Jarhead at the movies...Ex Machina

Jarhead0331 · July 27, 2015, 02:31:22 PM

Anybody else seen this? I had not heard much about it, but in passing on facebook, I read someone describe it as one of the best films he had seen over the past few years. On impulse, I picked up the DVD in Target while shopping for other things. I was not disappointed.

I ended up watching it twice over the weekend. It really is a fantastic film. It is thought provoking, has extremely smart writing, is very well acted by the relatively unknown cast and has very impressive cinematography. The entire movie just has an extremely sleek look to it. At times, I was literally glued to the TV and on the edge of my seat.

Although the movie has a sci-fi theme, I think it transcends the genre and has wide appeal to audiences who also appreciate concepts of drama, intrigue, mystery, romance and horror.

Check it out...Two thumbs up.

DoctorQuest · July 27, 2015, 03:10:06 PM

It is on my list. Thanks for the heads up.

Huw the Poo · July 27, 2015, 04:38:18 PM

Thanks for the reminder Jarhead. It's barely been on my radar but I've heard very positive things about it.

Steelgrave · July 27, 2015, 04:59:26 PM

I bought it but haven't had time to watch it yet. Glad to hear such a great review! O0

Jarhead0331 · July 27, 2015, 06:24:53 PM

Post once you guys have had a chance to see it. I'm interested to hear your opinions.

Silent Disapproval Robot · July 27, 2015, 06:42:10 PM

I really enjoyed it. The guy who played the egotistical Steve Jobs-like CEO was great. The interplay between him and the main character was always engaging to watch. Great writing. I thought the build up during the first two acts was excellent. The pacing, exposition, and building tension were all every well done. The final act wasn't as strong as the rest of the film but it was still good.

Definitely worth a watch.

Jarhead0331 · July 27, 2015, 07:10:45 PM

Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on July 27, 2015, 06:42:10 PM
I really enjoyed it. The guy who played the egotistical Steve Jobs-like CEO was great. The interplay between him and the main character was always engaging to watch. Great writing. I thought the build up during the first two acts was excellent. The pacing, exposition, and building tension were all every well done. The final act wasn't as strong as the rest of the film but it was still good.

Definitely worth a watch.

How about the Kioko dance scene? One of the greatest scenes in recent cinema history. I was literally grinning from ear to ear.

Jonathan Glazer · July 27, 2015, 07:12:48 PM

What is the body count?

Huw the Poo · September 22, 2015, 04:53:16 PM

Finally got around to seeing this. I think I'll watch it again soon (my lady will want to see it so I'll watch it with her).

SPOILERS AHOY

It's certainly thought-provoking. My immediate reaction is that it's a warning, on two fronts actually. Firstly it struck me as a thinly-disguised warning about Google; how letting a "search engine" corner too much of the market can lead to almost untold power, which certainly has a foundation in reality. Secondly, it's clearly a warning about AI in general - even the fabled "singularity" gets a mention. The fact that Ava leaves Caleb to die is the obvious giveaway. She already demonstrated her capabilities, just as Nathan and Caleb discussed; she did indeed manipulate Caleb into letting her escape. But why did she leave him there to die? I think it's because the film is a warning that AI will be amoral. She no longer needed him so she just left him there (I'll gloss over the logical fallacies for now).

One thing niggles, though...if that's the case, why did she specifically tell Caleb to wait in the room? That made it seem deliberate, so you have to ask why she wanted him to die? Complicity in her imprisonment, perhaps, or resentfulness that Caleb once apparently wielded power over her (his recommendation, or lack thereof, was clearly going to inform Nathan's decision to free or kill Ava).

Interesting film. Pretty good. Myself, I thought the direction was fairly utilitarian. The photography was crisp but Alex Garland's direction felt largely emotionless to me. The acting was top-notch though, particularly the guy who played Nathan - he had a brooding menace to him, and I was always on edge whenever he was on screen. It's not the best film I've seen in a while, but I definitely recommend it - and will, to my friends.

Nefaro · September 22, 2015, 05:50:28 PM

I've had it on my watch list on Netflix for a bit.

I actually have quite a bit on my watch list, but don't view them often enough to get through as fast as I've added them lately. Perhaps this one will be next. ^-^

Steelgrave · September 22, 2015, 08:15:11 PM

The wife and I really enjoyed it. Maybe an 8.5 out of ten. I especially like that it's more or less a pure sci-fi story; you know, the classics that say "hey, we've invented this cool technology but what are the possible implications of what we've done"?

Cool beans.

Huw the Poo · September 23, 2015, 06:22:49 AM

Yeah it could have been much more Hollywood; glad they didn't go down that route.