Tag Archives: android

M3GAN 2.0

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now looking at advanced AI dolls.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not need artificial intelligence at all.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein has been trying to bring AI to vampire world.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are going without science, for we have magic here.

Vampire Owl: The advertisements for AI seem to suggest otherwise.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein will keep adding absurd things to the same.

Vampire Owl: He is the realm’s most popular doctor and scientist.

Vampire Bat: He is the biggest pseudo-doctor and pseudo-scientist.

Vampire Owl: Nobody else has ever created a human being through science.

Vampire Bat: It was the raising of the dead. We have risen, and so have the zombies along with all those skeletons brought to life by necromancers and dark witches.

[Gets a parippu vada and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: At a time when people are protesting about the unregulated use of Artificial Intelligence in a world having machines exercising too much control, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) aka Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android) is the latest robot created from M3GAN’s original design, and is declared safe for operations as a military unit. It is set to be used for high profile missions of the government including well-targeted assassination of enemies of the state. Confident about this achievement, the United States Army colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), head of a top-secret branch of the Pentagon, arranges a demonstration. But during her mission, AMELIA reveals to Sattler that she is self-aware and manages to escape from his control. At the same time, Gemma (Allison Williams) who had created M3GAN (Amie Donald) has now become an author. She had changed her views after an artificially intelligent doll who had developed an advanced level of self-awareness and became overprotective to her human companion, leading to the need to deactivate her as part of an unexpected turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Gemma has been warning people against the dependence on technology, starting from children using smartphones, comparing it to drug addiction or sometimes saying that both are the same. She inspires an AI regulation bill and even makes some parents take away mobile phones from their children. Sharing the same ideas leads her to have a partnership with cybersecurity expert Christian (Aristotle Athari), and along with him, she goes on working with an experimental robotic exoskeleton with former workmates Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps). She still lives with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who is very interested in computer science despite Gemma wishing that she would do something not involving much technology, like playing soccer. Gemma turns down an offer from corrupted billionaire Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement) to work for him, but soon has FBI after her, and maybe even AMELIA who has been killing those who were responsible for creating her. This might be bigger than she thinks.

The defence of M3GAN 2.0 :: As the second movie of the series, this one gets more into action and tries to be more entertaining than the previous as far as the common audience is concerned. The action sequences are really good, and they are also never overdone even when there is a chance to go down to the ridiculous. There is also the possible end-of-the-world situation which makes the whole thing even more interesting. The emotional connection works really well, and the final sequences are really good, with a classic ending. There are so many emotional moments, and focus is also there on self-sacrifice and understanding of the other. The CGI has been nicely worked out, and some fine locations have been created, both within and also outside. Then there is the humour that comes out of nowhere and scores so well. The contemporary concerns about Artificial Intelligence, negative effects of science, technology misuse and corporate power all get a chance to be present here. The talk about the mobile misuse among children is relevant to the core, and the idea of bad parenting is relevant for all times.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have developed further on the premise. The deviation from the original film with the style might not impress the fans of that particular film. The feeling that movie has chosen action instead of the creepy horror elements might not be satisfying to everyone. But the fact that it has deviated without missing its core or messing up things is to be remembered here. There is the feeling that Ivanna Sakhno was not given that focus which she deserved, as she is that android that needed a terminator-ish introduction. This is one android that has raised the stakes even above the original. The movie does have some doubt if it is to support or be against Artificial Intelligence, and seems to end up with a safe mode. One might feel that there could have been some nice scares with the available elements, and there could have also been so much more to talk about related to the themes. The beginning stages of the movie had also taken a little bit too much time to get going. When it starts to get going, it goes strong.

