'Ex-Machina' Proves More Money Does Not Always Equal Better Quality

Alex Garland has learned a few things in his years as a science-fiction screenwriter: namely, that money doesn't always help. Garland is now making his directorial debut with the acclaimed science fiction film "Ex-Machina," after earlier scripting the influential zombie thriller "28 Days Later" and seeing his first book, "The Beach," turned into the Leonardo DiCaprio adventure. The 2007 Danny Boyle-directed space thriller "Sunshine," which Garland wrote, particularly drove home the lesson.
Garland says, "The thing I really felt about 'Sunshine' almost while we were making it, is that we were spending too much money. When you're spending that much money, either consciously or unconsciously, you start to think about recouping. You start to think about the business of film and trying to make it entertaining or trying to adrenalize it at moments when it's the wrong thing to do." Garland's "Ex-Machina," which opens in theaters April 10, was made for $15 million, not the $50 million it took to make "Sunshine. The film holds its trance throughout the tale of a young computer programmer who flies to the remote lair of a tech billionaire, and is introduced to a very realistic artificial intelligence.