POV: I paid S$21.50 to watch a S’pore AI sci-fi movie on National Day. It was quite bad.

On August 9, 2026, Singapore witnessed a unique movie screening - "Trace Project," an artificial intelligence-generated sci-fi film. This 64-minute movie was the sole public screening held in the city-state. The film followed the journey of Lin Jiajun, a young man from Singapore who overcame societal barriers and his father's disapproval to become the nation's first astronaut selected for a historic Mars exploration program.

Despite the negativity surrounding the movie online, curiosity drove me to watch it on National Day. My ticket cost S$21.50, including S$19 for the actual ticket and S$2.50 for online booking fees. After much persuasion, I managed to drag a friend, Matthew, into the screening which, according to rumors, had over 80% of seats occupied.

Upon entering the theatre, we noticed the team from FizzDragon, the production company behind "Trace Project," handing out tickets to invited guests, including content creators and collaborators. The audience also included several middle-aged individuals.

Before the movie commenced, a former People's Action Party Member of Parliament, Teo Ho Pin, addressed the crowd, discussing Singapore's aspirations to be a smart nation and a city of dreams. He hoped that "Trace Project" could inspire people to be creative and dream to achieve these goals. Following his speech, the movie began.

"Trace Project" fell short in many aspects. The AI-generated visuals and directorial approach proved to be a significant letdown. The movie's pacing was too fast, with too many abrupt cuts and insufficient background information. The lack of narrative structure left many plot holes unfilled, making it difficult to connect with the protagonist, Lin Jia Jun.

Moreover, noticeable errors and visual defects were present throughout the film. Lin Jun would occasionally wear a Singapore flag on his sleeves while on Mars, despite the flag's inaccuracies, such as having six to eight stars instead of the five officially recognized stars, or morphing into a foreign flag. The character portrayals felt unnatural, with some voice actors mispronouncing words like "kilometre" and "acknowledged."

One of the moviegoers, a 15-year-old who wished to remain anonymous, shared his disappointment with the film, stating it was "horrible as there were so many mistakes." He vowed never to watch anything AI-generated again. Matthew, who sat next to me, also expressed his dissatisfaction, criticizing the movie's pace and the characters' unnatural and non-human-like behavior.

He regretted watching the movie, feeling that he could have spent his time more productively. Online reviews echoed similar sentiments, with many describing the film as unintentionally funny.