The performers of the soul :: Allison Williams leads the list of performers and manages to be the one who makes the difference. She shines as the aunty who wishes to be the mother to her niece as much as the scientist that we have already seen. Amie Donald’s android continues to impress us, and there seems to be always more to the technology than what meets the eye. Ivanna Sakhno’s android is also lovely, but does not get enough like the lady terminator of the third instalment of that “machine from future” managed. She could have had more to do, and more classic action, but gets limited – there is no Ex Machina-kind of crisis and classic moments added here either. Violet McGraw as Cady also adds more in this journey which has shifted to science fiction action. She would do even better with an extension of this world with another sequel in collaboration with the AI characters. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps support well and even adds some humour around here. Aristotle Athari and Jemaine Clement have something extra to add, while Timm Sharp does well when he is around.

How it finishes :: The movie gets much more into action science fiction compared to the earlier film, as the idea itself had suggested, and therefore would appeal more to the usual audience. Those who enjoyed the first movie would continue to love the franchise with this one too. Moving from horror-thriller to action-thriller, this one also works, particularly in its own way. It becomes a classic holiday blockbuster with a twist, as the thrills often come out of nowhere and some suspense also comes all of a sudden. In the end, you will ask yourself about the role of technology in your life and how Artificial Intelligence would affect your life. Next time, when you are going through some Artificial Intelligence, you will wonder about this particular flick. This movie could inspire more of similar works, as Artificial Intelligence always require our attention, and a future with a robotic influence is not that far away. Let us have more of similar robots that will catch our attention related to the idea and expanding them.

Release date: 27th June 2025
Running time: 120 minutes
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Alien: Romulus

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember those days when we watched alien movies and believed in them? Those were the wonderful days with alien fear, right?

Vampire Bat: We still do not deny their existence. Aliens are the kind of creatures who are not limited to any shells.

Vampire Owl: So, we are going with the parallel world theory. We might end up finding some interesting creatures that we are not aware of.

Vampire Bat: We already have that discovery of the shadow world, and so this is also possible.

Vampire Owl: It was discovered by Doctor Frankenstein, right? Isn’t the great scientist responsible for all the great inventions and discoveries?

Vampire Bat: It was discovered by the vampire scouts, not that fake doctor.

Vampire Owl: The scouts just discovered the portal, and Mr. Frankenstein discovered the rest.

Vampire Bat: It was actually a work of fiction on real discoveries.

Vampire Owl: You should know that the shadow demons come from a portal to another planet.

Vampire Bat: Well, these are surely not the same kind of aliens.

Vampire Owl: I have known these aliens since the first movie too.

Vampire Bat: People seem to like the second, but for me, the first scores the best.

Vampire Owl: And the newer versions – Prometheus and Covenant.

Vampire Bat: I would not deny their strength either.

Vampire Owl: So, we will trust them to do well again. As they have always done, making us more and more interested in the franchise which has so many secrets to unveil and worlds to witness.

Vampire Bat: Which is why we take the struggle to find the theatres showing this film.

Vampire Owl: I hope they show this is in more theatres.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that this will survive and go through a long run.

Vampire Owl: Even with those Onam releases coming up?

Vampire Bat: Well, we only a have a few Onam releases this time.

Vampire Owl: So, the biggest names are not releasing their films?

Vampire Bat: That is indeed a surprise, but I feel that they are not.

Vampire Owl: So the biggest Onam release would be ARM: Ajayante Randaam Moshanam.

Vampire Bat: I do not see why it should not be. The fantasy movies also deserve to have their due, not just in the form of magic realism.

[Gets a box with cheese popcorn and three cups of ginger tea and moves into theatre].

Vampire Owl: The series remains a classic indeed and there are not many people who can patiently wait for another sequel.

Vampire Bat: This is why I always trust this franchise. This is indeed a science-fiction marvel that continues from its base so well.

Vampire Owl: The aliens in the such a terrifying atmosphere within a space station serves well.

Vampire Bat: Well, we have the castles and they have space stations and ships. You remember the movie when Dracula actually visited a space ship, and was considered an alien species from a much far away planet.

Vampire Owl: Yet, we are scarier, with a certificate attained from the nearby cemetery.

