For as long as computers have been around,
people have been obsessed with artificial intelligence. Some believe that it
will be the downfall of humanity, while some believe it is the next
evolutionary step. All I know is that it makes from a great plot point in
science fiction movies. The last really great movie involving AI I can think of
would be 2013's "Her," which is one of the best movies in recent
years. It kind of raised the bar when it comes to humanizing an AI in a movie.
While there have been a few films involving AI that have come out since
"Her," none are even in the same league; until now anyway. "Ex
Machina" is an independent sci-fi movie that has been making the rounds
with its limited release. Garnering wide acclaim, it has been called the best
movie of the year by many. I had high hopes for this movie, and amazingly it
was better than I could have imagined.
Caleb is a program at
a company called Bluebook, which runs the world's most popular search engine.
One day he receives an email informing him that he won a contest everyone at
the company was entered in. The prize is that he gets to go to the estate of
the company's founder; a man named Nathan, and help him with a secret project.
Caleb is flown out to Nathan's house which is in the middle of nowhere on a
huge plot of land he owns. When Caleb arrives he is greeted by Nathan and told
why he is really there. Nathan wants Caleb to partake in a Turning Test, which
is a test where you try and determine if you are talking to a machine or a
human. Nathan has what he believes to be the first artificial intelligence,
a machine called Ava. He wants Caleb to talk to Ava, and determine if she is
truly sentient or not. Caleb soon learns though that everything isn't what it
appears to be when both Nathan and Ava start saying things about each other. So
Caleb wonders who he can trust, as well as what happens to Ava if she fails the
test.
2015 has been a slow
year for movies thus far, the only one worth writing home about has probably
been "Kingsman: The Secret Service." So going into "Ex
Machina" I had my fingers crossed, and to my surprise it was better than I
thought it would be. This is one of the best science fiction movies I've seen
in the past few years. First and foremost, the performances are fantastic; the
three leads do an amazing job. Of the three Alicia Vikander as Ava stood out, I
would be surprised if she didn't get an Oscar nomination for best actress. The
chemistry between the actors was so good, and that really helped them step into
these roles. Their performances were also helped by the script; this is a well
written movie with very smart dialog. One thing I loved about this movie was
that it respected its audience; it doesn't dumb itself down to appeal to people
who might not appreciate it otherwise. It's a thought provoking movie; it asks
a lot of the same questions about what it means to be human that the recent
movie "Chappie" did, the only difference is that "Ex
Machina" is actually a good movie. And to my own surprise, the movie is
surprisingly funny, especially the character Nathan who is wonderfully random.
He seems to say whatever pops into his head first. The script was written by
the director, a man named Alex Garland. He has written for movies like "28
Days Later" and "Sunshine," as well as the critically acclaimed
video game "Enslaved: Odyssey to the West." So he certainly has the
writing chops; but amazingly, "Ex Machina" is his directorial debut.
I was watching this movie thinking to myself, "how is this the first movie
he's directed?” He does a truly amazing job; every scene is presented with a
confidence that you usually see from a more experienced director. The fact that
the movie is shot beautifully only helps; cinematographer Rob Hardy did a great
job and I hope he gets credit for his work when award season rolls around. And
its use of music to compliment every shot works beautifully. One of my favorite
aspects of this movie had to be the special effects. Throughout the movie, CGI
is used and the only thing I can say about it is that it looks real. While some
movies like "Gravity" or "Avatar" are really in your face
with CGI, this movie takes a more subtle approach. It’s used to try and make
the movie seem more realistic. While CGI is most obviously used for Ava's body
(which is a phenomenal, and interesting take on a robotic body), there are
other times that it is used and every time it is used perfectly. If I had to
point out a flaw with this movie, it would be that it is very slow. I was never
bored, I was never uninterested, but by the final act you start to feel the
nearly two hour run time. For some people it will be two slow, but the movie
does something interesting with its slow pace; the movie builds tension. From
the first time that Caleb meets Nathan until the final scene, the movie feels
like a piano wire that is slowly being twisted and you are just waiting for it
break. You’re on the edge of your seat for the final scene, and this movie has
one of the tensest endings I've seen in quite a while. I have been
waiting all year for a great movie, and "Ex Machina" is that movie.
It does everything a great sci-fi movie should do; to be honest I would be
surprised if this didn't make it onto my best of the year list. While it's
certainly not for everyone, it is a movie I loved and one that I haven't been
able to get out of my head since I watched it. This is an independent gem, and
easily the best movie of the year so far.
Pros: Fantastic performances from the lead actors,
beautiful cinematography, great directing, well written script with smart
dialog, surprisingly funny at times, thought provoking, great soundtrack,
incredibly tense, subtle but well done CGI.
4.5/5 Stars
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