Uncanny (2015)

A Major Disappointment

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I found the whole movie unbelievably funny. Everything that occurred in it is pretty much a joke due to how it ends. And I'm not talking about the super ridiculous after credits ending, no, THAT is straight out of Saturday Night Live. Basically I found this whole affair progressively more funny until the end when it just admits that the whole thing is a joke. Which is great. It's all a big joke and I laughed my a** off at points. I was particularly fond of the scene in which Rain Wilson's character mentions having the footage and offering to send it to the person on the other end of the phone call.... I just busted out at the point...Anyway, its good for what it is. And if you can accept that it is in fact funny you'll enjoy it even more.

Joy Andrews (Lucy Griffiths) is a reporter who is given the opportunity to spend 7 days with a robotics expert David Kressan (Mark Webber) and his creation Adam (David Clayton Rogers) whom is the most believable and realistic AI that has ever been created - he's an AI that David has lived in isolation with for the last 7 years. Things start to take a turn for the worse when Adam starts to exhibit abnormal and disturbing behaviour towards Joy when it seems that both the AI and its creator begin to develop feelings for the same woman...There are two words that sprung to mind when I was watching this film 'EX MACHINA' and it seems fairly obvious that ANDROID borrows quite heavily from this film. Both films cover the same theme of developing an AI that is capable of fooling humans and with an AI that is more self-aware than its creator imagines or believes.The problems with Android begin at a very early stage with the initial story set-up; the dialogue that is exchanged between the characters is mind-boggling and contains words that only scientists or members of MENSA are likely to be able to understand. I got the feeling that this was included at the start of the film to try and make it seem clever (which in retrospect becomes laughable when you learn of the simplistic plotting). The poor dialogue and lack of much happening in the first half makes for a fairly slow opener (although those for a penchant for Chess will be well catered for here).The second half is better if only because it has some life to it and has more going for it; there is a battle between the AI and its creator and the power struggle between the two is interesting, but whilst it is interesting it's never really a story that grips or involves (mainly because it offers nothing that we haven't seen before). It's difficult to critique performances in a film focusing on AI as naturally some performers are going to be 'cough cough' slightly robotic; this is the case for Webber and Rogers for the most part although Rogers fares best out of the two men (but in fairness this is because he is given more to work with). Griffiths is given the role of the most 'normal' person, but she works the role well giving a rather natural performance, but she's able to flex her acting chops later in the film.The end result of all this is a rather poor film with little in the way of originality or surprises and with its rather dull and dialogue-heavy first half it makes for an uneven film which sadly, for the most part, is fairly uninvolving. It's very similar to Ex Machina and even though I thought that film was overrated and had its fair share of problems I would still pick that film over this one.

I loved that this movie got me thinking: what is the emergent nature of intelligence or consciousness? Is it possible to design optimum or even to predict conditions through which the emergent can arise and be detected? Adam's character comes across as a recluse who has spent 10 years building, interacting with and determining capability for emotion in A.I. He plays chess with his creation and gathers data about how A.I relates to him and determines purpose and behaviour. Once the journalist arrives, the chess game shifts to a different level and whilst the A.I appears predictable, Adam's strategy is less clear.Adam appears to be aroused by the journalist and this engages the A.I's competitive nature. Adam's responses are predictable until an outburst of emotion startles and confuses the pathways of the A.I. Adam recognises a potential and through being subjected to unfamiliar terrain, the A.I shifts its behaviour and displays qualities which determine the project a success.Is the emergent in the A.I or Adam? Adam was not only intent upon creating sentient life through A.I, or he would not have used semen in the A.I. interaction with the journalist. His relationship with the journalist has transitioned through detachment, altruism, jealousy to caring. As if out of a trance, he appears to view his employer in a new light and his behaviours indicate that he is going to be changing his game plan. I have hope for Adam. The employer models an immature mode of relationship, behaviour and is exploitative. At the end of the movie, the A.I. is functioning in an obedient manner and looks to Adam once again for clues as to how to respond, revealing that any demonstration of emergence, if present, wasn't permanent.This movie sparks some interesting questions for me, as to what relationship exists between creator and created? In the case of A.I. there is debate and concern as to whether a superior intelligence will bring about the demise of the human race, but appears to be less engagement with how interaction between A.I and human stimulates potential for emergent. Immature and unchanging patterns of behaviour seem to carry more potential for our destruction, than do potentials for allowing for creativity and intelligence.

This was more amazing than "Ex Machina." The story line was intense and illustrates the perils of our human race rapidly evolving toward sentient cyber life. *SPOILERS--Do NOT read ahead if you have not yet watched the movie* Spoiler ALERT, Spoiler ALERT!!! Rainn Wilson's character was brilliant and vile. It was harrowing to watch the last few scenes of the movie and the almost psychopathic rendering of the antagonist was amazing. Plot twist was somewhat expected, but not to the extent it was carried out, and the lack of moral compass that it unveiled in those who would use technology, and people, and emotions, at all costs. Loved it.