'Ex Machina' A Review

Ex Machina is a science fiction thriller about a young mid-level computer programmer Caleb(Domhnall Gleason) that gets the opportunity to meet the genius reclusive CEO of his company Nathan(Oscar Issac) and inspect what he has been working on- a humanoid AI named Ava(Alicia Vikander). Caleb travels to Nathan's secluded and uninhabited mountain stronghold/laboratory for a week and sits down for a series of interviews with Ava in order to administer a Turing Test. As the days pass Caleb becomes fascinated by Ava and more and more suspicious of Nathan's motives and designs.

The three leads are virtually the only characters we see within the film and they shoulder the bulk of the screen time beautifully creating a vivid and layered world of intellectual innovation and emotional volatility. Although, or maybe because, Gleason is the audience surrogate in the film he is the least effective. He is rather bland and doesn't go through, or is the least successful at conveying, an emotional transformation. Issac and Vikander, with less of the narrative burden, give incredible performances with tons of complexity and nuance. Issac gives an award worthy performance, he plays the reclusive genius not as nerdily eccentric but as a heavy drinking frat boy. He balances his considerable charm with sinister moments conveying genuine danger with flashes of wild humor. There is an improbable and riotous drunken dance at one point. Vikander gives one of the best AI performances in history. Subtle and deep. With much left to be inferred by the audience. Its not what she does but what she doesn't do that sets her portrayal apart.

The film has genuine hilarious moments that come out of no where and give it a much needed sense of reality and levity. The science of it is explained the perfect amount, we get enough to satisfy our curiosity and further the plot but we are not bogged down by scene after scene of useless jargon or exposition. And the pacing of the film carefully builds the tension to the inevitable and satisfying conclusion. The twists, turns, and revelations of the story garner genuine interest, surprise, and shock.

Original, visually striking, emotionally compelling.

Don't Miss It.