WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
From writer/producer Alex Garland, making his feature-length film debut, comes another decidedly cautionary tale about man and the quest to create the perfect A.I.. Working as a coder for a highly successful internet company, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) finds he’s been chosen via a staff lottery to travel out to the very remote home/research facility of the company’s reclusive CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), for a week. Upon arriving, the first meeting between the two is awkward, given Caleb’s awe of the posh surroundings he’s now in and the quiet eccentricity of Nathan, who seems to want nothing more than for their relationship to be more as friends rather than boss to employee. Trying to figure out what Nathan’s ultimate intention for him to be there is, Caleb is somewhat swept up in it all until Nathan reveals that motive. Caleb is introduced to Ava (Alicia Vikander), a fully active female robot installed with Nathan’s next generation A.I. computer operating system. Caleb is then made privy to the fact that Nathan has brought him to interact with Ava via a series of scheduled sessions so as to have Caleb report on how “human” Ava’s responses and behaviors are compared to a normal person’s- the final test of how truly groundbreaking Nathan’s work is. But as Caleb follows through on these tests, darker plans and secrets are revealed, and as things spiral out of control, it becomes apparent that the creation may indeed have become smarter than its creator.
The overall theme of this effort is far from new or fresh, having most recently been explored in 2014’s disturbingly creepy “Her”. This film is no less sinister in illustrating most vividly, and in very adult form, that man trying to create a hyper-intelligent, walking, talking A.I.-infused machine is not a great idea! Several moments in the films’ final act are very graphic on the nudity front, though mostly used in an equally eerie, macabre, and non-sexual way, plus the film is fraught with language. One particular scene of violence does, admittedly, put a whopper of an exclamation point on the foolishness of what Nathan thought was an amazing breakthrough in A.I.. The sad fact is that if at least, for this reviewer, those graphic scenes had not been in the film, it would have actually won me over fully. The overall plot, execution of story, and the characters themselves are actually quite engaging, and even the darker tone to the whole affair could have been maintained without all the flesh baring, even if it was only to make a disturbing point about Nathan and his experiments. Gleeson, Isaac, and Vikander all turn in solid performances here and there is a fantastic twist finale that makes viewing worth your while. But yet, I again have to hesitate overall in stating I would suggest or recommend the film to just anyone. You simply have to be prepared for the warped journey it takes you on, and yet somehow appreciate that edginess for the message it sends about man’s obsession with technology and what taking it too far can (and dare I say, will???) do.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
