In Ex Machina, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a coder at a Google-esque internet search giant. He wins a week-long stay at the fancy lodging of his boss Nathan (Oscar Issac). Once there, Caleb finds that Nathan intends for him to be the human part of a Turing test. It isn't long before the A.I. in question, named Ava (Alicia Vikander), has Caleb questioning what is really going on.
Alicia Vikander is quite memorable as Ava, the pretty A.I. at the center of the tale. The less I say about her the better (I will say that I couldn't really stop thinking about here, in a weird way I still can't. She also has an impressive nude scene). Domhnall Gleeson is one of those big up-and-coming actors. He's appeared in some pretty good films lately (like Dredd, About Time, Frank, Calvary, Anna Karenina, Never Let Me Go, True Grit, and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2. Look for him in Star Wars later this year), but has yet to really make it big. While I'm not sure this will be his big breakthrough, I do have a feeling this will get people talking about him and should certainly put him on more people's radar, so that's a good thing. I really liked his character here, and would say he does a great job in his role. Oscar Isaac just about walks away with the film as the mysterious but somewhat goofy and fun creator of Ava and the owner of the search giant. The discussions and scenes that he and Caleb shares are easily some of the best scenes in the film (Also love Isaac's dance scene). Gleeson and Isaac have a real back-and-forth going on, and they work perfectly together. I'd consider this to be my favorite performance from Isaac, which is saying a lot seeing how he's had some real memorable roles/films as of late (Drive, Sucker Punch, Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, Star Wars, X:Men Apocalypse). He was an up-and-comer, but I'd say he's just about made it now.
From everything I've heard, it would seem that Ex Machina is quite realistic as far as it comes to how the film deals with A.I. technology. The film brings to the forefront some real interesting ideas and discussions about A.I. technology, and how that will affect not just the future, but the future of the human race as well (in reality, this is some pretty terrifying stuff). Ex Machina is superbly directed and written by Alex Garland. This is his directorial debut but he's an expert script writer as he's written the screenplay for Dredd, Never Let Me Go, Sunshine, and 28 Days Later. With Ex Machina, I'd say he establishes himself as the next big thing for science fiction.
Ex Machina isn't completely flawless. I'd say it does get a little bumpy at times, but I found the overall experience to be quite thought-provoking and enjoyable. I went in knowing very little about the film and I thoroughly enjoyed following it down it's twisted, bizarre, freaky path. For the first time in years we get a high quality, sci-fi film that actually encourages us to think (It also encourages us to take part in the Turing test as well, allowing us to decide if we think Ava's passed or not). Ex Machina is a talky, cerebral sci-fi film. I'm happy to say that, yes, this is really the real deal. The film easily passes the test for me. This is a new sci-fi classic. If you're one of the many who has been disappointed with the sci-fi offerings as of late, I'd say it's time you see Ex Machina.
5 STARS
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