Archive

I expect a lot of people will compare this to Ex Machina, and for good reasons. Excellent story, interesting character development, great acting and directing, this is definitely the kind of smart, evenly paced sci-fi I love (if you're expecting explosions, lasers and flying car chases, you're gonna have a bad time...). While it may be using familiar tropes and the occasional cliche, this truly is a 7/10 throughout that earns its 8th star in the last 15 min. Highly recommended, especially for sci-fi fans!

As a sci-fi fan, I found this admittedly derivative film extremely enjoyable. It is stylishly shot, directed and acted with aplomb by the attractive and enigmatic leads of Theo James and Stacy Martin. Indeed, the latter is well cast in her role who is both ambiguous, childlike and yet empathetic all at the same time. The wonderful Toby Jones also turns up in an extended cameo just to give it that bit extra. If you want wham, bang, action this is definitely not for you. However, if you enjoy psychological, moody sci-fi with stunning visuals then there is much you will enjoy. It is very 'Twilight Zone' with an ending I didn't anticipate.

I caught this at a Drive-In double feature with "Palm Springs." I think that pairing made this pale in comparison.

I will say that I was VERY impressed with the production design and the special effects; nothing looked cheesy or unrealistic (I haven't found any budget information anywhere yet). And that's about it. Theo James has the looks of a young De Niro or James Franco from time to time, but he (or his character) is quite charmless.

It's strange that this reminded me of "Moon" so much, when you consider that the director of this film worked on "Moon" back in 2009. But that film is buoyed by an engrossing Sam Rockwell performance. And "Ex Machina" has the balance of Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Issac's performances. Theo James can't really anchor this whole movie. The other actors are fine, but seem ornamental.

This is above-average for its design, but middle-of-the-road for just about everything else.

This science fiction film is set in the year 2038; protagonist George Almore is working alone on a humanoid artificial intelligence at a remote facility in Japan. He has three prototypes each more advanced than the previous; J1 has a childlike intelligence and an armless boxy appearance; J2 is more capable, has arms but is still fairly boxlike... J3 however has a far more human appearance; it is just waiting for its legs to be attached. J3 also bears a noticeable resemblance to Jules, George's late wife. Before the fatal accident George had Jules's conscience copied to a commercial computer system; this enables him to continue conversing with her even though he knows it won't work forever; the signal gets gradually weaker. As George works to complete J3 he encounters some problems; jot least the fact that J2 appears to be jealous.

When I started watching this I had no idea what to expect and early only I suspected it may develop in similar ways to 'Ex Machina', which I really enjoyed... it didn't but I still enjoyed it more so for being original. The story develops in interesting ways and ultimately delivers an ending that was a complete surprise. I liked how the film is ostensibly about robots but in reality is more about the human condition and coping with the death of a loved one. The cast is solid; most obviously Theo James as George and Stacy Martin as J3/Jules... in most scenes these are the only two characters. The effects used are impressive without being distracting. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of science fiction looking for something that makes you think.

This was quite a well done movie. These days most movies you know where theyre going long before they get there. I thought I had this one pegged thru out but it kept coming up with surprises. These days they dumb down a lot of movies so everyone in the audience gets the story but that tends to let you guess the end long before you get there. Im happy to say not this one. Everytime you think its going to be this type of movie it turns into another type and that continues until the surprising ending which the film gives nothing away about until the last couple of minutes. Great acting great cinematography. Definitely worth a watch through. Enjoy