Vampire Bat: Yet, being in space with nowhere to go brings the terror further.

Vampire Owl: The performances have been really good too.

Vampire Bat: Well, science fiction seems to bring better monsters than the Gothic these days.

Vampire Owl: The monsters from outer space got their merits.

Vampire Bat: The terror brought by the ruination of humans works every time whether as demons of space or of the graves.

Vampire Owl: This time, there was so much of details with the outer space as much as inside. The world has managed to get its due.

Vampire Bat: The terror of infinity of space never ceases to amaze us.

Vampire Owl: Well, the idea of hell might me somewhere in space.

Vampire Bat: You are going back to the good old Doom game.

Vampire Owl: And also its movie adaptations.

Vampire Bat: You were not that much of a fan of those particular adaptions. You were always against games being made into movies, even though you did not considered the same vice versa to be that much a negative thing.

Vampire Owl: Well, these genres are all mixed, and we see the demons in space, gods in space, aliens in mythology and humans everywhere.

Vampire Bat: The human imagination is basically everywhere these days. You look at them imagining the impossible, the beautiful and the absurd, all coming out of the same brain that fails to stop being creative, sometimes even for the wrong reasons.

Vampire Owl: How many aliens did you count? How many were killed by those guns? Did too many of them manage to escape.

Vampire Bat: They come in hordes, like the zombies and werewolves, as if a witch or sorcerer is controlling them with a magic wand.

Vampire Owl: There are still some repetitions and reminders of earlier movies.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they still work effectively enough. Movies like these would require some repetition as these are the right elements that make the franchise better.

Vampire Owl: In a world where viewers fear humans more than monsters will this work well enough? Do they count as scary enough in comparison?

Vampire Bat: Well, with so many effective scares, yes. They keep the franchise going, strong and sharp as they are intended to be.

Vampire Owl: This has surely worked well with the scares for me.

[Disappears into the darkness of the day because the clouds have done the trick, and awaits the darkest night of the week].

This is the third YouTube video dealing with film review. The movie has been reviewed as part of a vlog below, and with the YouTube Channel Scholar Nomads gaining the advantage, there is always much more to be said.

Release date: 23rd August 2024 (Theatre)
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Wifelike

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Vampire Owl: There should be a movie called vampire-like.

Vampire Bat: There is no other like the vampires.

Vampire Owl: Some of the hybrids claim to be so.

Vampire Bat: The claim is certainly not valid.

Vampire Owl: There are some assurances made in relation to that.

Vampire Bat: Most of those assurances do not bind.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that they were good enough on paper.

Vampire Bat: It is surprising that you have started to believe random assurances.

Vampire Owl: Well, I have been different after the corona virus pandemic.

Vampire Bat: You are yet to know enough about that virus.

[Gets a paneer pizza and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: A company named Wifelike begins to provide android companions to people who lost them or requires someone new. An robotic human, programmed to serve as a partner, Meredith (Elena Kampouris) gets assigned as a companion to a widower William (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). This cyborg-being is designed to behave like his late wife with the same name. Everything seems to work fine, but there is an organization named SCAIR or Sentient Citizens for AI Rights who are considered to be terrorists who use the companions for other purposes including wrecking havoc. At the same time, some of these people are seen as asking for equal rights for AI, similar to humans. Meredith is learning everything slowly, while William has the job of protecting companions, while finding those missing among them. It becomes more and more of a dangerous job, as there is an unknown figure known by the name Ring Master completely in control of the activities of SCAIR, and he means to cause more harm.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: There are also interactive dream operators for the companions, to bring the dream mode which helps them while charging themselves in hibernation. There is something strange in these dreams though, as a masked man gives her a card, and the programme does not identify such a person. Meredith finds a lady on the way who asks her to remember while causing her a distraction. The strange lady also visits Meredith in the house. In the dreams, she keeps seeing a masked man who asks her to remember. William assures her that it was only a bad dream, and nothing more. But it seems that her programming has been hacked, and William begins to feel that things are getting more serious than it was supposed to be. The dreams which allows the companions to rest are not safe any more. Wifelike soon brings a new group of company, known as Childlike, which has perfect babies being created. But there is a mess which has already been created, and it requires more attention, and Meredith could end up being a ghost in a shell without some fine job of repair.

