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Review:

Ex Machina (2014)

Score: 9/10

Director: Alex Garland

Stars: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno.

Ex Machina

Alicia Vikander

Synopsis: A young programmer is selected to participate in an experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of humanoid A.I.

Review: A young programmer named Caleb ( Domhnall Gleeson ) is working for a search engine company called BlueBook. He wins a company competition that will allow him one week to test new technology the company is working on. Upon arrive at the owners estate he meets with Nathan ( Oscar Isaac ) the owner of the company BlueBook and the two hit it off well as they test a new form of artificial intelligences.

Ava

Alicia Vikander

Alicia Vikander is just amazing in this role. She becomes a completely different person so much that you forget that the android is Alicia Vikander. She has impressive range. Oscar Isaac is one of the best male actors in recent times. He goes deep into his roles. This character Nathan is so different from his others roles in films like Agora, Agora (2009), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), or The Bourne Legacy (2012).

Caleb

and Nathan

It has been said by physicist Michio Kaku that we humans create A.I. as smart as ants, but if we create A.I. that is as smart as monkeys than the A.I. could have its own agenda. That is what we see here in this movie. People in most cases have their own agenda or goals even if their goals and agenda are not nefarious. Intelligent life seems to have its own will, way of thinking, and view of how the world “should” work ( politics ). From films like Terminator Genisys (2015) with Emillia Clarke and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig - TV Series (2002), we see artificial intelligence always thinking and evolving. Much like the character Data from Star Trek: The Next Generations, automation is becoming more advanced. As we can see from popular media, human kind is paranoid about an uprising of machines smarter than us and stronger than us. The movie maker’s paranoia is not unfounded and comes from a real world concern the further we technologically progress.

Alicia Vikander as Ava and Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko.

Ava

and Kyoko

The cinematography is very well done. I think there are too many wide shots that don’t allow the audience to see more of the facial expressions of the characters. The backgrounds and set dressing are appropriate for this movie specifically but not most films. The house that Nathan lives in is supposed to represent the world of programming. It’s more monolithic, systematic, and callous much like the Borg from Star Trek, but much better looking. The FOX TV show Reverie has a world similar but with a hipster-like and new age touch as a way of humanizing the environment. Unfortunately a film like this is not for everyone, those who like Ghost in the Shell (2017) and Blade Runner 2049 ( 2017) may find interest in this movie.

Interesting

Movie

The lighting is alright most of the time. The room where Eva is being questioned in is very similar to the rooms of police interrogation. Investigators try to keep the room intentionally plain and drab as to not cause a distraction for the suspect during interrogation. The wardrobe is plain, reflects real life, and is very well done. Over all this is one of the very best artificial intelligence based films. If you’re into science fiction then give this movie a watch. Top notch film.

More Films from Alicia Vikander:

The Danish Girl (2015)

Tomb Raider (2018)

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Review:

Ex Machina

Ava

Caleb

Ava

Interesting

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