Ex Machina (2015)
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
Directed by Alex Garland
As it’s explained early on in the film
Ex Machina
, the Turing Test was designed to gauge intelligence in a computer, requiring that a human being should be unable to distinguish the machine from another human being by using the replies to questions put to both. If there were a Turing Test to determine whether you as a viewer were simply watching a movie, or becoming immersed in another world entirely,
Ex Machina
not only passes, it surpasses.
It’s the directorial debut of Alex Garland, whose work as a screenwriter in the horror sci-fi subgenre has been nothing less than stellar (
28 Days Later, Sunshine
, and
Dredd
to name a few). Even though it’s a “first”, it feels as accomplished as anything by legendary directors such as Kubrick or Soderbergh. It’s got a highly intellectual, cold reality to it, but
Ex Machina
is equally imbued with soul, wit, and incredible suspense.
Best-known for his starring turn in
Unbroken
, Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, a programmer who toils as a worker bee for the world’s biggest and best search engine, owned by the reclusive, brilliant, and a bit mad Nathan (Oscar Isaac, who played the title role in
Inside Llewyn Davis
). When Caleb is selected to spend a week at the eccentric gazillionaire’s isolated retreat with the man himself, Caleb is honored and delighted. After a long helicopter ride and a hike to get to the futuristic, architectural masterpiece Nathan calls home, Caleb quickly learns that it’s also a research facility and this is no paid vacation: Caleb has been selected to try the Turing Test on Ava (
A Royal Affair
’s Alicia Vikander), an uncanny android created by Nathan. Ava is beautiful and intelligent, but she’s not real… or is she?
Ex Machina
is what I call an existential horror movie. It feels as visceral as anything created by the Crichtons, Spielbergs, and Scotts of an era gone by, but it’s got a very contemporary, current, and forward-thinking propulsion to it. There’s no soapy, saga-style crap (like
Gravity
or
Interstellar
), no needless action (a la
Automata
), no moony romance (think:
Her
) ? it’s a lean, mean machine.
Thankfully, there was a good budget in place to make everything look as flawless as the story itself (which isn’t to say it’s a complete mystery; I was able to anticipate all the twists, but the movie is so well-made, that didn’t matter). The cinematography, score, effects, locations, costumes, sets: all impeccable.
User Rating
3.76
(
17
votes)
Tags:
Alex Cary
Alex Garland
Domhnall Gleeson
Ex Machina
Oscar Isaac
SXSW 2015
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