In the wake of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON and in the calm before the MAD MAX: FURY ROAD storm, I'd like to draw attention to another great science-fiction film that I have a feeling a lot of people will miss a theatrical experience of, EX MACHINA. The film focuses on a young programmer who is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I, and you can check out our review here.
A24 Films is wasting no time bringing the film home, and while the technical specs and supplemental materials have yet to be revealed, a release date has. July 14th will be the date you can pick up the film on Blu-ray/DVD, and while it may seem odd to release the movie in the midst of the summer, I found the minimalist approach Alex Garland applied to his directorial debut to be a breath of fresh air. It was recently announced that Garland would be working on ANNIHILATION with Natalie Portman, but he's also offered up the basis for what will eventually become the sequel to both 28 DAYS LATER and 28 WEEKS LATER entitled (you guessed it) 28 MONTHS LATER.
Why we haven't seen another 28 DAYS movie:
The rights to 28 DAYS were frozen, effectively, because they were shared between Danny [Boyle], Andrew [McDonald], myself, and Fox. After the second one, none of us really wanted to do another. Fox may or may not have, I don't know.
Why we haven't seen another 28 DAYS movie:
About two years ago, Danny started collaborating on the potential to make TRAINSPOTTING 2. In that conversation, an idea for 28 MONTHS arrived. I had a funny idea. I had a sort of weird idea that popped into my head. Partly because of a trip I'd taken. I had this thought, and I suggested it to Andrew and Danny, but I also said I don't want to work on it. I don't really want to play a role, and Andrew said, "Leave it to me." So he's gone off and is working on it.
While not great, I thought 28 WEEKS LATER was a lot better than it had any business being, so I'm curious to see what idea Garland has in-store for MONTHS. Either way, I'm very happy that Garland is not only delivering his story expertise, but his directing prowess to the world of cinema. While the man's only done one feature-film, EX MACHINA is a terrific start. Here's hoping that trend continues with ANNIHILATION.