The defence of Wifelike :: The idea behind the movie is strong, and even though it feels set in a future, one cannot forget the fact that there are always immense possibilities for the rich and the powerful. There will always be people who can buy anything. The movie goes through such a feeling strongly, in an environment which has been very well created. The stunning visuals support the same throughout its run. The twists of the movie are also nicely crafted, and there are some red herrings brought in here and there to make sure that the audience won’t guess the whole thing exactly as it is supposed to be. The final moments bring in the chance for a sequel, and there are moments when we feel that this film could make a return as a cult classic in the future. Elena Kampouris leads the work from the core, and there are so many moments which reminds us that we will have more than what meets the eye, and the same would be proven in the end.

Positives and negatives :: There are reminders here about other science fiction movies for sure, and at times, we cannot find what we need around here. One might feel that it gets slow and losses focus at times, but everything comes together in the end, and we feel that those moments which were felt to be less important are also significant around here. There could have been some more fine moments added here, with the capabilities of other companions also explored, and the life of at least one more of them being shown. Instead, the movie shows the others as just being less significant androids even while talking about equality for the artificial intelligence. Well, with the further development of aritificial intelligence, there will always be chance for more occuring in real life, even if it need not always be about a Terminator-like incident in which machines take over, or some Ultron requiring Avengers to save the day. With thought-provoking movies like this one, we can always expect more.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Elena Kampouris, who comes up with a memorable performance as an android, human recreated into a robot, with a past that she cannot hold on to. She makes a fine robot, and the past is also shown in an interesting manner. She provides many moments to remember, and the emotional past is only another side of her resurrection in the form of the perfect companion. There are signs which show the possibilities of her becoming a bigger star, seemingly well-suited to become a scream queen at some point of time. Playing an android with so much of artificial intelligence would not be an easy task, but she has nailed it. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also plays his role well, and the twist about him makes the character even more interesting. The final moments do set up well for a sequel in which he could bring in another side of the whole companion thing talked about in the movie. The other actors and actresses provide good support, but the movie is indeed focused on these two.

How it finishes :: In the end, Wifelike does not become another Ex Machina, but it does come close in the process. The ideas do travel in a similar path on multiple occasions, but there are not many things that match that particular movie which can be considered as a classic among works of science fiction which dealt with similar topics. The movie gets a number of things right, and with the leading lady interpreting the idea of the android really well, it has more than enough to deal with the content an bring the entertainment along with the twists that work well. Well, when some actresses play humans, they end up with such robotic performances that we would want to ask them to play robots, but here we have the actress who can play both sides. Most of the rating do not bring any justice to this movie, as there combination is indeed effective with this one. This is one movie which could have used more attention when it was released.

Release date: 20th December 2022
Running time: 105 minutes
Directed by: James Bird
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Elena Kampouris, Doron Bell, Sara Sampaio, Rachelle Goulding, CJ Perry, Alix Villaret, Agam Darshi, Doron Bell, Fletcher Donovan, Claire Friesen, Sari Mercer, Chezca Vega, Stephen Lobo, Bradley Stryker

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Outside the Wire

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Vampire Owl: The area beyond the Greater Cemetery is now considered outside the wire.

Vampire Bat: Do you feel that there is a war coming soon?

Vampire Owl: Well, humans are building more weapons of war.

Vampire Bat: You are thinking that those weapons are meant for us.

Vampire Owl: After they are done with most of their own, yes.

Vampire Bat: I don’t think that most of their weapons will have any effect on us.

Vampire Owl: The weapons of mass destruction will erase the world as we know it.

Vampire Bat: Such a destructive and disappointing species.

