Movie Review: The Machine (2013)

Sci-fi comes in many forms and while there have been several big budget films lately, the most common place you’ll find a sci-fi film is in the low-budget market. The Machine is a British film, which means more often than not that we’re in the low end of the budget range, but this isn’t always a bad thing as good ideas can flourish regardless of budget.

The plot revolves around a secret research establishment in the British countryside dedicated to the development of technologies that aid the military ‘paymasters’, including trying to rebuild brain damaged soldiers in a ‘Frankenstein’ manner. Chief scientist ‘Vincent’ also has a large interest in Artificial Intelligence and hires another scientist, ‘Ava’, to help him as she could be the key to unlocking the potential of his work.  When ‘Ava’ is killed, ‘Vincent’ constructs an android in her image, starting a chain of events that changes everything.

This film has a slightly different character than a lot of British films at the moment, with a lot of philosophical content thrown in, but mixed with an action sci-fi mindset, all set in the Welsh countryside. This mixture of conceptual and action sci-fi isn’t always to the film’s benefit though and it does find itself lacking a bit of focus in terms of its overall message. It could also be said that given the intellectual underpinnings that the story has that the last act is not as inventive or enthralling as it could be. There are a lot of positive things about The Machine, as there are some very interesting ideas brought up that deserve to be discussed. It is a shame that more films do not take the opportunity.

Intriguingly, there are a few well known genre faces that appear in this, such as Caity Lotz (Arrow), which give it an interesting feel, as the mysterious nature of the location is heightened by such recognisable actors in the obviously British setting. Caity Lotz does an admirable job and it is good to see that here (and in her Mad Men appearances). She is capable of more than Arrow would suggest. Bizarrely, in Arrow, it seems like she has been instructed to talk like she has a permanent affliction sealing the outer part of her mouth shut, so she can only speak out of the very middle, almost like a very bad ventriloquist. She is clearly a better actor than that and deserves better.

The other cast members include some fine British actors, such as Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Denis Lawson (many, many things including a minor film called Star Wars), and Sam Hazeldine (Resurrection, Monuments Men). Although, in some instances, the script doesn’t develop the characters quite enough, the cast provide some good support with what they’ve been given. It would have been nice to expand on motivations for their actions, give some more context of the current world, or delve into the psychology a bit more, as without the extra detail, some of the character traits become a bit ‘paint by numbers’.

Visually, the film is punching well above its ‘budget weight’, with some very good effects and some very effective cinematography, which gives it a distinct feel and moody edge. From the washed out, muted tones of the militaristic base and bleak landscape, to the vivid sci-fi elements, the image has been well thought out and produced.

Another notable feature that has been mentioned quite a lot in the press is the ‘Bafta Cymru’ award winning soundtrack by Tom Raybould, which does an effective job of enhancing the mood of the film. I have read that quite a few people have been saying that it is evocative of the Vangelis soundtrack to Bladerunner, but to my mind it is more in the ballpark of mid-80’s Tangerine Dream than Vangelis, which is a subtle distinction, but generally, when comparisons are being made to Bladerunner, it would be too easy to fall back on the easy reference. It is interesting to see a filmmaker and a director making a bold choice, as they have done here, which has then been successful.

Generally, the film works very well, has a good pace, some very nice ideas and overall there are far more positive things to like, than negatives. The director, Caradog W. James, who also wrote the The Machine, deserves credit for delivering a piece of sci-fi with not only something to think about, but also while keeping it ticking along with some energy.

 

 

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