I'm Back
Added 2022-05-09 07:45:45 +0000 UTCI've been preparing to see the the new film, Men, by checking out the works of Alex Garland thus far. Working on a review for Ex Machina, which I really enjoyed. Next I'm onto Annihilation, which I have yet to see. How do you feel specifically about Ex Machina?
Comments
Oh, I agree. Garland is someone to watch. We’re in need of people who can deftly handle sci-fi. Ex Machina’s Promethean themes are old hat (which made the ending predictable), but…it’s very intelligently done. I like all the scenes where things like Jackson Pollock, Mary in the black and white room, and the inevitability of strong AI are discussed. They tie in very well with what the movie’s about without becoming too didactic. But most importantly…Garland nails the human element of the story. That is, he makes the characters rounded and compelling. That’s not something you can always count on in even the most celebrated sci-fi. In fact, character is considered something of a shortcoming in the entire genre. But the movie wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is if Garland and the actors didn’t make the characters as interesting to watch as they did. Vikander and Isaac prove themselves very deft at handling the hidden layers of their respective characters. The movie is ultimately about the question of which character is more trustworthy, and even though the nature of the story helps you guess the answer, it’s a testament to the actors’ performances, especially Isaac’s, that the issue is even remotely clouded and interesting. Garland allows for all of this, and that makes him a strong, promising filmmaker. Should he remain in the sci-fi genre, I think he can do wonders for it. I’ll certainly take Ex Machina over Westworld any day of the week.
Bennett Oliver
2022-05-10 23:22:16 +0000 UTCYeah I agree. And of course we have suspension of disbelief, but hard sci fi is a genre where that becomes more difficult to sell the more you push it imo. But yeah very minor
Jackson Littlewood
2022-05-10 21:56:25 +0000 UTCYeah I feel the same. It lacked something for sure, and it was predictable. But...I really enjoyed it. I think it has something that is unique, and though at times it feels perhaps...slightly behind in terms of its artistry and its ideas when it comes to modern cinema...I think there's enough here for me to see a strong director potentially in the making
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-10 21:56:09 +0000 UTCHaha yeah some silly things for sure. But I think with most films there is a suspension of disbelief necessary...and we often stretch logic due to it. Sure I wish these could've been bettered handled, but at the same time, I can forgive it as well
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-10 21:54:34 +0000 UTCJust a few flaws in logic really. Why did Nathan make a security system that was a simple keycard when he surely could have designed something much more full proof? Why did the helicopter pilot not recognize that he wasn’t picking up the same person he dropped off? Just a few little things
Jackson Littlewood
2022-05-10 07:02:09 +0000 UTCA smart, sleek little sci-fi chamber drama that explores the theme of what it means to be human mainly by playing a game of shifting loyalties amongst three characters. There’s Ava (Alicia Vikander), the AI who radiates an astute intelligence yet still has one foot lodged in the uncanny valley; Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the inscrutable, isolated control freak who blights his overwhelming cognizance with booze; and Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson), the audience surrogate, caught in the middle. I must admit that I somewhat saw where this was all going—that the arrogant creator would meet his end at the hand of his creation; that Ava, whether she escaped or not, would have the last word on events as they wrapped up—especially halfway through the film when the deck gets stacked against Nathan and Ava is presented as something too good to be true. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy myself along the way. That’s in large part due to Alex Garland’s witty, intelligent script and the performances of the three leads, particularly Isaac as the intriguingly ambiguous Nathan, who, in his oscillation between creepy sexual proprietorship of and clear-eyed insight into his AIs, leaves your sympathies for him up in the air right up to the very end.
Bennett Oliver
2022-05-10 05:55:59 +0000 UTCGarland is the best working filmmaker rn, imo. Devs is also a great miniseries although it necessarily has an anticlimactic ending because it's about determinism. Ex Machina was such a breath of fresh air. It had a great balance of humor, psuedo horror, and cerebral concepts. I also found it to be completely original. There's a lot of feminist writing suggesting its all an allegory for men's abuse of women but I find those readings to be completely inappropriate. It is a story exactly about what it claims to be about: the nature of consciousness and what it is to be human. I notice something new every time I watch that film. Really a genre classic and one of the best. Annihilation is the last movie that made me feel awe. There's a very obvious point where I basically laughed because something was so absurd, but the subsequent 20 minutes were spellbinding. Really incredible film. I am very hyped for Men and to see what Garland does next.
Arthur Augustyn
2022-05-10 00:00:52 +0000 UTCTotally agree. What do you struggle with in regards to the end?
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-09 23:31:49 +0000 UTCYes there is something very haunting about her design and performance. She always seems right on the cusp of an overflow of emotion, but always pulled back, and it feels haunting.
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-09 23:31:25 +0000 UTCYes, I like the psychological aspects of it, because of the subversion in the end. We want to believe that Nathan is wrong. But he's right. We should not have trusted them. And it is our weaknesses that will be our downfall.
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-09 23:30:45 +0000 UTCthanks! Yes, Frankenstein is great way of putting it. Also kept thinking about Metropolis, in terms of the robot design.
Deepfocuslens
2022-05-09 23:29:44 +0000 UTCWelcome back, hope you had a great birthday/week off. Ex Machina is a great film, its Frankenstein like elements are interesting and it is so dark that our humanity is the very thing which works against us.
Ross Skilton
2022-05-09 11:51:11 +0000 UTCLove Ex Machina. Recently rewatched and was impressed again. Three great performances (really four great performances). Isaac is amazing. Love a battle of wits where all three people (beings?) think they’re the smartest.
Jim Barnes
2022-05-09 09:03:33 +0000 UTCLove that movie! There’s something so disturbing about something close to - but not quite a human, interesting how Ava kind of shifts inbetween there. Sometimes she was so scary, other times I was rooting for her. Great performances all around, loved Oscar Isaacs character, kept me guessing what his intentions were throughout the whole movie.
Mees
2022-05-09 08:31:11 +0000 UTCI love Ex Machina. I really loved the stripped down nature of it and how it’s basically a bottle movie. It’s one of the best explorations of AI and what it means to be human. Maybe the best since Blade Runner. I have some problems with the writing towards the end regarding Ava’s escape but honestly those issues are pretty minor.
Jackson Littlewood
2022-05-09 07:52:06 +0000 UTC
