Ex Machina (2015)
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Corey Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, and Sonoya Mizuno.
Synopsis: A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking female A.I.
First thing I am saying is this movie has a MAJOR triggering scene. If you are triggered by any sort of self harm, be extremely careful while watching this movie. There is a scene where one of the characters uses a razor on his skin and a lot is shown. It happens right after the main character (Caleb) is looking in the mirror and pulling at his skin. Please be careful if you are triggered by it.
The movie starts off with the main character Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) -who is a programmer at a popular internet search engine called Giant Bluebook- receiving floods of texts from his coworkers and friends congratulating him. He's won a company-wide lottery which allows him one week at the estates of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), the company's CEO. From that you move to him in a helicopter on his way to Nathan's estate. Once arriving, he makes small talk with Nathan and is shown to his room. Before he can explain to Caleb just what he is doing there, he makes him sign a non disclosure form. Caleb is unsure about it; feeling like he needs a lawyer present for him to decide if it would be smart or not. Nathan explains to him that if he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to. That they can hang out all week and get to know each other and then he can go home, but in a few years from now he's going to see what he missed out on. Feeling pressured and probably quite curious on what Nathan is researching, he signs the form.
From then on you learn about Ava, a AI (Artificial Intelligence) which Caleb will be the human in the Turing Test which is when a human interacts with a computer, and if the human doesn't know they're interacting with a computer - the test is passed. (After their first session, Caleb points out - "In a Turing Test the machine should be hidden from the examiner." to which Nathan replies with "the real test is to show you that she's a robot, and then see if you feel she still has consciousness.") Through monitored sessions with Ava (monitored by Nathan), Caleb gets to know more about her and how she functions, deciding as they finish each session whether she can pass the test.
Ex Machina doesn't have a lot of characters, actually there's only 4 to be exact. Only three which can speak English. But it works incredibly well for what they were trying to accomplish, and you don't feel like you are missing out by the lack of characters.
This film wasn't big in theaters, it wasn't widely promoted and it wasn't well known. But hopefully now that it's out on DVD and Blu-ray (redbox too of course) more people will take interest into it. This is not a movie you want to miss out on, it's one that plays with your thoughts, intrigues you and makes you doubt everything. In the end you'll feel just as distraught as the rest of the characters.
This movie wasn't something you could watch while you cleaned your house, and you certainly wouldn't want to either. You have to make decisions for yourself and decide who you want to trust, because no one is trustworthy. The CGI is beautiful and each scene has meaning. Although there were a few things that bothered me personally (the amount of female nudity towards the end was unnecessary) it wasn't enough to ruin the film or make me think any less of it. It not only succeeded at being a great Sci-Fi, but it had deeper meaning beyond that with Ava and how she saw herself. I won't say much about it to keep this review spoiler free, but it was definitely something every Sci-Fi fan should watch, and I wouldn't think twice before recommending it to someone.
Rate: 8/10
Favorite Character: Ava
Should You Watch It?: Yes, especially if you enjoy a good psychological movie/ Sci-Fi.
