THE MACHINE

Britain, sometime in the not-too-distant future. "A cold war with China has forced the West into the deepest recession in recorded history", the opening text informs us.

A montage of audio clips from the world's media further illustrate the chaos this cold war has brought about. In the midst of all of this, scientist Vincent (Toby Stephens) works quietly away in a sterile building owned by the Ministry of Defence. His objective is to develop artificial intelligence that can help soldiers suffering from brain injuries function normally. Unfortunately, as the opening experiment demonstrates, he's not quite mastered this objective yet: the quizzing of a test subject result in the multiple stabbing of Vincent's female assistant.

We next meet Vincent interviewing budding scientists and scrutinising their latest programs, with the promise of funding the ones that show the most promise. However, when pretty blonde Ava (Caity Lotz) unveils a computer program sophisticated enough to develop its own thought patterns; Vincent's impressed enough to offer her a job. "I have unlimited resources and the best robotics team in the country", he tells her.

Vincent recognises skills in Ava that remind him of his own, and believes that with her help he can perfect his "intelligent machines" for the military. Ava accepts the job, but with visible reservations about creating weapons of war.

No sooner has Ava turned up for her first day at work, than she comes to the attention of their boss, the shifty Thomson (Denis Lawson), on account of her penchant for asking awkward questions and snooping around restricted sections of her bunker workplace, such as the creepy Area 6. Watched everywhere she goes by electric eyes, Ava's curiosity will soon get the better of her...

Vincent, meanwhile, reveals to her that he has his own qualms about developing technology which may someday be used to transform brain-dead soldiers into robotic killing machines. But whereas she is downright appalled by her bosses' motives, he's more compelled to continue working for them: he's secretly using huge chunks of the budget they're providing him with to find a cure for his own daughter - who also happens to be severely mentally disabled.

When Vincent later learns that Ava has fallen victim to an enemy attack on the bunker, he vows to continue their work - and formulate a machine in the image of Ava, which is capable of second-guessing human nature.

But how will Vincent use this technology to his own advantage, and can he successfully condition the new Ava to behave in a suitably human manner? In the meantime, what is Thomson likely to think when he meets her - and what plans will he have in store for her?

Rather generic title aside, THE MACHINE proved itself to be a pleasantly surprising proposition. Its blue-tinged cool aesthetics recalled the alienation and icy near-future of BLADE RUNNER, as did the occasional flourishes of synth-led music on the score; not a bad film to bring to mind, considering it's arguably the greatest sci-fi movie of the last 40 years.

Thematically, too, it could be claimed that the replicants' yearning for the truth of human experience is echoed in the latter half of THE MACHINE. Elsewhere, it's easy to draw comparisons with METROPOLIS (the creation of the female robot), FRANKENSTEIN (the Granddaddy of scientist-nurtures-life films) and, to a lesser extent, THE FIFTH ELEMENT (the manner in which the titular being is hungry to educate itself in human understanding). Scenes of scientists trying to rationalise with a computer capable of outwitting them even recalls 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

It's testament to its makers, then, that THE MACHINE can echo these films while maintaining an identity of its own. It doesn't redefine its genre and you won't walk away from it with a newfound revelation swimming around your skull. But it does frequently look spectacular, often simply so, its slick editing and wintry aesthetics benefiting from sparse, timeless locations and a visual atmosphere of quietly mounted paranoia.

Characters are, for the most part, written in an understated manner. The moral ambiguity displayed by Vincent is intelligently scripted, and thoughtfully played out by the impressive Stephens. He genuinely seems conflicted a lot of the time. On the flip side, Lawson's bad guy is a little too openly sinister - his is a signposted character in an otherwise quietly astute screenplay.

Top honours in the acting stakes go to the ladies of the production. Lotz is impressive in a dual role - vulnerable and moralistic one moment, kicking arses the next. And Pooneh Hajimohammadi has a great presence as Thomson's weirdly haired sidekick Suri.

Performances are strong throughout, which is good because they need to be in order to register alongside the genuinely impressive photography and frequently amazing FX work. Clearly made on a low budget, the sterling visual effects work really is extraordinary. It's here where the film truly stands out from the norm, combining a thought-provoking and intelligent script (by director Caradog James) with sublime visuals that never once fail to achieve their desired effect.

If there are flaws, you could argue that the restrained tone throughout prevents a real pace from escalating until a little too late. And then, when the film does shift into 'action' gear, it can't help but feel like a contrived audience-pleasing finale which is at loggerheads with the considered build-up, and possibly has only been tagged on to pacify nervous producers.

Minor quibbles aside; THE MACHINE is a refreshing take on sci-fi themes and manages to contemplate the mechanics of human traits, emotions and responses without ever taking a dive into horrible pretension. There's a warm centre beneath its glacial aesthetic. It works well with the eye-candy visuals to proffer a film that stays in the viewer's mind long after the closing titles have ran their course.

THE MACHINE is well worth checking out; it's one of the best home-grown sci-fi efforts to have emerged in quite some time.

By Stuart Willis