INDIA: Gone are the days when we used to imagine a full-grown computer assistant that would tap the vastness of its knowledge to make our work easier. Now it’s possible, and all credit goes to AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT. Firstly, popularized in the depths of sci-fi, AI has found its way to escape from fiction to reality. Thanks to modern science, which has widely popularized the technology that is accessible to almost all internet users.
But ever wonder what would be the extreme form of AI in the future? Yes, the fear of the tech carrying a share of negatives comes with a share of useful aspects to humanity. However, sci-fi has imagined this technology mostly in its darkest form, covering a what-if scenario if everything goes wrong.
So today, we’ll discuss sci-fi movies based on AI and representing it in its ultimate potential.
5 films that changed our POV to look at AI
Her (2013)
What will happen if AI becomes an inseparable part of the life of a lonely man? Spike Jonze-directed movie “Her” answers this question by putting Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore and Scarlett Johansson as an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant in the centre. The film follows Phoenix’s developing feeling for AI, which sets the tone of sci-fi mixed with romance.
With heavy philosophical metaphors, this movie deals with the role of artificial intelligence in the day-to-day life of users (especially lonely ones). This deeply layered theme helped it earn an Academy Award for Writing (Original Screenplay).
Ex Machina (2014)
Similar to “Her”, Alex Garland’s directorial “Ex Machina“ takes a one-step forward to a more thrilling turn. Dealing with the nature of AI and human interaction, this Hollywood featurette chronicles the stage with Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb Smith (a programmer), Alicia Vikander (AI-powered android), and Oscar Issac (CEO of a company).
Brimming with a talented star cast, Ex Machina pits a sci-fi tale hooked with a psychological thriller. It also deals with AI and human interaction on a romantic level (on the surface level, it feels). Unlike Her, this feature carries a shocker ending and covers the themes of narcissism, greed, human behaviour, and loneliness.
M3GAN (2023)
Taking two steps further from “Her” and “Ex Machina”, Gerard Johnstone’s “M3GAN” covers a darker aspect of an AI-powered doll going on a full-blown killing spree. This James Wan-backed featurette progresses around Allison Williams as Gemma, Violet McGraw as Cady (Gemma’s niece, who lost her parents), and Amie Donald as ME3GAN (a killer children’s doll).
Unlike Ex Machina, it is not a slow burn but a massive horror flick that shows the dark reality of children developing an unhealthy emotional attachment to technology. Akela Cooper and James Wan narrate this sci-fi story, which uses M3GAN and Cady’s bond as a metaphor for a child using a smartphone these days.
The movie’s premise can be compared to a scenario in which children’s overuse of technology emotionally kills them to the point that they isolate themselves from their peers and the outside world.
The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron’s “The Terminator” solidifies the fact that the greatest of ideas are born from dreams. It may appear to be unbelievable, but Cameron had the idea to make The Terminator, a franchise that revolutionized Hollywood, after falling ill during the release of Piranha 2 (1982) and having a dream about a metallic body-wielding kitchen knife walking out from an explosion.
This served as a launch pad for the release of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic 80’s film, where he appeared as a killer robot sent by an artificial intelligence Skynet, who aims to eradicate humankind from earth.
Cameron’s vision may be considered as the first one to utilize the concept of a full-fledged AI-driven cybernetic assassin embarked on a killing spree. In this sci-fi action film, he also envisioned a dystopian future controlled by a hostile artificial intelligence that stands on a pile of human skulls. In the 80s, this can be termed as the new as well as the darkest representation of AI in Hollywood’s history.
The Matrix (1999)
Though it is James Cameron who visualized the concept of a dystopian future ruled by AI in a mainstream Hollywood film, The Wachowski Siblings’ “The Matrix” is a level up from The Terminator. This Keanu Reeves starrer featurette presented a world taken over by machines that trap humans in virtual reality, “The Matrix”. To add more horror to the fact, the AI of the Wachowski-crafted world literally uses human bodies as a battery to provide energy to the killer sentient machines.
Much like Terminator, The Matrix revolutionized Hollywood on a filmmaking level. The film birthed a new concept in a visual effect known as “bullet time”. This allowed the Wachowskis to film the iconic bullet-dodging scene in slow motion. Later, this technique became a major part of almost every action film, and even today, it is widely used in multiple film industries worldwide.
Besides The Matrix’s stellar AI concept and a benchmark filmmaking technique, this film found its inspiration from Hinduism. This can be proven by the fact that the film composer Don Davis used Sanskrit shlokas as a background score in the climactic battle between Neo and Agent Smith.
Also Read: Top 5 Films: Best Hollywood Movies Released in 2022
