Ex Machina Movie Review

Deus ex Machina  -by Matthew Cooper

Science fiction is one of the best ways to explore big ideas about humanity’s past, present, and future. Artificial intelligence is one such idea that has been brought up throughout decades of science fiction films. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, and Her all speak on what the future could hold in this regard. While the latest film to cover this subject matter, Ex Machina, doesn’t say much that hasn’t already been said, it does it exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that it can be considered the best movie of 2015 thus far and already ranks as one of the best science fiction movies ever made.
In Ex Machina, Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, a programmer at a Google-esque corporation who wins a company lottery to spend a week at the estate of its reclusive CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Upon arrival, Caleb learns he was actually handpicked by Nathan to test his latest creation, an android named Ava (Alicia Vikander), for signs of artificial intelligence.

Writer and director Alex Garland’s screenplay is absolutely brilliant. Ex Machina is filled with intriguing and thought-provoking dialogue sequences. The conversations between Caleb and Ava are particularly noteworthy for their raw intellectual beauty, while later scenes amp up the tension and lead to a heart pounding finale.

Ex Machina puts its focus on the excellent characters. Throughout the film all three of the characters serve time as protagonist and antagonist. A small bit of backstory or a disturbing decision can quickly change how the audience feels about them at any point in the movie. It’s all made convincing by Gleeson and Isaac's excellent performances. Both actors have become two of the best up and coming stars over the course of the past few years. Ex Machina only confirms that they are here to stay.

But the real standout here is Vikander’s mesmerizing portrayal of Ava. Vikander portrays the character with such elegance that she transfixes viewers whenever she is present on screen. Ava is such an interesting and complex character, riding the line between human and machine with grace that is rarely seen in these types of roles. It’s a performance that comes across as so natural and effortless that it will be remembered for a very, very long time.

For his directorial debut, Garland does a fantastic job. Ex Machina is a beautifully directed film with gorgeous cinematography by Rob Hardy. Filmed in Norway, the snowy mountains and lush vegetation form a perfect backdrop to the slightly futuristic architecture of Nathan’s mansion and the themes presented. The visual effects and sound editing also work incredibly well together to make Ava as believable as something you would find in a $150 million blockbuster (Ex-Machina was made on a modest budget of $13 million). The subtle whirring of her robotic body ends up adding so much realism to the film.

It’s not the originality of Ex Machina’s components that give it its lasting impact. It’s the summation of so many excellent parts working together in tandem to create something above and beyond what we come to expect from independent science fiction films. It is truly a movie that cannot be missed.