Asimov's Prophecy

Ex Machina (2015)

Artificial Intelligence researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky once said, “By far the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” Many other scientists have given warning about A.I, including science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. Of course, many films have delved into the dangers of a computer thinking for itself. Films such as I, Robot and Blade Runner have proven that A.I. is not something to take lightly. This year audiences around the world are given another look at A.I. and what it could mean to our society.

BlueBook (a Google-type search engine) employee, Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson About Time), has won a once-in-a-life time opportunity to work alongside the founder of BlueBook, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac A Most Violent Year) for a week. Arriving at Nathan’s estate with absolutely no knowledge of what he will be working on, Caleb is awestruck to find out that Nathan has secretly been working on Ava (Alicia Vikander The Fifth Estate), a robot equipped with artificial intelligence. Nathan explains to Caleb that he wants Caleb to perform a Turing test (a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human) on Ava. However the more Caleb interacts with Ava, the more he wonders who is testing who.

From every angle, this is a remarkable film. The film is striking to look at. The beautiful scenic shots and the flawless CGI were only two of the great things about this film. The acting was another magnificent aspect of Ex Machina as well. The film presents a very realistic view on the consequences humans will have to face when A.I. is finally a reality. I will be extremely surprised if Machina is not mentioned come awards season.

Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson lead this very small, yet outstanding, cast. Isaac is great as the arrogant, but brilliant Nathan Bateman. Isaac conveys Nathan’s shear disregard for the consequences of what he is trying to accomplish. Isaac also subtly creates a real mystery behind Nathan that proves that Isaac would be a wonderful villain in other films. Isaac's opposite in the film, Gleeson, portrays Caleb with such naivety and innocence. However, as the film progresses Gleeson is able to show the audience that Caleb is more than what we first thought. My highest praise goes to Ava herself, Alicia Vikander. Vikander is able to play Ava with an awesome amount of humanity, yet still give the audience enough of her artificial side. That mixture of humanistic and mechanical characteristics is what makes the film work. If Ava is too heavy on either side of that mix, than the audience will see right through the reality the film is trying to create. Not since HAL has A.I. been so chilling.

Making his directorial debut, Alex Garland (screenwriter 28 Days Later) shows that he has what it takes to continue to sit in that director’s chair. Garland paints a world that is beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time. Garland is able to give the audience enough to keep these characters intriguing, but not boring. Garland also gives the audience wonderful scenic shots that show Nathan’s isolation. Garland gives audiences a very elaborate view on the question, “even though we can do it, should we do it?”

Ex Machina is a brilliant piece of cinematic art. Wonderfully filmed and marvelously acted, Ex Machina is a dazzling start to Alex Garland’s directorial resume’. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who want to see something different.

The Verdict: See in theatres