Rating
Synopsis
Caleb (Domhnaill Gleeson), a coder for the world’s largest fictional search engine, is selected by the CEO to evaluate and test his latest creation – a sexy robot with a groundbreaking new AI.
MPAA Rating
Rated R for some nudity, profanity and a bit of violence. Everything the good doctor ordered
Plot
Caleb (Gleeson) is a 26 year old coder for the world’s largest search engine – I can’t remember the name, I think it was something like “Not Google, but pretty much Google”. After winning a competition run by the company, Caleb gets to spend a week with the company’s reclusive CEO and top weirdo Nathan (Oscar Isaac) at his private retreat. Upon arriving, Caleb discovers that Nathan has been working on a groundbreaking new AI and wants him to evaluate his work to see if it can pass the Turing test and pass as human – personally I would have given her more skin as this is a dead giveaway
Caleb agrees, signs the obligatory non-disclosure agreement and is brought to meet Ava (Alicia Vikander), Nathan’s ultra sexy new project. Caleb must interview Ava each day and report while dealing with Nathan’s neurosis, drinking and passive aggressive attitude. Over the course of the week, Caleb begins to discover that everything is not as it seems and doubts Nathan’s motives for choosing him to perform the test.
Will Ava pass the test and be rewarded with a hair piece? Do androids dream of electric sheep? Should I go delete my search history? Like, right now? Would it matter?? O.o
Pros
- Decent performances from Gleeson, Isaac and Vikander – even if Gleeson is a bit typecast
- Well written and thought provoking
Cons
- Some elements are a little bit too far fetched
Verdict
Ex Machina is a nice sci fi flick that, at times, is reminiscent of some classics such as Blade Runner, 2001 A Space Odyssey and even Alien. That said, it can be a little slow moving at times but not enough to lose your focus. Gleeson is the right amount of awkward nerd (when is he not?), Isaac has just the right amount of menace to make you think he’s capable of anything and Vikander is just the right amount of… well… sexy robot I guess. While the set is minimal, the futuristic elements (Ava, Nathan’s house, etc) are slick and pretty – ie. the way things in a sci fi should be. It’s no surprise that there are comparisons between this movie and Blade Runner flying around as it would sit quite well as a prequel to the 80’s masterpiece.
It’s also quite well written, as you would expect from the same writer as 28 Days Later and The Beach (we’ll kindly not mention Sunshine and Dredd!). The focus of the movie is a very complicated subject but it’s dealt with in a way that doesn’t get too technical (for normal brains like mine) and at the same time doesn’t completely dumb it down like… let’s say “I, Robot”.
It’s not going to keep you on the edge of your seat, but it will definitely engage for an hour and 40 minutes and leave you with more than a few questions.