Ex Machina (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Though it's far from perfect, sci-fi thriller 'Ex Machina' (directed by Alex Garland) is one of the more intriguing films to have been released thus far in 2015. Domhnall Gleeson (son of Brendan) stars as Caleb, a nerdy 26 yr. old computer coder who wins a company 'contest' & is invited to spend a week at the remote Alaska estate belonging to his reclusive, genius boss, billionaire Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). Arriving at the mountain compound by helicopter, Caleb makes his way into Nathan's ultra-modern, high-tech research facility; much of which is built with glass-&-steel among the subterranean rocks. A fitness fanatic/alcoholic, Nathan tries to put Caleb at ease early on, but Caleb is astounded/confounded by these enigmatic surroundings, along with Kyoto (Sonoya Mizuno), a beautiful, silent servant.
Caleb's even more wonderstruck when he learns the actual purpose of his visit. He is to take part in the Turing Test - named after the subject of last year's wonderful film The Imitation Game - because Nathan has created a beautiful female A.I. robot. Her name is Ava (Swedish actress, Alicia Vikander). And over the next week, Caleb interacts with Ava, politely posing questions & evaluating her responses in a series of "sessions" to see just how real she seems. As these sessions grow deeper & deeper, free-thinking - and flirtatious - robot adapts to Caleb, seductively establishing the foundation of a friendship and, perhaps, something 'more'. But then, in several quiet/private moments when Nathan might not be listening in, Ava warns Caleb not to trust his host. Is Ava experiencing real emotions with Caleb or just mimicking them? Is he control of her, or is she smarter than we think? Is Nathan an evil puppeteer? Tension, suspense, & general uneasiness ensue.
'Ex Machina' is a chilling exploration of the human psyche and an intriguing cautionary tale about technology. There's something slightly Kubrickian about the whole thing; the icy eeriness of the entire proceedings is most welcomed. And I must praise production designer Mark Digby (the overall design is just brilliant) & cinematographer Rob Hardy for creating SUCH an amazing, yet claustrophobic atmosphere with just a $13 million budget. Also stellar is the creepy, futuristic musical score. And the subtle special effects used on Ava (and other 'beings') are seamlessly executed, as well.
Domhnall Gleeson exacts a stellar American accent and is a sturdy main character for us to follow & feel from. He's best known from the Harry Potter films & he'll be co-starring in George Lucas' upcoming Star Wars saga. Oscar Isaac is riveting as the tortured 'mad scientist' Nathan, an intermittently charming-then-slimy narcissist with a god complex. He's a versatile actor who was superb in Inside Llewyn Davis & joins Gleason in the upcoming Star Wars. Rounding out the threesome is Alicia Vikander (mostly known from 2012's Anna Karenina) who, as Ava, exudes an alluring, otherworldly quality that both transfixes & spellbinds.
'Ex Machina' fulfils most of its potential as a Frankenstein-influenced sci-fi flick about a human giving life to a new entity. The set-up to the story is pretty fascinating. A lot of what happens in the middle chunk of the film (if unfolding at a slow pace) is still fairly riveting. My only major issue with this film is that while it ends on a decent note, it left a lot of unanswered questions for me. Now, not every enigmatic movie has to answer questions or themes that it stirs, but some aspects of the plot didn't quite make sense or follow through, for me. Something happens concerning a particular character with 5 minutes left that is pretty interesting, but the follow-through of what then happens to said character is left very vague with certain implausibilities that can't be easily pish-poshed away; at least, not for me. In any case, 'Ex Machina' is still a good film; a film brimming with ideas, theories, moral questions, good performances, & slick visuals.
Caleb's even more wonderstruck when he learns the actual purpose of his visit. He is to take part in the Turing Test - named after the subject of last year's wonderful film The Imitation Game - because Nathan has created a beautiful female A.I. robot. Her name is Ava (Swedish actress, Alicia Vikander). And over the next week, Caleb interacts with Ava, politely posing questions & evaluating her responses in a series of "sessions" to see just how real she seems. As these sessions grow deeper & deeper, free-thinking - and flirtatious - robot adapts to Caleb, seductively establishing the foundation of a friendship and, perhaps, something 'more'. But then, in several quiet/private moments when Nathan might not be listening in, Ava warns Caleb not to trust his host. Is Ava experiencing real emotions with Caleb or just mimicking them? Is he control of her, or is she smarter than we think? Is Nathan an evil puppeteer? Tension, suspense, & general uneasiness ensue.
'Ex Machina' is a chilling exploration of the human psyche and an intriguing cautionary tale about technology. There's something slightly Kubrickian about the whole thing; the icy eeriness of the entire proceedings is most welcomed. And I must praise production designer Mark Digby (the overall design is just brilliant) & cinematographer Rob Hardy for creating SUCH an amazing, yet claustrophobic atmosphere with just a $13 million budget. Also stellar is the creepy, futuristic musical score. And the subtle special effects used on Ava (and other 'beings') are seamlessly executed, as well.
Domhnall Gleeson exacts a stellar American accent and is a sturdy main character for us to follow & feel from. He's best known from the Harry Potter films & he'll be co-starring in George Lucas' upcoming Star Wars saga. Oscar Isaac is riveting as the tortured 'mad scientist' Nathan, an intermittently charming-then-slimy narcissist with a god complex. He's a versatile actor who was superb in Inside Llewyn Davis & joins Gleason in the upcoming Star Wars. Rounding out the threesome is Alicia Vikander (mostly known from 2012's Anna Karenina) who, as Ava, exudes an alluring, otherworldly quality that both transfixes & spellbinds.
'Ex Machina' fulfils most of its potential as a Frankenstein-influenced sci-fi flick about a human giving life to a new entity. The set-up to the story is pretty fascinating. A lot of what happens in the middle chunk of the film (if unfolding at a slow pace) is still fairly riveting. My only major issue with this film is that while it ends on a decent note, it left a lot of unanswered questions for me. Now, not every enigmatic movie has to answer questions or themes that it stirs, but some aspects of the plot didn't quite make sense or follow through, for me. Something happens concerning a particular character with 5 minutes left that is pretty interesting, but the follow-through of what then happens to said character is left very vague with certain implausibilities that can't be easily pish-poshed away; at least, not for me. In any case, 'Ex Machina' is still a good film; a film brimming with ideas, theories, moral questions, good performances, & slick visuals.