On a scale of 1 to ‘Megan Fox is Mother,’ what are the odds of Netflix giving us ‘Subservience 2?’

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the film Subservience. 

Never underestimate the appeal of Megan Fox:  she launched Subservience, a movie destined for lukewarm reception at best, to the top of the Netflix film rankings through sheer star power (and heavily sexualized marketing, but that’s a conversation for later). 

Though nothing new in terms of plot, the movie has found its footing among horror fans and even sets itself up for a potential sequel, albeit predictably. Who among us would ever expect the incredibly lifelike —and, it turns out, anatomically correct— AI would evolve beyond her programming and wreak havoc in order to win the heart of the human who purchased her?

Heck, this is the plot of several such films, including the Disney Channel Original classic, Smart House. Granted, the father in that film does not sleep with the titular House, but you get the idea. 

As of writing, Netflix hasn’t confirmed a Subservience sequel. The film’s director, S.K. Dale, has expressed interest in continuing the story, telling ComicBook.com that he loves “the way it finishes off,” but that “we needed the audience to know that there is more to come.” If he were to direct a sequel, Dale has some ideas on where to take it.

“I think if we were to expand on the story, I would really want to explore the evolution of the AI, as she becomes more self aware.” He would also want a potential sequel to focus on the family after suffering at the hands of Fox’s Alice. “In terms of the functioning of this fractured family trying to find that unity, I like how this narrative path plays out,” says Dale. “And I like the open-endedness that we have, too.”  

Still, getting a sequel greenlit relies on the film’s streaming performance. Admittedly, Subservience is doing well on Netflix, but how often has the streamer shut down a successful potential franchise for seemingly no good reason? And, do we really need another AI horror movie? Subservience poses good questions about the role of AI in our society as well as the human propensity to avoid pain at any cost, but it also does little with exploring potential answers to those questions, at least not in a way we haven’t seen before. There are good moments — especially in the first half — but the film’s predictability detracts from the parts we’d like to see more of. 

The actors’ performances in Subservience, especially Fox’s, are undeniably great. Fox shines as the android Alice, and uses her often-exploited sex appeal combined with her under-utilized acting chops to create a character who is as unsettling as she is beautiful. It calls to mind her performance as Jennifer Check in Jennifer’s Body, where Jennifer similarly uses her conventionally attractive appearance to fulfill a dastardly purpose. Unfortunately, Subservience never truly delves into Alice’s motivations to turn full-blown evil nor why her programming led her to deduce she needs to have sex with the man who bought her in the first place, and it’s worse for it.

Subservience is clearly set up for a sequel, but the jury’s out on whether one will happen. If it does, and if Fox returns, it should explore new territory rather than retread plot lines we’ve seen over and over again. With fresher writing, perhaps the new film can explore more ideas beyond, “Is AI good or bad?” and “What if your hot housemaid robot was Megan Fox?”