It’s a fascinating enough setup: stony-faced corporate risk-management consultant Lee (Kate Mara) travels to a rural scientific outpost to investigate an incident: it seems the project’s comparatively emotive artificial intelligence (Anya Taylor-Joy) has gone and poked out someone’s eye. There is talk of terminating the product, emotions and all. (Nobody wants another disaster like the one at Helsinki.) And the opening act is solid and tense: Lee spends her first day assessing the team, a varied bunch with varying attitudes toward their creation. Behaviorist Amy (Rose Leslie) gets the bulk of the attention, what with her affection for Morgan and dislike of boundaries, but most everyone gets a word in. Sadly, things start to get silly with the arrival of psychiatrist Alan (a shouty, snotty Paul Giamatti), and the point of things quickly shifts from engaging the audience’s interest and/or intellect to merely keeping it stimulated and guessing. Great setting and sets, though. Directed by Luke Scott. (2016) — Matthew Lickona
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