Fresh off a career-high with “The Boys’” recent wrap-up, Karl Urban just might butcher things up with his latest film. Serving as a producer and starring as Frank, the evil stepfather, Karl is one of the many big names attached to the latest film written by Andrew Niccol (“The Terminal,” “Gattaca,” and “The Truman Show”). Joining him on the cast of “I, Object” are a list of big names like Ethan Hawke (“Before Sunrise,” and “The Black Phone,” “Dead Poets Society), Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”), Jermaine Clement (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “Flight of the Conchords,” and “Moana”), and Jay Baruchel (“How to Train Your Dragon,” “Tropic Thunder,” and “Blackberry”). Taking the lead are Bentley Storteboom (“Riverdale” and “CW’S Nancy Drew”) as Tom, a 10-year-old who has the unusual ability of speaking with inanimate objects, and Allie (Skywalker Hughes), a neglected daughter who shares the same affliction.

“I, Object” has a fairly simple premise. Tom is grieving the loss of his father while having to deal with his mother, played by Anna Faris, trying to make a new future with Frank. Right off the bat, it’s a familiar plotline to the cheesy made-for-TV children’s movies that were rampant throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. He has zero friends, save for the many household objects in his life, most of which belonged to his deceased father. Acting as the film’s narrator is Benny, an alarm clock passed onto Tom. Everything changes for Tom once he realizes he is not the only one with the special ability after coming across Allie.

Now there’s a certain wholesomeness around the premise, but at times, viewing it through the lens of an adult can give you mixed feelings of confusion and horror. As we see Tom and Allie interacting with the objects, you come to the realization that almost everything around their lives is technically alive. In the film’s climax, Frank’s remodeling of the house shows viewers how it’s a distressing experience for Tom since it could lead to the loss of the objects he has come to know. A simple repaint of a table has him crying since it means he could no longer interact with the dog he sees within it.

At one point, you’re left questioning the sanity of the characters, which the film directly addresses. For a brief moment, the film attempts to probe into the psychological aspect of it all, claiming Tom and Allie merely have a strong form of pareidolia, the phenomenon where the brain recognizes patterns in objects or the environment. We’re then left wondering if the wholesome family picture just decided halfway through to become a psychological thriller of sorts. Are these kids just seeing things? Of course, seeing how it’s aimed toward children, it’s the adults who are wrong.

One of the weak points of “I, Object” is its inability to commit to making Tom’s ability unique. Throughout the movie, Tom encounters many others who share his trait of being able to see and talk to inanimate objects. As such, it no longer makes his struggles as heavy as the film wants us to believe. What started as a special power of sorts is cheapened into a regular ability almost everyone else has.

Cast members also feel somewhat underutilized, with most of the voice roles only throwing in puns and jokes for their characters, rather than giving us a reason to care for them other than the dead father being their previous owner and passed on to Tom. Karl as the evil stepfather also seems miscast. It’s hard seeing him as the type who would constantly antagonize a child. Anna, who we know for her comedic slapstick and high energy from the “Scary Movie” franchise, literally has nothing to do here other than be the oblivious mother. Much of the acting also feels a bit phoned in, save for one of the side-character villains who gives a commendable over-the-top cartoonish villain performance.

Personal gripes aside, however, audience reactions during its screening had viewers feeling warmly toward the film. Since it’s easy to follow, the lightheartedness of it all has viewers reacting with laughs over the absurdity of some scenes. Sitting through the reactions was certainly amusing, especially when audience members find joy in wondering what other unusual object will find sentience. Give it a try and see if it’s for you. Robinsons Movieworld’s current promo of offering a 45 percent discount on regular movie tickets certainly makes it an easier decision to make.