I liked this quite a bit. The acting was top notch, the director really knows how to tell a story, and, despite a limited budget, I thought the special effects were very good. I also appreciated how the set designs covered up that limited budget by keeping you focused on the action up front. Although we've seen the basic story before, at no time did I find the film predictable; Director/Screenwriter Caradog W. James does a nice job of keeping the viewer slightly off balance with some beautiful camera work and a screenplay that tweaks the small stuff enough (what are the AI saying to each other?) such that the tale may be familiar but the trajectory is not. Both the lead actors are impressive with Caity Lotz impressively so pulling double duty in a movie that relies on her performance in a big way. Toby Stephens, who has been around for awhile, delivers a solid performance, walking that fine line between jerk and misguided soul. I can understand why some here see it as the beginning of Skynet or the Tyrell Corporation but personally I'll go with "Weyland-Yutani." Very good. Makes me interested in seeing what James and/or Lotz due in the future.
Review of The Machine
