Thoughts:
Alex Garland’s cerebral science fiction endeavour is more of a drama
than an in depth exploration of scientific ideas, however as with anything Alex
Garland my tendency is to dig and dig and continue digging 'cause there is
almost always something under the surface, and with regards to the twofer of Devs
and Ex Machina, I really want to know just how deep the script goes with
regards to AVA and her communication constructs.
Caleb is a talented coder working at Google stand in BlueBook,
who in the opening of the film winds a companywide lottery too spend a week
with reclusive, enigmatic owner Nathan. Upon making his way to the secluded, high-tech
fortress, he is quickly introduced to the mercurial mastermind, and made to
sign a waiver ensuring he cannot talk about the tests he's about to perform, on
an extremely advanced AI named AVA. He is about to be the first person on the
planet to attempt to perform a positive Turing test for true artificial
intelligence.
What follows is a deteriorating balancing act between the
three major players and a handful of extras, as they explore the nature of
control and response, emotion and understanding that makes up what we
understand as the human experience. We do not know who is playing who and whether
what anyone is experiencing is real, however there is no denying that there is
a direction that is being driven towards, and by journey's end what dictates
survival and existence will be tested and applied with fatal results.
I picked up the 4K based on a gushing review on blu-ray.com,
and I did not find the transfer to be particularly exciting however I haven't
compared it to the Blu-ray that I've picked up in the last year or two. I've
recently tinkered with the settings on my new Sony TV and currently find the
output to be extremely satisfying as my newly minted Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4K can attest. Another rewatch is in the cards so I can continue this
investigation into the film, However at this stage I am still uncertain as to
how I feel about the film aside from appreciating the technical merits,
including the engaging soundtrack, fantastic performances, dreamlike
cinematography and intriguing script.
I'm looking forward to it!
7/10
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