
Ex Machina
Studio: A24
Directed by Alex Garland
Apr 09, 2015
Domhnall Gleeson
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 #74
Feb 28, 2025 Issue #74 - The Protest Issue with Kathleen Hanna and Bartees Strange
Most Recent
- Digital Cover Story: Djo on “The Crux” (Interview) —
- Post Animal Reunite with Joe Keery (aka Djo) for New Album, Share New Song “Last Goodbye” (News) —
- The Bug Club Share New Song “How to Be a Confidante” (News) —
- Premiere: Yumi Zouma Shares New Single “Bashville on the Sugar” (News) —
- SABLE, fABLE (Review) —
Comments
Submit your comment
There are no comments for this entry yet.