Alex Garland's creepy, cracking sci-fi is about a Victor Frankenstein of our times; a search engine entrepreneur who has too much time on his hands and is creating the perfect AI (female, for sinister reasons to come) to pass the Turing test. Nathan (the wonderful Oscar Isaac) lives in the middle of nowhere, and recruits one of his employees - Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), who thinks he's won a staff competition to visit the CEO and his estate - to play a vital role in the test. Little do they know what is to come.
This film belongs to humanoid robot Ava, played beautifully by Alicia Vikander, the subject of the testing. Under the watchful eye of Nathan - who has cameras all over his property, all seeing as a giant research facility - Caleb sets out on a series of tests with Ava, who is full of childlike charm, vulnerability, wonder and at a crucial moment, she demonstrates she has the power in her hands in an unsettling scene. The post-production effects on Vikander are incredible, but her performance is too. When we realise Ava's in charge, it comes to light maybe she's not as 'innocent' as we think.
Things get rather unnerving in the final act of the film which belongs in horror movie territory. Nathan's secure house is like the lair of a serial killer as his secrets are revealed, with Caleb accessing rooms he shouldn't and finding out what happened to the former AI prototypes. LET'S NOT EVEN DISCUSS THE DANCING. The disco dancing scene is one of the best dance scenes ever in film history. It's up there with Travolta - in Grease, Pulp Fiction AND Saturday Night Fever combined.
Ex Machina has big brains and presents some interesting theory on AI, 'existence' and what's to come in the future. Let's just hope there's not too many Nathans out there, although we suspect there could be.
5/5 who ya gonna call?
Alex Garland's creepy, cracking sci-fi is about a Victor Frankenstein of our times; a search engine entrepreneur who has too much time on his hands and is creating the perfect AI (female, for sinister reasons to come) to pass the Turing test. Nathan (the wonderful Oscar Isaac) lives in the middle of nowhere, and recruits one of his employees - Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), who thinks he's won a staff competition to visit the CEO and his estate - to play a vital role in the test. Little do they know what is to come.
This film belongs to humanoid robot Ava, played beautifully by Alicia Vikander, the subject of the testing. Under the watchful eye of Nathan - who has cameras all over his property, all seeing as a giant research facility - Caleb sets out on a series of tests with Ava, who is full of childlike charm, vulnerability, wonder and at a crucial moment, she demonstrates she has the power in her hands in an unsettling scene. The post-production effects on Vikander are incredible, but her performance is too. When we realise Ava's in charge, it comes to light maybe she's not as 'innocent' as we think.
Things get rather unnerving in the final act of the film which belongs in horror movie territory. Nathan's secure house is like the lair of a serial killer as his secrets are revealed, with Caleb accessing rooms he shouldn't and finding out what happened to the former AI prototypes. LET'S NOT EVEN DISCUSS THE DANCING. The disco dancing scene is one of the best dance scenes ever in film history. It's up there with Travolta - in Grease, Pulp Fiction AND Saturday Night Fever combined.
Ex Machina has big brains and presents some interesting theory on AI, 'existence' and what's to come in the future. Let's just hope there's not too many Nathans out there, although we suspect there could be.
5/5 who ya gonna call?
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