EX MACHINA - FILM REVIEW

I believe Richard Corliss (who tragically passed away recently) of TIME Magazine said about 'EX_MACHINA': "If you go, you win." Which is absolutely true. Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson) is a somewhat geeky coder for BlueBook, the movie's equivalent to Google. He wins a contest (or so he thinks) to visit the secluded, über-modern Bond lair/laboratory of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the creator of BlueBook, who coded it at 13, to which Caleb says "is like Mozart." Nathan then involves Caleb in a process to test an artificial intelligence android, Ava, and see if he can distinguish her conscious and behavior from a normal human. What follows is two hours of the most intelligent, thrilling, and thought-provoking film I've seen in a while, and definitely the best film of 2015 so far.



 This film opens in a very somber way. We immediately, within minutes, are taken inside this realm of Nathan's workings. He is a mysterious, eccentric, socially awkward guy who is very laid back and strange. He is an unpredictable character--in fact, the four characters that are throughout the majority of the film are all strange and unpredictable, so when tensity rises, you can't predict what is going to happen, which is very impressive, especially for a film with a somewhat cliche plot: artificial intelligence being tested with and eventually having a mind of its own. But the execution here is what stands out: Writer/Director Alex Garland, in his first feature, has such a unique screenplay, and he takes the cliche plot to a level never seen before. EX MACHINA is a film I could see every day; movies this tense and well-made, with dialogue so compelling and specially constructed, are worth seeing multiple times. But one thing about EX MACHINA: if you know absolutely nothing about it, you'll likely be in for a treat. But this film won't be for everyone; some will call it slow, pretentious, not reaching ambition, cliche-ridden; but this film exceeds on every level. The performances all top-notch, with Alicia Vikander as Ava, the android, in a performance that can be called a miracle; a robot that comes to be a protagonist of sorts. Gleeson is wonderful too; he is apprehensive, intimidated, and as mystified about Ava is the audience is. He and Isaac work like magic, and are a great on-screen duo. But of course, Gleeson and Ava's sessions are the heart and soul of the film, where he inquires information about artificial intelligence, the element that may construct the fall of humans. The visuals are outstanding, and for every second you believe these androids are real. The cinematography is also fantastic, and reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey in some ways. The ominous electronic score is vibrant and very unsettling, and seems like what Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross would compose for a science fiction thriller. 


Undeniably jaw-dropping, wickedly clever, and extremely thought-provoking, EX MACHINA is a colossal achievement for a first-time director, and one of the best science fiction films in years. There aren't too many films this year that are required viewing; with a wide release, I plea to all film fans to see it--you'll not want to miss out on a film that absolutely crushes other films released this year. This film will send a chill to your spine from the beginning of the film to every time you think about it, which will be frequent. Prepare to be blown away by EX MACHINA.