The Gist:
Young programmer Caleb (Dohmnall Gleeson) is selected to take part in an experiment conducted by billionaire and eccentric inventor Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Caleb is invited to Nathan’s secluded mansion to interact with Ava (Alicia Vikander), a female artificial intelligence. Originally meant to simply test the limits of Ava’s humanity, Caleb soon leaves the boundaries of a mere experiment behind…
The Review:
Science-fiction for the discerning viewer is something Ex Machina director Alex Garland is already well-acquainted with. The best-selling author of The Beach has written scripts for many films exploring familiar visions of the future of humanity, may it be a zombie apocalypse (28 Days Later), a violent police state (Dredd) or cloning (Never Let Me Go). Rather than just using the urban space of the future as backdrop, Garland delves deep into questions of morality.
His first effort as a director is no different. Ex Machina involves long discussions about the essence of humanity rather than action scenes of robots trying to take over the world. Through subtle lighting effects and the use of silence as a notable element, similar to how it is often used in horror films, Garland creates a sense of discomfort.
The moody Nathan isn’t exactly the kind of person I’d trust with the future of humanity, either. Usually drunk rather than not and behaves erratically, giving Caleb and the audience the feeling he is not to be trusted. It’s his shortcoming his own A.I. Ava seems to pounce on, as her childlike innocence draws Caleb in immediately.
The film is a dialogue-heavy exploration of what could be, leaving the viewer to expand on all of its questions by itself. While Ex Machina might have worked just as well as a book, it being a film reminds us not to trust what we see.
Caleb’s character works as an extension of the viewer, as we compare his choices to what we would do. The overall plot of Ex Machina is easy to follow and not hugely surprising, but that is largely due to Garland not allowing us any distractions from Ava and the relevant questions pertaining to her.
Is a machine with its own mind still a machine? Should we build robots to look and function like humans at all? Ex Machina is like a refresher of the questions people should occasionally ask themselves as people work on actually creating the stuff of movies away from all the doom and gloom of sci-fi action fare and thus a welcome addition to the genre.
The Verdict:
Visually sleek and well-acted by its young cast, Ex Machina is Alex Garland’s personal discussion with the viewer about the essence of humanity and a new kind of de-accelerated science-fiction.
Certificate: 15
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Dohmnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
Running Time: 94 mins
Release Date: June 1
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