Today’s science fiction films are often about transcending dreams and supernatural stories into the screen to make the audience forget what world they’re actually grounded in. In other words, modern time science fiction has a tendency to tell a story about the fiction without including the science. In light of all this, shines a beacon that is Ex Machina. The film is the directorial debut for screenwriter Alex Garland (Dredd, Sunshine, 28 Days Later), yet the direction consists of no defects, and reminds you more of the work of an already established director. Garland is also the writer for the film, but fans of his previous work, e.g Sunshine and 28 Days Later, shouldn’t be surprised by the sheer brilliance in the writing.
The Plot. The story of Ex Machina starts out with the protagonist, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), working for one of the worlds biggest tech companies. He eventually wins a competition to spend a week with the company’s antisocial CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac) whose whereabouts have been unknown for years. Arriving at Nathan’s isolated estate, Nathan reveals the true purpose of the visit, that Caleb is there too test his latest achievement. That achievement being the state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (A.I.) called Ava (Alicia Vikander).
Nathan brought in Caleb to govern the behavior of Ava, to see if she could pass the Turing Test: a test to determine whether an A.I.’s self-awareness is equal to that of a human being. From there the relationship and story between the three central characters develops to the point that you start to question if everyone is just playing mind games and if what you see does really transcend into what the characters are thinking. This is because of the exceptional writing by Garland.
The Talent. At its core, Ex Machina is about the characters and not the situation, and thankfully the performances are scintillating. Starring here are the upcoming stars in this year’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Domhnall Gleeson (Frank, About Time) and Golden Globe nominee Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year). The A.I , Ava is played by relatively newcomer Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina). All performances are perfectly portrayed by the actors/actress, but it is Oscar Isaac who holds the stand-out performance. His character is by far the most developed and interesting to behold, from watching him battle his alcoholism to him “mentoring” Caleb, you always feel his unnerving presence.
Domhnall Gleeson’s character is the Ex Machina equivalent to a “normal” person, making him have the most relatable personality in the facility. Even though Gleeson does a remarkably well display, he doesn’t really match his two co-stars almost award-worthy performances. The subtle, yet brilliant acting by Alicia Vikander truly makes Ava a believable “robot” with human characterizations. Vikander’s greatest achievement lies within making the character of Ava as vulnerable as possible, and as a product making her unpredictable.
Ex Machina is a character study about what it means to be human. It is more than just a typical sci-fi thriller, it is an idea that will stick with you long after the experience. From the fantastic direction by Alex Garland and the dark, horror-like cinematography by Rob Hardy to the near-perfect performances, the film oozes brilliance and thought-provoking elements. By the time the credits started rolling, the only thing the film left me with, besides my nails gnawed down to the bone, is wanting more. Even though the running time of 108-minutes fits the film’s story well, there was certain elements that could’ve been more deeply visited. Ex Machina is a great directorial debut from Alex Garland and an even greater achievement in thought-provoking science fiction.
Ex Machina is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.