Wow, I am struggling to think of problems with this intelligent sci-fi thriller.
Caleb, a young computer specialist, is hired by a recluse multi-millionaire programmer to test groundbreaking artificial intelligence within a secret, isolated laboratory.
Ex Machina is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, writer of incredible science fiction screenplays such as Sunshine, Dredd and 28 Days Later. Three films I own and consider to be high class in their respective genres. Why then has it taken me over eight months to watch Ex Machina? The trailer and the promotional material.
Ex Machina is an awesome thriller, a very quiet and very subdued experience that speaks volumes without resorting to any action set pieces or Hollywood cliche. It is an intelligent, thinking-man's science fiction and unfortunately that is hard to market for wider audiences; I found the trailer to be very confused in tone, it wanted to make it look like an action thriller when it is certainly not.
It is hard to explain the film without spoiling it, but I will commend it for its narrow scope and intense focus on its three main characters. It is an analytical story, Oscar Issac's Nathan is a brilliant but recluse and socially weird genius who has created "true" AI, Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, a young outsider who is asked to give a "Turing Test" to Nathan's creation and is oblivious to anything else that may or may not be going on. Alicia Vikander is our final piece of the triad as Ava, the seemingly flawless artificial intelligence.
It is a talking film, we get to see the logistics of the creation and the morality played off by all three characters in great depth and using this to slowly expose what is a very dark and repressed secret beneath. While the discussion of artificial intelligence is cliche nowadays (and the representation of said AI being a beautiful young woman) these characters and how they affiliate and treat one another is far from cliche.
There's a very modern take on the advent of artificial intelligence at work beneath Ex Machina. It isn't some military funded science division, or some laboratory accident or even a metaphysical internet conception of life. It is constructed by a man who understands how to ignore conventions and use all of the tools modern living gives us to harness what it is to be human. How people use the internet and cellphones for example.
There are no wars between man and machine, but rather a debate between two men about the machine. This film isn't so much about the bells and whistles of a CGI robot so much as it is about Humanity and how we are fundamentally flawed yet strive to create life.
Of course, like Sunshine and others of Garland's written work, things get dark, and while I may have spotted a few of the film's twists and turns early, others did catch me off guard. The characters are set up so well that you can never quite tell who is doing what to whom...
I honestly cannot say what I disliked about this film, except maybe the unavoidable cliches already mentioned and some leaps in the storytelling. Extremely minor things. As a science fiction fan Ex Machina delivered on so many levels and rose above my unfairly lowered expectations. A moody, intense thriller that makes you wonder and think about what will happen next.
Additional Marshmallows: Somebody get Alicia Vikander to school Kristanna Loken on how to act like a robot, good lord; Ava is incredibly well realised compared to the travesty that is the Terminatrix.
From the director of District 9 and Elysium, a robot is given a chance to experience growing up in a city of gangland warfare after an experimental artificial consciousness is loaded into it.
Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) plays Deon, a praised robotics designer responsible for ending most crime in Johannesburg by inventing Scout robots for the police forces. When one of these scouts is terribly damaged he takes the opportunity to experiment; installing an artificial intelligence he designed into it. But when his child-like prototype falls into the hands of two gangland thugs intent on raising the robot as a criminal and a fellow robotics designer wants Deon's Scouts replaced by his own military robots, Deon has a fight on two fronts.
First things first, I really enjoy director Neill Blomkamp's first two films, but yes... Chappie is part RoboCop, part Short Circuit. There are even scenes ripped clean from those movies, from our synthetic hero being helplessly beaten up by thugs, being pinned down and dismembered, which would pull at my heartstrings had I not seen it before. Hugh Jackman stars as Deon's rival Vincent Moore who has designed a robot almost exactly like ED-209.
But wait, before you start calling me a hypocrite; if you read my blog regularly you will know I hate remakes and have even stated I would prefer things to be like other films rather than direct remakes. Chappie is one such movie. Yes it is inspired by and borrows from classics, but it is its own invention. I will take Chappie over the 2014 RoboCop any day of the year!
Neill Blompkamp's style is everywhere, and I love it. The man's obsession with the destroyed, crumbling and ruined city of Johannesburg continues, the music is synth, people are covered in tattoos and speak in impenetrable accents. The visual effects on Chappie are incredible, motion capture and voice acted by Blomkamp's mainstay Shartlo Copley (gratefully allowed to ham up his acting this time, being an eccentric robot) and the action is strong, although perhaps not as incredible as District 9's finale.
But unlike his previous films, Blomkamp's third part of his self-styled "trilogy" is perhaps the most human. While a lot of characters are as self centred as his previous ones, by the finale I found myself really sympathising with them, even the ones who you positively hated earlier. When that happens, you realise this film has been doing something right all the way through.
