Ex Machina
Studio: A24
Directed by Alex Garland
Apr 09, 2015
Web Exclusive
First-time director Alex Garland, known for his associations with Danny Boyle as author of The Beach and screenwriter for 28 Days Later and Sunshine, has crafted a thrilling work of sci-fi with Ex Machina, a smart and visually alluring film that contemplates chilling questions about where technology is headed and the consequences of playing God.
Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a mildmannered coder at Blue Book, the world’s dominant Internet search engine, wins a contest to spend a week with the company’s reclusive billionaire founder and CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), at his remote home/compound in Alaska. Nathan’s ulterior motive is to introduce Caleb to Ava (Alicia Vikander), a robot that he’s designed in the lifelike image of a beautiful woman. Caleb is tasked with performing a Turing test on Ava, to see if he can distinguish her artificial intelligence from that of a human, but when her humanity begins to play on his sympathies—Gleeson and Vikander have a captivating and endearing rapport—Caleb starts to question if Nathan has programmed Ava to seduce him, and a psychological power struggle gradually escalates between the three.
Mark Digby’s production design compounds the tension—hi-tech Ava has a limited view to the gorgeous natural landscape outside—while Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury’s understated score quietly accentuates the film’s mysteries.
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 10/10
Current Issue
Issue #72
Apr 19, 2024 Issue #72 - The ‘90s Issue with The Cardigans and Thurston Moore
Most Recent
- Sam Evian on “Plunge” (Interview) — Sam Evian
- Maya Hawke Shares Lyric Video for New Song “Hang in There” (News) — Maya Hawke
- Premiere: Anna Tivel Shares New Single “Desperation” (News) — Anna Tivel
- Nilüfer Yanya is a Runaway Bride in the Video for New Song “Like I Say (I runaway)” (News) — Nilüfer Yanya
- Storefront Church Announces New Album, Shares New Song “Coal” (Plus Live Video) (News) — Storefront Church
Comments
Submit your comment
There are no comments for this entry yet.