Ex Machina

Starring:Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Directed by: Alex Garland
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a lottery to visit the billionaire entrepreneur (Oscar Isaac) who owns his company. He is asked to perform a Turing test on a new artificial intelligence (Alicia Vikander).

Review:

Tim: I was pretty excited to see Ex Machina, namely because of the incredibly positive reviews it nearly unanimously received. I didn't know anything about the movie, other than feeling surprised when I learned Oscar Isaac was in it a week or so before I watched it. I'm a sucker for good science fiction, and this proved to be a very intelligent, unexpected, entertaining and thought-provoking film. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The critics were right- Ex Machina is a great movie.

The film explores the idea of artificial intelligence- a true AI system that more than passes the Turing Test. I suspect as reality moves towards this eventual conclusion, we'll get more and more movies examining this event. The idea of a robot that has human-level or superior to human intelligence is fascinating and always make for a great premise. I enjoyed how this film treated the subject with maturity and intelligence- this isn't a movie that coddles the audience. One of the highlights of writer/director Alex Garland's film is it manages to intrigue the mind while maintaining a high level of entertainment. That's not always easy to pull off.

The cast really made a difference in this film. I can't claim to be a fan of Domhnall Gleeson, but I have to admit he did a pretty outstanding job here. He was believable in the role and was relatable enough for us to root for his character. It was excellent casting and Gleeson delivered. Oscar Isaac continues to prove he's one of the most versatile and impressive actors in Hollywood. I remember the first time I took notice of him was in 10 Years, and I've enjoyed watching his meteoric rise since then. If you compare this performance to his one in A Most Violent Year, it's almost impossible to imagine them being the same person. The beard helps, but his performance here is occasionally mesmerizing- he captures that ultra intelligence believably, and yet has this ambiguous streak that was great fun to watch. We're clearly not meant to trust his character, Nathan, and yet, he balances this with an inspirational quality that was difficult to ignore. He ends up being this brilliant, destructive, selfish, occasionally kind, complex character that we so seldom get in Hollywood films. He's in a supporting role, but contributes massively to the film.

I also have to give an incredible amount of credit to Alicia Vikander. She had the most challenging role of the film- she had to be believable both as an artificially intelligent robot, but also just human enough to make it seem advanced and futuristic. It was a dreadfully tight balance she had to hit- seem too human and we wouldn't believe she was a robot. Seem too robotic and we don't believe she's an advanced A.I. system. This is the first time I've ever seen Vikander, but I was blown away by how amazing she was. She manages to hit the balance perfectly and I completely believed her performance. She's the most interesting being in the film and kept me guessing until the very end.

Speaking of that, it's one of the film's great strengths that we are never quite sure where it is going. I had no idea what kind of movie this was. In an age when the vast majority of films are predictable beyond belief, it was a wonderfully fresh breath of air to see a film that kept me guessing. I had no idea if this was a love story with a happy ending, a technology cautionary tale, a human tragedy that happens to include robots, or some crazy combination of the above. "What is going to happen?" is a question I silently asked myself dozens of times throughout the film. The story was expertly written and held my attention from start to finish. The special effects were exceptionally and contributed greatly to the believability of the story. Ava is stunning to see. While the special effects weren't perfect, they were more than good enough for me to suspend my disbelief and watch enthralled as this advanced A.I. interacted with our protagonist.

In any year, the best movies challenge us, give us something new, surprise us, or just execute at an extremely high level. Ex Machina does all those things. It's still early, but I no have no doubt that this is one of the best films I'll see in 2015. It's a small sci-fi dramatic thriller, but it leaves a lasting impact.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: A Most Violent Year, Dredd, Sunshine