altman was removed as OpenAI CEO before returning to the company days later.
However, the film also looks beyond that episode, exploring the earlier development of AI and the people involved in its rise.
The project itself went through a change in studio backing. Amazon MGM Studios initially supported the film but dropped it in June, saying it would be better served by another studio. Neon subsequently acquired the film for worldwide distribution.
Artificial is scheduled to release in US cinemas on December 25.
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