SUPERINTELLIGENCE (PG) ★★★ ★★
YOU don’t require superintelligence to spot a worrying trend in Melissa McCarthy’s career since her 2011 breakthrough in Bridesmaids.
Her least successful roles in Tammy, The Boss and Life Of The Party are all directed by her husband Ben Falcone and co-written by the couple.
Falcone is back behind the camera for this high-concept yarn, which rests the fate of the world in the hands of McCarthy’s bland, nondescript everywoman.
It’s the funniest of the conjugal collaborations, however, the bar has been set incredibly low. Even the most gifted limbo dancer would strain to shimmy under it.
Computer coding, which originated in the operating system of a fluffy pink Candy Panda electronic toy, acquires awareness and silently takes control of every electronic device around the planet.
The superintelligence hijacks CCTV cameras to search for a “baseline guinea pig” to determine whether humanity should be saved, enslaved or destroyed.
Ex-Yahoo executive Carol Peters (McCarthy) is singled out and the superintelligence contacts her through her appliances, using the voice of her favourite celebrity: James Corden.
The omnipotent algorithm persuades Carol to demonstrate a human being’s full spectrum of emotions by making amends with her old flame, George (Bobby Cannavale). Meanwhile, Carol’s best friend Dennis (Brian Tyree Henry), who works at Microsoft, alerts the US President (Jean Smart) to the global threat.
Superintelligence relies on McCarthy’s gifts as a physical comedian and for once, Falcone’s direction doesn’t snuff out her brilliance.
■ In selected cinemas.