Vampire Owl: I will ask Doctor Frankenstein to come up with an invention which can go back in time and brutally murder all those human scientists whose inventions led to these new generation of weapons.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein‘s time machines made of vampire steel are as much fake as humanity’s love for each other.

[Gets a vancho cake and three cups of orange tea].

What is the movie about? :: The year is 2036, and there is a violent civil war going on in Eastern Europe between pro-Russian fighters and the local resistances in Ukraine, a struggle which seems to be nowhere close to reaching an end. After years of war, the United States has finally deployed their peacekeeping forces, and among them are the robotic soldiers known as GUMPs. But the team is ambushed, much to the dismay of the human soldiers. While disobeying a direct order, a drone pilot, Lieutanant Thomas Harp (Damson Idris) deploys a Hellfire missile against a suspected enemy missile launcher. The commander on the ground wanted time to save two marines who were caught in the danger zone, but Harp had felt that if he choose to delay the drone strike, all forty of them would die, and an attack would actually save thirty eight of them. But the senior officers do not believe in the same and considers him responsible for the death of those two soldiers.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite not being court-martialed, Harp is redeployed to on-site combat duty at Camp Nathaniel, where the United States military forces have set a base of operations for the war in Ukraine. He is supposed to work with Captain Leo (Anthony Mackie), who seems to be very strict as well as experienced, but turns out to be a very advanced android super soldier, the first of his kind – experimental, but a seemingly perfect prototype machine masquerading as a top level human officer. At the base, this is a secret known only the the commander of the camp, Colonel Eckhart (Michael Kelly), and now Harp. Leo has come into existence only five years ago, but is already programmed to be an effective killing machine. Their ultimate aim is to stop the terrorist known as Victor Koval (Pilou Asbaek) from gaining control of a vast network of nuclear missile silos which were left in the Ukrainian SSR possessing most of the nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union.

And what more does the future hold in a world of chaos and destruction? :: Russia has lost any control which they had over the rebels, and the new powerful terrorist is very close to controlling most of Ukraine and also those missile launcher facilities – it would prove lethal for world peace as much as it would mean for Ukraine and its remaining resistance. It could be the end of the world with nukes in the hands of such a terrorist who doesn’t even have religion or any of the morals to control him. They come across a reported attack on a truck with was providing aids, leading to a stand-off between the United States soldiers and the local militias. But the armed locals and the pro-Russian insurgents are the least of their problems as the trained spies and snipers of Victor Koval are there, which means that the possible event which could lead to the end of the world is closer than they thought. Then, what if the most dangerous man in that part of the world also manages to get the secret codes to the nuke? After all, he would do anything to get them – paying in billions, using brutal force or anything.

The defence of Outside the Wire :: We notice that Outside the Wire has created a fine world for the science fiction elements to start working effectively, early enough. The visuals are really good in this war-torn world In the beginning, there is the feeling that this one would go through action-war mode, but that idea which was earlier challenged with a few machines and later made clear, has a few interesting points for everyone to ponder about. It talks about war and the human need for the same with effectiveness, and we do understand that all sides are almost the same and loves to see collateral damage with the death of so many civilians. There is the fine display of hidden hatred being displayed around here, and we see a lot of the true nature of humans, even the machines who are created by them. These are also the kind of things which would happen at some point of time in future, and we are all with knowledge about the world descending into chaos sooner or later. The action is very good for most of the time with melee combat and gunshots being there, and we are glad to see different elements coming together. Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris do some good work here.

The claws of flaw :: The movie doesn’t make the best use of its resources, as we see a world in not so distant future, with advanced technology and interesting weapons. The war machines could have been used with more effectiveness, as we see a lot of fights struggling to go big on different occasions. The world of war which has been created here could have more of similar products of science and technology at work. The basic idea that the movie was trying to prove could have been clearer, but here they choose to make things rather easy. There is no big action moment that stands out around here, even though there are so many human and machine soldiers around here. At times, the movie just seems to move around without much of a clue, and the ideas about the use and effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence never really gets as strong as it should have been. It does keep one wonder about how well Will Smith has performed in so many science fiction action movies in the past, the one man who would have fit in here so well, and even brought a lot of audience to this lesser known film.

