8/10 - Go ahead, try to outsmart this movie
I love indie thrillers. There’s something great going on in indie films right now as they tap into old school film techniques to make good stories on a low budget, while big blockbusters don’t have to. With limited sets, and strategic use of special effects it’s easy to become immersed in the world of Ex Machina.
In the film, Caleb is a programmer at a massive tech company who wins the opportunity to visit the reclusive CEO of his company, Nathan, to work on a top secret project. Spoiler alert, the project is androids. Nathan has developed a robot with sophisticated A.I. and asks Caleb to conduct a Turing test (remember Alan Turing from last year’s The Imitation Game?) to determine if the robot could pass as human.
Conceptually, there’s a lot going on. There are philosophical questions about artificial life and the repercussions of their introduction to society, but more than that, what it means to someone like Caleb. The android being created isn’t a program run on a Mac. Her name is Ava. She is an attractive young woman, with big doe eyes. Ava seems so naive and innocent, but we already know her appearance was designed to deceive.
This opens up so many other thematic concepts, like gender roles. Ava was designed by a man to be a woman, so how does that affect her? Or how the constant surveillance of the compound impacts those in it. Very quickly the home begins to feel like an elaborate prison. It’s the cerebral concepts that make this movie psychologically tense. Very little is obliquely threatening, and yet everything feels somehow wrong.
If it’s not already obvious, Ex Machina is quite heavy on the ideas. Fortunately, the story doesn’t get lost among them. The audience is lead along a deliberately journey, steadily paced, with a great payoff. Writer/director Alex Garland had a unique vision for this film, styling it to be overly polished and almost inhuman. It strikes a good balance of selling the narrative and evoking imagination.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the fantastic cast. Oscar Isaac is a powerful force as Nathan. He’s a scary presence in the film, with a difficult character because the majority of the film seems to circle his psyche. Domhnall Gleeson, Caleb, has been in some great films lately, and this is another highlight for his resume. Alicia Vikander gives a striking performance as the robot Ava, who is the specimen, the love interest, the protagonist, and the villain.
With all this heaping praise, it might seem like this is the best movie ever, but I don't think it's going to be everyone's cup of tea. There are plenty of issues with a movie that’s largely just two guys talking about A.I. theory. Some people might dare to say it’s boring. Like any sci-fi film it needs to have a certain amount of buy-in from the audience too. Stylistically it feels claustrophobic, and I think the ending will be divisive, however you could argue those elements were intentional.
Flaws and all, I really enjoyed this film. Alex Garland has been creating cult classics for many years and I can only hope he inspires other filmmakers. It's the kind of movie you want to watch late at night with the lights off and a bowl of popcorn.
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