Uncanny, or why you should watch Ex-Machina

Welcome back to Crossing the Streams. Each week I will be crossing the streaming platforms to find the movies you should check out or stay away from. This week I’m back with a 2015 pick from Netflix which goes by the name Uncanny. 

The topic of artificial intelligence and technology has always been of interest, but it seems as if it is becoming an even larger topic of discussion for film and pop culture. Probably because its the one threshold we haven’t quite crossed. To create a robotic being that is capable of interacting and engaging with humans on a more personal level would be a parlor trick for the ages. From Bishop in Alien to Data in The Next Generation to Samantha in Her, Artificial Intelligence has fascinated us for years. But can a relationship with an artificial person go beyond a surface level? 

This is the question raised in Matthew Leutwyler’s Uncanny. Uncanny sees journalist Joy Andrews writing an article about robot wunderkind David Kressen who has claimed to have created the perfect artificial intelligence in the form of Adam. While spending time with the reclusive roboticist, Joy begins to develop feelings for him; seeing past his cold exterior. During this time, Adam begins to show a very unique personality that seems to look darker and darker as the story progresses.

Leutwyler’s film does one thing really well. This is a small budget film that makes great use of the resources that are available. Leutwyler does a nice job utilizing space and his small cast and working within his restrictions. He plays greatly to this by not having to show a lot of the technology that is hinted at. The movie feels “in the now” and it makes everything taking place within the narrative seem plausible. In fact, a lot of the films strengths reside behind the scenes.

Moving beyond that, the film feels very flat. The biggest cast member in the film is Rainn Wilson who is left out in the dark throughout the movie. He has maybe three to five minutes of screen time, so I don’t know why they would even bring him on board other than name power. Mark Webber, Lucy Griffiths, and David Rogers as David, Joy, and Adam, respectively, all do a fine job. Webber’s performance doesn’t work for me upon the initial watch, but as the movie plays out it works more and more. Griffiths and Rogers both turn in very capable performances, but there isn’t much to write home about which is a symptom of the screenplay.

The premise of this film is very interesting, in fact its the same premise that made Ex-Machina such an engaging movie; the major difference though is in execution. Now, I don’t want to present a comparison of the two films, but I don’t really want to do that. What I think Uncanny gets wrong from the start is how quickly we are dropped into the story. We don’t have a lot of time to bond with Joy, in fact we meet her at the lab after we’ve met David and Adam. Joy is our way into this world, but we’re never given a chance to fully make that connection. We’re kind of along for the ride, but there’s no reason to invest. There are no stakes for the audience; we’re just watching from the sidelines.

And that is the problem with the script, not only is Joy underdeveloped but so are our other characters. David is probably the most rounded character in the story. Adam is supposed to give us the creeps and become this sense of worry and danger; and at times he leans towards that, but again the stakes never raise beyond a certain level. We never understand how diabolical Adam could be; we never have a full picture of how sympathetic Joy should be; and we never really figure out why Rainn Wilson is just hanging out in that office watching these events unfurl.

And unfurl they do. I want to avoid the obvious elephant in the room as much as I can; but Ex-Machina has to come up again here. Ex-Machina does everything right with its ending; Uncanny goes the predictable route. The ending is telegraphed fairly early and its as obvious as you might expect – unless you haven’t been paying attention to the previous 70 minutes of narrative. The execution of the final beat just feels lazy and obvious. What works so well for Ex-Machina is that it truly keeps you guessing by subverting expectations.

Final Decree: 5/1o – Uncanny has a lot of good ideas, but is filled with untapped potential. Someone who isn’t paying attention may think that its blatantly ripping off Ex-Machina; which is why I keep bringing it up. Uncanny was actually made a few years ago, they were actually probably both in production at around the same time, or slightly staggered. But, it was bad news for Uncanny to have to drop in 2015; the same year that Ex-Machina made such a splash. I highly suggest skipping Uncanny and going straight to Ex-Machina – it takes every idea that is present here and improves on it ten-fold. Isn’t that right, Oscar Isaac?

Well, you can’t argue with that. Alright folks, that’s all for this week; I’ll return next week to give you a heads up on what you should be streaming.

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