Ex Machina (2015) certainly holds your interest. This was a film I had wanted to see for a while and finally sat down to watch it a few weeks ago. For me, it moves the AI narrative on a bit – away from the silliness of robots merely invading humans and more into the advances of an AI brain with the ability to bluff humans.
The plot isn’t too confusing either, but this is a film which you do have to concentrate on before any real action begins. However, I think director Alex Garland rewards the audience for their patience, by delivering a film which keeps you guessing as to just how intelligent ‘Ava’ (Alicia Vikander) actually is. Her humanoid qualities make her a marvel to look at, but her perceived vulnerability is what really drags you into her world – a tactic which ensnares an unsuspecting programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson).
Nathan the AI creator, played by Oscar Isaac, is an unsavory sort of chap, but I feel his importance as a character becomes secondary to Ava, to the point that by the end, you wonder whether Ava’s ‘creator’ needed to be in the film at all.
A plot twist does come towards the end. But I did kind of see it coming to tell you the truth. A tad disappointing, but it didn’t ruin the film in any way.
I do think the film could have done with either a bit more action or the inclusion of new characters to keep you entertained. This judgement is by no means a comment on the acting, but a few times during the dialogue between Caleb and Nathan (and there is a lot), I felt my mind begin to wander…
But Ava herself I loved. In reality, she held all the power, because what Nathan had constructed was a sort of futuristic femme fatale. Never underestimate a woman…robot or otherwise!
Further reading:
Step into film 