Ex Machina-2015
Director Alex Garland
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander
Scott’s Review #410
Reviewed June 17, 2016
Grade: B+
Ex Machina (2015) reminds me of another recent science-fiction film, Her (2013), but with a stronger female-empowerment edge.
The latter is more of a romantic drama with romantic undercurrents.
In contrast, Ex Machina has a cynical tone and elements of imprisonment and psychosis, even narcissism.
The film features excellent visual effects and a futuristic mystique, making it a successful treatment.
Directed by first-timer Alex Garland, who could very well be a director to watch rise the ranks with subsequent projects.
Young, fresh-faced computer programmer, Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), wins a week-long trip to remote Alaska, to spend it with his mysterious boss, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), the CEO of a software company.
Caleb must arrive at the luxurious, sprawling estate by helicopter, as it sits in a deserted part of the world and stretches for mile after mile through gorgeous landscape.
Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac, is both charismatic and creepy. He lives alone save for a beautiful Asian servant named Kyoko, who speaks no English, and a female robot named Ava (played by rising star Alicia Vikander).
Caleb’s task is to study Ava and determine whether he can relate to her as a human, even though he knows she’s a robot.
It is soon revealed that Nathan plans to reprogram Ava, thereby killing her. Caleb schemes to rescue Ava, but is that all it seems?
With a cast of only four principals, it is not difficult to assess each character and their relationships. Caleb is the least complex of the four, or rather, the one with motivations readily apparent.
The others are shrouded in mystery. Caleb expects a fun getaway but instead finds himself in the middle of an experiment. Is Nathan’s desire to perform psychological tests on Ava, by way of Caleb, genuine?
The audience immediately senses something is off about Nathan. Merely in his thirties, how could he amass such financial success so soon?
Why are he, a servant, and a robot the only inhabitants? Why does the helicopter pilot refuse to venture further than the drop-off point?
Some of these questions are answered, some remain unanswered. It is part of what makes the film mysterious and complex. Could Ava be the one doing her share of experimentation or manipulation?
Alicia Vikander deserves much praise for her role as Ava, and some would argue that the talented young actress should have won the Best Supporting Actress trophy for this role instead of for The Danish Girl (2015).
I’m not sure I would leap to the same conclusion, but she does amass a ton of subdued emotion as Ava. She is complex and profound. She longs to see the outside world and would cross a crowded street to see all the faces and different kinds of people.
Like Nathan, something about Ava isn’t right.
Is she calculating or simply soulful? But how can she be? She is a robot.
I compared her to another famous film robot/computer- HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Along with Vikander, Isaac steals the film in a role that mixes creep with genius.
He sits around his estate in comfy clothes a blue-collar man might wear, drinking beer and studying Ava. He has sexual relations with his servant, and she is expressionless.
He doesn’t treat her well, so we don’t root for him. At the same time, his character is tough to read. Is he experimenting on Ava or Caleb?
Visually, Ex Machina has a sleek blend of modern, crisp CGI that never overshadows the story. It also includes a bloodletting scene that chills as much as any good horror film would.
Garland was heavily influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey and Altered States (1980), and he made the film on a shoestring budget, without outside influences that might change his vision.
I commend this and wish more filmmakers would follow suit.
Ex Machina (2015), while perhaps not perfect, could be a blueprint for what this young director has in store.
Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Original Screenplay, Best Visual Effects (won)