Ex Machina. Netflix. 8/10

Critiqued By Dan Leiferman

Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland, serves as a gloomy yet reflective look on deception and dependency. Played out as a tense pursuit for escape, the film’s main characters Nathan (Oscar Isaac), Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson), and Ava (Alicia Vikander) ultimately use each other to reach the desired goal. We are initially introduced to Caleb, a highly intelligent programmer, winning a contest that gifts him a trip to his CEO’s secluded bunker for a week. We, as viewers, then discover that Caleb is to communicate with Ava (an advanced AI) in order to test its sentience. Although innocuous at first, this test is not what it seems. I was surprised to find out that this was Alex Garland’s directorial debut as the use of cameras, mirrors, and shadows as symbols for a reflection on society’s impending progression reminds me of that of a veteran director such as Stanley Kubrick. The screenwriting was also exceptional as there was a chemistry between each of the actors that was much needed, through the writing, to ultimately pull off the manipulation that was going on throughout the film. When it came to the performances, I was not too convinced with Gleeson’s due to his overly subdued and indifferent personality but Isaac and Vikander both provide reasons to empathize with them and bring different facets to their characters that are much needed. Concerning my issues with the film, there is a subtle scene towards the end that I do not entirely believe and may have changed the course of the ending if it were to have been more believable. All in all, Ex Machina has and will become a movie to remember, mainly due to its growing relevance and outlook on how humans treat each other and those below them to achieve their goals.