How it finishes :: When we look close, Outside the Wire seems to be a movie which has predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine in another form. The movie deals with the interesting scientific concepts and also talks about the human greed and their never-ending need for more wars, even though the fact that the film has focused only one side feels rather strange – humans have always wanted war, and they have always hated each other, which means that this is not something restricted to a nation or two and their allies. We have always been looking for science-fiction doing their best, as we never stop wondering about a post-apocalyptic future with science playing a major role in ending the world as we know it. As science has been continuously contributing to making the global warming worse and developing enough weapons of mass destruction, along with helping the Artificial Intelligence and other machines to take over, we are all looking for the apocalyptic event, and this one surely has shades of the same.

Release date: 15th January 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 115 minutes
Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Emily Beecham, Michael Kelly, Pilou Asbaek, Kristina Tonteri-Young, Henry Garrett, Enzo Cilenti

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mother Android

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Vampire Owl: So, another movie with the world going to end?

Vampire Bat: Yes, humans love making this kind of movies.

Vampire Owl: It is basically because they know that their world is going to end soon.

Vampire Bat: They know that so well because they are causing it.

Vampire Owl: Well, Doctor Frankenstein wouldn’t make such dangerous inventions.

Vampire Bat: Mr Frankenstein has never been a real scientist.

Vampire Owl: At least he is making some medical inventions, not trying to run away to the Moon and Mars like the wealthy humans.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that he doesn’t care about our world any more than humans.

Vampire Owl: You know that as an undead doctor, he is trying to do his best.

Vampire Bat: He has been a dead doctor for a longer period of time than being undead.

[Gets a blueberry cake and three glasses of orange shake].

What is the movie about? :: It is a Christmas evening, and Georgia Olsen (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds out that she is pregnant with the child of her boyfriend, Sam Hoth (Algee Smith). Georgia is disappointed, as she doesn’t want to have a child at an young age. Sam tells here that she is ready for anything, and also asks her to marry him. She is not really sure about this particular relationship, and wonder what the next step is – she also hides this newly discovered secret from her parents Mr and Mrs Olsen (Jon F Merz and Tamara Hickey). An android Eli (Stephen Thorne), which is owned by the Olsens wishes wishes them Happy Halloween, which seems to point to something being wrong. Soon there is a sound which resembles a technical glitch, and while the smartphones start exploding, and the androids start attack their owners. As they watch another android named Daniel (Liam McNeill) attack its owners, and a series of explosions everywhere, they understand the end of humanity is close enough to arrive now.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Nine months have passed after the incident which was then considered as close to the end of the world as it could get. Now, Georgia is expecting her baby any time soon, and try to get to Boston which is supposed to be highly fortified. The rest of the areas had androids taking over, and completely running through the military forces. Georgia and Sam have heard rumours about new mothers and babies being transported to Asia, where they can have a peaceful life. But to reach there, they have to cross an area full of androids who will not stop until they find all humans out there dead and buried. On the way, they find a military post, where they are let in, and Doctor Howe (Kate Avallone) allows them to have the baby here, but as Sam gets into a fight with a soldier, they are thrown out. Once they are outside, they decide to take a motorbike and quickly go through the android-infested area, but with the machines on the hunt, that seems to be one grand dumb idea.

The defence of Mother/Android :: The man vs machine theme is present, even though not used to the best advantage. The movie getting released on Netflix after Hulu was indeed a good idea, as more people have access to it now. The beginning stages of the movie can be considered as the best parts, as we know that we are up to something big, and there is an apocalypse coming up, like that of the Terminator and similar movies. The expectations are raised high during those moments. The world after the apocalypse is also nicely created, without hope, and with most of the civilization already finished. There are similarities to a zombie apocalypse here, even though there is no transforming into machines. The final moments do capture the strength of the emotions back, and it works because of Chloe Grace Moretz, an actress whom we have seen from her childhood, one young lady who never holds back with her work. As Raul Castillo comes in later, the performances can mostly be appreciated, and we are all in support of a lady who is soon to be a mother, trying to survive against all odds.