It was a decent movie, though maybe not as involved as District 9 or as grand as Elysium, I enjoyed it.
Additional Marshmallows: The two gangsters who take in Chappie, Ninja and Yolandi are actually named Ninja and Yolandi and are hip-hop and electronica musicians.
Big Hero 6's poster boy, the robotic Baymax, is the sole reason you need to see this film!
Young tech prodigy Hiro Hamada and his brother build robots, one of which is called Baymax, designed to be the best in the field of medical care. But disaster hits the city of San Fransokyo when a masked villain steals experimental technology from them. Hiro must group together his friends to battle the menace.
Unless you have been living under a rock you should be aware that since Avengers Assemble in 2012, Disney has owned Marvel comics film studios, and as a result Big Hero 6 is the first reciprocation of this agreement. Marvel makes its live action films with Disney funding, while Disney make Marvel property into cartoon movies.
Big Hero 6 is one of the more obscure franchises in Marvel's universe, but you don't need to be too concerned: the similarities between this and comics are mostly in name only!
The film however is a lot of great fun; a bouncy, bright and fast paced. It is gorgeously rendered, designed and animated with characters that really pop and become instantly familiar. Hiro and his friends are geniuses and wizards with technology (except maybe Fred, who is a comicbook geek) and their team behaves like some sort of Marvels junior ensemble.
But easily the greatest thing about the film, as if you need me to tell you this if you have seen the trailers, is the robot Baymax. Designed to be a caring, nurturing medic, the teenage Hiro immediately finds himself with not only a clingy and protective parent, but also a bumbling and slow servant. He has armfuls of personality, the running jokes, sight gags and slapstick are all masterfully done and hilarious. He had the whole audience brought near to tears with laughter, myself included.
But (and there is always a but) this hilarity with Baymax only makes the opening half of the movie, and as good though it is, things get a little bit samey after the team is assembled. Yes, this is a superhero film and complaining that it does the usual antics is a bit far fetched but... there are still problems.
Our team isn't that fleshed out: we have tech they like and names assigned to them and colourful, distinct designs but really nothing else. The villain too, as with so many Marvel films (it is actually getting frustrating now) isn't very interesting and motivations are vague at best. Hiro's parents had died when he was three, but they are never explained or referred to beyond that, we never know who they were or any sense of real relationships. All of this makes the second act quite laborious compared to the amazing opening.
The third act is what you expect, spectacular action sequences that likely work well in 3D (see How to Train Your Dragon) and was very well implemented.
Overall I had a lot of fun with Big Hero 6; it is a "forget your troubles" sort of experience, a comedic, bright, action-driven cartoon that should have the whole family entertained.
Additional Marshmallows: Just don't go researching the comic for any more understanding... you only get more questions!
Consider this a very good four star rating. It would have gotten 4.5 had there been a little more work done on the supporting characters, and a five had the villain been given more to work with.
A short, simple and heartfelt film that gives a subtle look at a very possible future.
When his father Frank shows signs of dementia, son Hunter decides to give him a robot aid to take care of him. While completely disinterested at first, Frank soon learns that the robot only wants to help him, with whatever he needs. So dutifully the robot learns and assists Frank in burglary; Frank's talent from his younger days.
Set "in the near future" Robot and Frank explores future possibilities I currently find very interesting. From the evolution of robotics and the moralities there in, to the slow digitization of everything around us.
Frank (played wonderfully by Frank Langella) is the embodiment of a bygone age (even our current generation) with his mistrust of the technological boom, this is evident with his conflict with the hipster youths who live in a digital age. Susan Sarandon plays a librarian whose library that Frank frequents is getting completely replaced by a digital archive.
While Frank's son is all about helping his father with new age methods, his daughter (Liv Tyler) is very liberal and free spirited; devoted to helping others as a human being. This device is a little obvious, and does make the other characters stand out as their obvious stereotypes, but it isn't unwelcome in such a short story.
The writing and story strike best between Frank and his obedient servant. Frank Langella plays the part well, going from grumpy old man to reinvigorated rascal at the drop of a hat while keeping it honest. The robot itself learns, and becomes surprisingly sly after learning from a character such as Frank, and while very subtle, the writing is excellent with the duo's dialogue.
There isn't much else to say, as I say it is a very short film, but it is one I would recommend to anyone curious. It is has a gentle pace with some (perhaps predictable) interesting plot developments, as well as being a showcase for a very potential future for us as human beings!
Susan Sarandon is appearing in a LOT of films I'm reviewing this year!
