Dark futurism seen through a gritty pulp fiction lens, indie-powered “The Machine” delivers.
As a fan of great British science fiction, from “Quartermass and the Pit,” to “Day of the Triffids,” I’ve been eye-balling this new export for some time now. After reading its synopsis I came away thinking that this production might turn out to be an overly derivative grab-bag of similar, far superior fare. However, after finally seeing it, I must say that there is enough fresh air in its sails to carry it over the choppy waters of contemporary speculative fiction on its own merits.
Upstart Welsh film-maker Caradog James paints a near-future dystopian world where Western powers are locked into a cold war with China. Dr. Vincent McCarthy, played by Toby Stephens, in a role eerily similar to the morally compromised mad-scientist Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) of the recent “Robocop“ remake, designs devices which help brain-damaged military personnel for the UK’s Ministry of Defense.
Mr. Stephens renders a solid performance as a man on the verge of insanity who is consumed with the advance of technology, while giving a backseat to the larger moral and ethical ramifications of unlocking the world’s real Pandora’s Box; artificial intelligence. He is also driven by his ailing daughter who suffers from Rett Syndrome, whom he believes might be able to be saved by utilizing cutting edge technological applications.
Vincent’s military boss, Thompson (Denis Lawson), begins to takeover the project, and and move it into a more martial direction: Designing super-soldiers for military applications. Soon, after a brief (perhaps too much so) introduction, he teams up with bright new recruit and fellow-brilliant researcher Ava (Caity Lotz).
Vincent and his team are able to manufacture human-looking cyborg chasses but lack one fundamental component; a faux brain in order to bring it to life. Coincidentally, Ava just happens to be developing an advanced artificial consciousness, and together they create a new “life form” reminiscent of Metropolis’s metallic matriarch; Maria.
Although (as the saying goes), “there is nothing new under the sun,” with James’s direction and slick script, as well as the over high level of acting and (gasp!) decent dialogue, there is a sense we’re witnessing a fresh take on an old cautionary tale. Caity Lotz’s performance in particular as (later) the new artificial being, is engrossing and reminded me of a more emotional and fleshed out version of the female-looking Terminatrix super-assassin in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” This balance of the mechanical along a sense of feelings and emotions is one of the fascinating things about “The Machine,” and weighs heavily (at least in my mind) when pondering the age-old questions about what it really means to be human. “Besides their flesh, what makes them any different from me,” the new and “improved” Ava asks at one point.
The film’s production team really knew how to utilize every penny of their indie (under $1 million) budget; the dark and sterile futuristic environments are of the more mature science fiction nature associated with films such as “Bladerunner,” “Soylent Green,” and “Logan’s Run.” The technology featured in “The Machine” isn’t as flashy and ubiquitous as in “Minority Report,” or as loud and obnoxious as witnessed in “Pacific Rim.” What you'll find on display instead is more exciting to behold since it serves a purpose and furthers the story; rather than just trying to impress.
As with “Blade Runner,” I would have liked to have seen a further exploration of the moral quandaries come part and parcel with advances in technology, as well as the interesting (and sometimes uncomfortable) questions surrounding the soul and what it is that makes us all human beings. That is a minor gripe though, and anyone seeking not only a fascinating science fiction movie, but a thought-provoking one, should definitely check out “The Machine,” in US theatres April 25, 2014 (limited).
THE MACHINE
Rated R
Score: 3 1/2 (out of 5)
Studio: XLrator Media
Written & Directed by: Caradog W. James
Release: April 25, 2014
STARRING
Caity Lotz
Toby Stephens
Sam Hazeldine
Pooneh Hajimohammadi
Denis Lawson
