Ex Machina is a great, subtle film that is both thought-provoking and quietly tense, from nearly the opening sequence. I tried to describe it to a friend and everything I said made it sound like a bad B movie, so I’ll try to do a better job here.
Caleb (played by the likable Domhnall Gleeson) is a computer programmer for a big Google-like search engine company. He finds himself meeting up with the genius founder of said company, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), for a secret week-long experiment. It turns out he is there to perform a Turing Test on Nathan’s invention, a woman cyborg with supposed artificial intelligence, named Ava (Alicia Vikander). Caleb spends a couple hours each day asking Ava questions, usually in a small-talk kind of way, to see if she is actually formulating responses on her own, or just as a result of programming by Nathan, all while Nathan watches over CCTV. However, there are occasional power surges that knock the cameras out, and during these times, Ava paints a very sinister picture of Nathan. Caleb is stuck not knowing who to believe, or how to act in the secluded compound where they are located.
The movie slowly creates tension throughout, and even the powerful climax feels subdued and quietly intense. What really sets this film apart is how it gets the viewer engaged. It asks questions about A.I., such as the responsibility in creating it, whether we even should just because we might have the ability, and our treatment of the creation after it is done, all questions that we as a society will be asking ourselves before long. A minor warning for those with kids that may be interested in the whole robot theme, it deserves its R rating for some pretty graphic nudity and some violence. I took my son, and since he is 18 and going to college, I’m sure he’s seen it all, but it made old Dad feel uncomfortable!
Jons Movie Takes 