"The Machine" is a sci-film about the lines between artificial intelligence and humanity, simulated life and actual life.
At a top secret military facility, a designer of robots and A.I. struggles to create an intelligent robot, while those who run the base wait to hijack the project for their own ends.
Shrouded in shadows, "The Machine" feels like a low budget production, but manages to avoid cheesiness most of the time. But the film is uneven, showing rough edges. The use of a "Blade Runner" style, including music that feels like it came from BR, seems too obvious in spots, but one thing allows the film to rise above mediocrity: the tour de force performance of Caity Lotz, who portrays The Machine.
The film serves as a parable regarding technology and its inevitable confiscation by those who make weapons. It also, indirectly, delves into the laws of robotics. But its murky purposes are best ignored in favor of admiring Ms. Lotz's captivating portrayal of a being that is childlike, dangerous, life affirming and lethal.
At a top secret military facility, a designer of robots and A.I. struggles to create an intelligent robot, while those who run the base wait to hijack the project for their own ends.
Shrouded in shadows, "The Machine" feels like a low budget production, but manages to avoid cheesiness most of the time. But the film is uneven, showing rough edges. The use of a "Blade Runner" style, including music that feels like it came from BR, seems too obvious in spots, but one thing allows the film to rise above mediocrity: the tour de force performance of Caity Lotz, who portrays The Machine.
The film serves as a parable regarding technology and its inevitable confiscation by those who make weapons. It also, indirectly, delves into the laws of robotics. But its murky purposes are best ignored in favor of admiring Ms. Lotz's captivating portrayal of a being that is childlike, dangerous, life affirming and lethal.