Vincent (Toby Stephens) is a genius. He has created brain implants and limb replacements and is very good at what he does. After a mishap that leaves a colleague dead, he is put underground to work on more intense research, creating Artificial Intelligence driven machines for the Ministry of Defense. He bends the morel rules for deeply personal reasons but can’t get where he needs to be. When he finds a young genetics researcher named Ava (Caity Lotz), he stops at nothing to reach his goal. On the eve of their perfecting the technology, she is killed. Since he needs her to complete his research, he turns her into a machine so he can salvage her knowledge and reach his personal goal…to save his daughter.
The Machine really wants to be Blade Runner, and in a way, it has some challenging themes, but its budget works against it in the area of visuals. It never feels like the future, nor does there ever feel like there are any higher stakes. That’s not to say that the film is bad, it’s actually quite interesting, it just has trouble catching the eye. That is the real shame because the many of the soldiers at this secret underground base have been fixed with Vincent’s aforementioned implants and replacements. They are always watching and though they play a role in the film’s climax, we are still left wanting.
One area that doesn’t suffer from a lack of budget is the main cast. Toby Stephens is someone I have enjoyed hating on Black Sails recently and as Gustav Graves in Die Another Day. He starts off obsessive and single minded in a way. But as circumstances change, he seems to find his humanity through the machine. Caity Lotz is also great. She demonstrates humanity and a vulnerability that really shines. It’s important for us to feel for her and we do. It’s a complex part that needs to convey love and hate on the turn of a dime. She owns the part absolutely. The fight scenes are also top notch, though short. Lotz has a knack for exciting fight choreography that is apparent on her DC Comics show, Arrow. The biggest problem here is that they are too short. Again, I’m sure this comes down to time and budget. The thing with this is that they are wants but not NEEDS. The story is decent if familiar, and the performances hold it together.
All in all, I recommend giving it a try. Its more drama-based sci-fi than action and as long as you think of it as a character piece, you should enjoy yourself. The themes may be familiar but all themes have been done. The important thing is not the story, but the storytelling and The Machine does its best to tell its story well.