The claws of flaw :: Mother/Android required to have more science and also more action, along with more thrilling moments, as the elements of drama are the ones that have the advantage here, with the rest taking the backseat. The emotions could have also been better defined, instead of having only a woman who is going to give birth at the centre, with not that much to be added after that. You have a couple in love with each other, and the woman is pregnant – there is not much to do for the the man here other than become the protector. The man is the protector and the woman is the mother, thus having not much of a significance here otherwise, as their personalities are not that much to remember, as both do get irritating at times. The movie is slow, and is about half an hour too long, as we look at it and try to feel the entertainment. The idea of the androids attacking is also not used to the best advantage, and there are no real memorable scenes, even after that twist has us taken for surprise – the advantage is just not taken here.

The performers of the soul :: Chloe Grace Moretz is an actress whom we have seen around for a very long time, from those times when she was not an adult – she was there as part of so many different roles which had our attention. Dark Shadows and Carrie were the ones which caught my attention first, but these made me go back and watch one of my favourite vampire movies of all-time, Let Me In – she has been one remarkable actress from her childhood days, and she had also played a similar figure with motherly affection in a more recent movie, Shadow in the Cloud, a full action film. As usual, she holds her side strongly, and with all the focus on her, gets it right, even when the movie seems to struggle with some of its content. She fits into the mother looking to survive in a machine-troubled world with ease, as no role seems to evade her fine performance. Algee Smith plays the supportive role, and that is done in a natural way, with nothing huge, and no surprises added. Raul Castillo plays the man with a secret, and he is surely the kind of actor who is suited for a post-apocalyptic work, as he has some action sequences to go with it.

How it finishes :: Even with the restrictions related to the budget, Mother/Android has managed a pretty good post-apocalyptic flick with fine performances to go with it. Just like the title says, it has only two significant things in the movie, the android and the mother – the others are pretty much insignificant. Just like some of the recent post-apocalyptic works, this one stays slow, even though there is just enough of the thrilling moments in a specific atmosphere as well as the twists to keep it going – well, not all movies set after apocalypse can be asked to become as quick paced as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, Mortal Engines or Mad Max: Fury Road. This one does manage to bring the feeling of the end of the world again, and as expected, with technology, the idea which the Terminator franchise has always provided the support for. Well, the world, most probably is going to end due to the effects of science and technology – it is surely the one thing which has brought all the global warming and the nukes to the scene, and if this movie also holds it responsible one can only agree.

Release date: 7th January 2022 (Netflix)
Running time: 118 minutes
Directed by: Mattson Tomlin
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Algee Smith, Raul Castillo, Linnea Gardner, Kiara Pichardo, Oscar Wahlberg, Christian Mallen, Jared Reinfeldt, Liam McNeill, Stephen Thorne, Jon F Merz, Tamara Hockey, Jason Bowen, Hana Kim, Benz Veal, Will Lyman, Owen Burke, Kate Avallone

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Ex Machina

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What is it about? :: Bluebook is the most popular search engine in the world, handling more than ninety percent of the internet user search. It is one of the most powerful companies in the world, and maintains a certain amount of control over the internet. Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer working at the same company, wins a one-week visit to the home of the CEO of the same company. Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac) lives in a secluded building surrounded by greenery, an environment providing beautiful views and assuring separation from the busy life of the cities where the search engine offices are based. The only other person at home is a maid known as Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) who doesn’t understand English and just does her job.

