Away from the guiding hand of long-time collaborator and
master film-maker Danny Boyle, Garland has, if anything, shrugged off the
limitations of a mere writer and taken complete control of the project: the
film has a stripped-down, almost B-movie sensibility where any superfluous
frills have been trimmed and the occasional extravagance of Boyle’s action set
pieces are gone. Make no mistake; this is not an action movie. It is a
science-fiction drama packed with so many ideas that – had a less-competent
writer taken it on – could very easily collapse under its own weight.
But the reason the film emerges not only unmarked but
victorious is how it channels the philosophical discussion; through the three
central performances. Domhnall Gleeson as shy coder Caleb channels the inner
questions of the audience, reflecting our uncertainty and (understandable)
fears about both the experiment and Oscar Isaac’s bearded boffin Nathan, a steely-eyed
control freak convinced that he is Oppenheimer reincarnated, willingly creating
something that could ultimately send his entire species back to the Stone Age.
Alicia Vikander is perfect as exquisite A.I. Ava, bringing
to bear a nuanced performance that captures the slight uncanny valley effect of
a robot imitating human life. Enhanced by seamless special effects, she gives
every impression of a real person restrained by the limitations of what is
essentially a computer programme: her eyes rove a little too precisely and her
limbs go from swift motion to stock-still in a microsecond, all the while her
inquisitive nature and sleek body involving us in issues of individuality,
sexuality, and even the question many films have tried and failed to ask
intelligently: what does it mean to be human?
The film is drenched in a cold and clinical colour palette whilst the music – a concoction of machine-tooled chimes and rasping electronic reverb – attempts to provoke a physical response. All this and more builds to a startling climax as the development of the plot throws our loyalties hither and thither, leading to the realisation that we are the ones being tested, not Ava: will you pass…or fail?
★★★★★
