Movie of the Week: Ex Machina

Alexa: I loved “Ex Machina” when I first saw it a couple of years ago, but if anything it’s even more compelling upon a second viewing. Writer/director Alex Garland crafts a truly masterful exploration of consciousness and control. The film is bound to receive a lot of comparisons to “Westworld” now because of the subject matter, but as much as I enjoy that series, the subtlety and nuance of “Ex Machina” is a far more effective critique. The script is sharp and the three lead performances are all exceptional, particularly Alicia Vikander’s work. She makes Ava so vulnerable and empathetic that it’s easy to forget she’s AI, much like Caleb does. And yet she infuses every look, every gesture, every word with undertones of something not quite human, which only adds to the suspense and discomfort that burns slowly beneath the film’s surface. Garland’s masterful direction and the movie’s expert lighting, production design and sound elevate “Ex Machina” into something beautifully haunting and atmospheric. The lush, idyllic landscape of Nathan’s estate juxtaposed with the cold, sleek interior of his house is the perfect representation of the amazing and terrifying possibilities these technologies and the people who create them bring into the world. In short, “Ex Machina” is a modern sci-fi masterpiece.

Joel: This is a brilliantly made film. It’s a little hard to believe that this is the directorial debut of Alex Garland. Yes, the guy has been around for a while and  has several successful screenwriting credits under his belt (20 Days Later and Dredd to name a few) but his masterful control of the lighting, setting and composition of each scene is something you would expect for a director with several movies already under his belt. Obviously Alicia Vikander’s performance as Ava is the shining moment of the movie. She displays a remarkable ability to walk the narrow line between a robotic and human performance, often in a way where she’s able to seamlessly blend the two into something that exists in between. However I also want to take a moment to praise Oscar Isaac’s performance as her creator. Nathan as a character is one that presents just as many layers for the audience to peel through as Ava does. Isaac gives an incredibly well thought out nuanced performance that is one of the key reasons that this movie is worth returning to on repeat viewings.
It’s hard to get over how well thought out of a movie Ex Machina really is. Each scene, each moment, every line has a purpose, a reason to exist and contribute to the greater narrative.  Rarely does a movie feel as complete as this one does. Each of these moments work to complement or contrast with one another to make the final product more than the sum of its parts. There are several scenes where Nathan and Caleb are talking about the idea of AI, the importance of what they’re doing, or the possible ramifications of what Ava could be. One of these conversations takes place outside, away from the house. The more peaceful setting of this this scene, especially when compared to the harsh, metallic setting of the house, is reflected in the tone of their conversation, one of the few times that Caleb and Nathan seem to be in unison as they marvel at the reality of AI. It’s moments like this that really express how brilliantly made this movie is.

Jason: There is nothing I didn’t love about this movie. It is a true tale of humanity and ambition and yet only includes two human characters. Due to the highly personal tone and super dark ending, it really feels like a modern take on a “Twilight Zone” episode. It is rare for a story to lay out all of its possible conclusions during the story and still be able to surprise the audience with the direction it ultimately takes. Ex Machina pulls this off with precision and delicacy. Throughout the movie, it is possible to believe both Nathan and Ava about what is really going on. Only with Ava’s final actions do their motivations really become clear. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

It is easy to see why this movie won Best Visual Effects in 2015, even against titans like Star Wars. The true test of good special effects, much like AI during the Turing test, is to be accepted as real. With movies like Star Wars, we expect things to be grandiose and over the top and supernatural. In a movie like this, it is important for it to feel grounded, as if it could actually be happening. While we still have not seen robotics nearly as advanced as this, that is the direction we are headed. It is all done very believably.

I very much enjoyed this one. It hit all the right notes in sci-fi, suspense, and horror.

Chris: In all honestly, I had planned to watch a completely different movie this month until I saw that Ex Machina was added to Netflix. Part of me was worried that the movie wouldn’t grab me like it originally did with shows like Westworld exploring similar themes on a grander scale but alas, I was just as enthralled. Artificial Intelligence is a massive subject matter than can feel overbearing and epic (in the case of Westworld) but what Ex Machina does is take that massive subject matter and turn it into a personal story between these three (and then four) characters. The performance that I’m most astonished by is Alicia Vikander’s in that it could’ve been so easily for her character to be more (pardon the phrasing) robotic but instead the character seems more like a curious child. Ava’s personality is basically and on/off switch and we see that totally rope Caleb into doing what she wants. Caleb is all about this test but the real test is when the power goes off during the session when they discuss Nathan’s true nature and then it’s like he forgets Ava is a robot which is the true passing of the Turing Test. There’s also a great commentary on masculine/human intelligence hubris in Ex Machina that I really only noticed on this most recent rewatch. I knew I was going to be 100% biased on this movie but I thoroughly believe that Ex Machina is a simple but brilliant film.