Lazy Film Critic reviews....
Ex Machina is a sci-fi thriller starring Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, and Sonoya Mizuno. It's the directorial debut of Alex Garland, who's previously worked as the writer for films like 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Dredd. The film follows a young programmer who this billionaire genius hires to test an AI system to see if it's true AI. However, as you could expect with a film dealing with the subject of AI, not everything is as it seems.
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| Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac |
Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac are both actors who I think deserve way more attention than they get, and this movie shows off all the reasons why. Domnhall Gleeson is one of those actors who can play likable and charming, but also socially awkward, and a bit nerdy at the same time. Here he shows off that talent, as well as a lot more of a disturbing and darker nature than in his usual roles, which was cool. Oscar Isaac plays one of the more unique villains, as this really charismatic billionaire. And what makes this film engaging a lot of the time is how these two actors play off each other, they have really good chemistry, they're always trying to one-up the other. And, as expected, there's Alicia Vikander, who plays AVA. An actor playing a robot is a difficult thing to talk about, because an other time an actor seems "robotic", it means bland or dull. However Alicia Vikander does an excellent job of playing this robot, and not really breaking the illusion that she's a machine.
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| Sonoya Mizuno and Alicia Vikander |
AI films are fairly common these days, like with Chappie. However, rarely (except for Terminator) do these films show the danger of actually making an AI, and arguably playing God. What I really like about Ex Machina is that it asks a lot of questions that other movies might not ask, like what the consequences are of playing God, and what does it mean to have consciousness? Those are the two big ones, this movie is filled to the brim with stuff like this, just quick moments scattered throughout that are really thought provoking and ask real questions. In a lot of ways, this movie reminded me of last years Under the Skin, in terms of the message and its underlying themes.
Now, that's not to say that this film sacrifices visuals for its themes. The visuals in this movie are really good, with awesome cinematography, and good consistent CGI to match it. The writing here is also really good, and it manages to add a good amount of humor to a film which is mostly pretty dark and serious. That's something I was personally impressed with this movie, the fact that it does a really good job with the comic relief. A really dark moment will have a oddly humorous moment afterwards, so that the film never gets too dark until the end. Speaking of the end, however, that's where my only real issue with the movie comes from. The ending to this movie seemed a little forced, a little rushed, and predictable. The whole film leading up to the ending had been twists and turns, but the ending is not consistent with that, and goes kind of the way you'd expect with almost all the foreshadowing so-far in the movie. It's only one issue in a great movie, but it's a big enough issue that it took away from the experience a bit.
Final Rating
Ex Machina is an entrancing, and almost hypnotic film, with its visuals and themes. The acting is fantastic, Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac show a lot of talent, and have excellent chemistry. This movie asks serious questions, be it major themes shown throughout the film, or a theme you'll only see in one scene, but still thought provoking. This is a movie that'll definitely promote discussion on its themes, and what it means to be human. If you like films about AI, or if you enjoyed last years Under the Skin, I'd recommend going to see Ex Machina.
Ex Machina: 4.3/5
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