Ex Machina (2014)
“One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa. An upright ape living in dust with crude language and tools, all set for extinction.” – Nathan.
Ex Machina (2014)
Directed by: Alex Garland
Written by: Alex Garland
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
What a wonderful movie.
When I first watched Ex Machina in 2014, I thought it was over-the-top, pretentious and honestly too philosophical to enjoy. Well, it turns out that past me is an absolute moron. The film is both a thought provoking and visually stunning piece of cinema. Writer and director Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later) sticks to his successful blueprint once again – grab a small but talented ensemble cast, place them in an attractive location, and let the characters unpack complex intellectual and philosophical questions while the film evolves into an unhinged psychological thriller.
Ex Machina follows lucky prize-winner Caleb (Gleeson), a programmer who is granted the opportunity to spend the week at the house of his companies CEO, billionaire tech savant Nathan Bateman (Isaac). However, a relaxing week with the boss soon evolves into something more intriguing, as Nathan reveals to Caleb that he has built a humanoid robot named Ava (Vikander) using artificial intelligence. Caleb is there to assess whether Ava is capable of thought and consciousness, with the film following their ‘daily sessions’. As the week progresses, Caleb begins to suspect there is more to the project than Nathan is letting on.
The basic premise of this film – “AI is scary” – isn’t unique. This has been covered in Alien, The Terminator, Westworld, Moon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Eagle Eye, Blade Runner, and I, Robot, among others. We’ve been scared of technology for decades. But why? Simply put, self-reflection. The existence of a realistic humanoid robot causes us to question: what makes us human? This question is at the crux of Ex Machina, with Ava’s legitimacy as a human replica reliant on Caleb forgetting that she is not human during their daily sessions. As such, Garland’s script sets it apart from those other films by doubling down on the philosophical messaging throughout. Caleb, Nathan and Ava spend the entire film feeling each other out, with their dialogue diving into the depths of relationships, attraction, purpose, freedom, intellect, and even determinism. This sort of deep and meaningful content means that you definitely have to be in the ‘right mood’ to enjoy this movie (it’s definitely not a popcorn flick), so keep this in mind before diving in.
Outside of the philosophy lesson for dummies, this is a genuine A-grade thriller. What starts as an innocuous trip to a Nathan’s beautiful quasi-lair in the mountains (and it IS beautiful – shout out to cinematographer Rob Hardy) slowly begins unravelling, as Garland makes sure to keep dropping worrying breadcrumbs for the viewer. Caleb casually mentions that he’s an only child whose parents have died. Ava seems to be getting smarter in each scene. There are rooms that Caleb can’t access in the house. In isolation, these moments leave a small knot in your stomach. Together, they crescendo to a wild ending that will have you fully invested in the character’s fates.
Once again, the whole film is set within Nathan’s house (one location), and contains only four actors in the cast (three really, as Mizuno is more of a supporting role). Pretty crazy when you think about it. This allows Garland to go dialogue-heavy, and enables extensive character development for all three leads. Gleeson, Isaac and Vikander all provide dazzling performances, squeezing everything they can out of the source material and completely embodying their respective characters.
Highly recommend anyone who likes thrillers to watch this. Visually stunning and mentally stimulating, you’ll need to really sit down and watch this one (no scrolling on your phone!), but it’s well worth it.
Rating: 8/10