The recent sci-fi thriller hit trending on Netflix,Subservience, gives Megan Fox a great new villain role that is strikingly similar to one of her most underrated roles from 15 years ago.Subserviencefollows the characters of Nick and his family buying a robot, Alice, who is intended to help them with housework. However, as the movie progresses, Alice becomes more and more sinister and attempts to seduce Nick and get rid of his wife, Maggie. InSubservience’s thrilling ending, Alice’s actions have ramifications surrounding all AI, showcasing Megan Fox’s talent for portraying subversive villains.
Following the lead of similarsci-fi movies likeI, Robot,Subservienceexamines the possibility of sentient robots and the destruction they could bring, with the added twist of Alice’s infatuation with Nick.Subserviencehas already become one ofMegan Fox’s best roles,especially considering the questions it raises about AI. The movie also serves as a great reminder to rewatch one of Fox’s best movies from 2009. Despite the differences in their plots,SubservienceandJennifer’s Bodyhave a lot in common regarding their themes and Fox’s characters in each.
Subservience Has A Surprising Amount In Common With Jennifer’s Body
Both Movies Give Megan Fox A Subversive Role
Jennifer’s BodyandSubservienceare surprisingly similar due to Megan Fox’s performance in each film. InJennifer’s Body, Fox plays a high school cheerleader who, after a band attempts to sacrifice her to Satan, becomes a demon that eats boys. Fox is able to perfectly encapsulate a character who becomes a villain after experiencing something horrible. Likewise,Fox’s character inSubservienceflips the script on what makes a villain through the AI’s straying from its purpose to be helpful, making the role even more interesting.
The good characters that Megan Fox has played throughout her career are fun, but roles where she can use her looks to go against Hollywood norms are even more compelling.
Moreover, since Megan Fox’s early films likeTransformersgave her little to work with in terms of character,movies likeJennifer’s Bodyand nowSubservienceallow her to showcase a different side of her acting abilities. The good characters that Fox has played throughout her career are fun, but roles where she can go against Hollywood norms are even more compelling since they allow her to make critiques against an abusive society.
Subservience Pays Off Megan Fox’s Potential From Jennifer’s Body
Megan Fox’s Acting Skills Stand Out
Beyond the thematic similarities of the two films,Subserviencealso helps to pay off the potential that Megan Fox showed inJennifer’s Body.Jennifer’s Bodyis one of Fox’s best roles because she was able to convey such a broad range of emotions and scenarios, often encapsulating both horror and comedy into the same scene. While the theme of friendship that is crucial inJennifer’s Bodyis not present inSubservience,both movies are very insightful portrayals of gender in horror.
Alice is equally sinister, if not slightly more grown up, than Jennifer, and both characters allow Fox to use her good looks in a subversive manner that ultimately makes them scary. LikeJennifer’s Body,Subservienceis a standout performance by Megan Fox, seeing as the character has such complex motivations and emotions that the actress is able to perfectly convey. Therefore,Subservienceis a fitting follow-up toJennifer’s Bodyfor Fox after 15 years.
Subservience
Cast
Subservience, directed by S.K. Dale and released in 2024, follows a struggling father who brings home a lifelike AI amidst his wife’s absence. The AI develops self-awareness, desiring the affection of her owner, and becomes dangerously determined to attain everything the family has to offer.
Jennifer’s Body
Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, Jennifer’s Body is a horror-comedy film starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. When a newly possessed high school cheerleader (Fox) turns into a succubus specializing in seducing and killing her male classmates, her best friend (Seyfried) is the only thing that stands in the way of her sultry killing spree.