So what happens in this environment? :: So, this home of the CEO is actually more than what meets the eye. One would have guessed the same considering the fact that he has almost no contact with anyone else. He has a secret, and the place is more of a secret research facility than a house. He has developed something which needs to be tested, and Caleb is the man to administer the test to a special humanoid robot with Artificial Intelligence. This robot named Ava (Alicia Vikander) develops a good friendly relationship with Caleb, but it seems that she is a lot more than what he knows about, and there is a long history behind the robot and also beyond her. There are things that will be uncovered in the environment, but not many facts can go outside that world.

The defence of Ex Machina :: An intelligent science fiction movie takes form as Ex Machina, as it slowly, but steadily moves on to become more and more interesting, from a rather normal beginning. It has the good looks right from the beginning as the scene shifts to a world close to natural beauty. There, the insides of the home are also well done. There is elegance all around, and then we see the robot with the Artificial Intelligence and we feel that it might be the best we have seen with the design. Then, things go on to become rather tense, a feeling which comes along with the intellectual and creepy side going forward together. Sooner or later, this one asks you about whose side you are on, and most of the time when facing the question, you will have no answer; but you might not need to take sides – you can grab the messages instead. Then there is Alicia Vikander as the lady robot who will simply take your breath away with her performance; not human or robot, she is right there as the Artificial Intelligence.

Positives and negatives :: The other two main actors, Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac do their job really well. In this movie, you can see no action sequences or frightening scenes on screen, making this no sc-fi action and absolutely no sci-fi horror. But it is still a thriller and a drama, filled with messages in the core. A certain slow pace in the movie never really feels as we are too much interesting in the situation that is presented in this movie; sometimes one feel that it makes us more restless and unsettled. But whichever way the movie takes the turn, it keeps working so well. It keeps us engaged in the flick, and keeps providing us with those moments to memorize and think about. The twists in this movie are not heavily presented, but they are all result of some very clever work. As it moves towards a more haunting side, you will feel that this might be the best science fiction movie made without much of a heavy budget.

Soul exploration :: There are many messages in Ex Machina, and they can affect different people in different ways. Most of us are familiar about the Latin term “Deus ex machina” which means “god from the machine”. As I missed that during a literary quiz programme and this one will stay on my mind forever. It refers to a plot device by which a seemingly insolvable problem is solved all of a sudden by an unexpected thing – it is often a rather convenient method. Here, the title should mean “from the machine”. The movie deals with the insides of a machine here, with how the Artificial Intelligence makes the change, and brings something more out of a machine than what was expected of it. The one difference here is that it is the human who plays the God.

More soul exploration :: The problem in the movie arises from the human playing the role of God. He thinks that he can be in control all the time, but he just can’t do that. There are limitations to his abilities, and there are a few people who don’t really deserve to do such things. Man is no God and with power and money corrupting the brain, morality and any compassion takes the backseat. The robot here is not just a symbol of the specific character here, but that of a lot of people in the world who have restrictions imposed on them. Only a few people get lucky, and the rest are enslaved in one way or the other. The rich and the influential ones play God while the rest are made to be obedient robots. But if there will be change, and it might all be about one moment, just like Ava’s case.

How it finishes :: Ex Machina is the directorial debut of the man who wrote screenplay for 28 Days Later, Sunshine and the cult flick and favourite 2012 action movie Dredd. Here, we are provided with more questions than ever, about where humanity begins and ends, what is consciousness and how it can be defined, the influence of technology and its control over us, the limits which should be established – and many more. It is not something which you can hope to get with this much clarity as well as simplicity from the Hollywood movies. What this movie reminds me about is the 2011 Spanish psychological thriller movie, The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya. Ex Machina leaves one with a similar feeling; there is no visible horror and moments to make you scream, but it provides that special unsettling feeling.

Release date: 10th April 2015
Running time: 108 minutes
Directed by: Alex Garland
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Sonoya Mizuno, Oscar Isaac, Symara A. Templeman, Elina Alminas, Gana Bayarsaikhan, Tiffany Pisani, Claire Selby, Corey Johnson

exmachina

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.