Caleb, a top programmer in his company, wins via a lucky draw, a one-week stay at his boss Nathan’s state-of-the-art residence-cum-research facility. Set in a picturesque locale, the setup thrills Caleb until he gets to know that he has been brought in to evaluate an advanced AI prototype Ava created by Nathan. As his perceptions and experiences turn upside down, the remaining duration of his stay is what the movie delves further into.
Language:
English
Running Time:
108 min
Rating:
R
Release date:
24 April 2015
Directed by:
Alex Garland
Produced by:
Allon Reich
Andrew Macdonald
Written by:
Alex Garland
Starring:
Domhnall Gleeson
Alicia Vikander
Oscar Isaac
Music by:
Ben Salisbury
Geoff Barrow
Shot by:
Rob Hardy
Editing by:
Mark Day
Distributed by:
Universal Pictures

What’s Hot

  • Nathan’s residence shown in the movie has been tastefully designed and truly meets the definition of “state-of-the-art”. The amount of detailing that has gone into the AI robots is so well done that we can’t tell the CGI from the rest. The VFX is not too flashy but extremely realistic and life like with the AI robots.
  • In what could be probably a slap in the face for the big budget complicated science fiction movies that drown in the quest for superior CGI, this one puts up a valid case that a seemingly harmless and simple screenplay can still make a good science fiction if it invokes the right thinking such as the one dealt here – what if AI becomes so advanced that it can manipulate its creators!
  • The demands of a claustrophobic setting within the same building for the entire duration of the movie have been met well by the means of good acting from all three characters involved. Domhnall Gleeson as the nerdy Caleb, Oscar Isaac as the mastermind Nathan and as the inquisitive AI Eva, they did their parts well and were ably aided by penetrative dialogues.

What’s Not

  • The story which aimed to be futuristic and succeeded as well, had quite a few logical pitfalls. One example is the security protocols that a tech savvy Nathan had enforced which we felt were a bit too underwhelming as it was hard to believe he had no override but for the default customised access cards!

Badges

Screenplay
Acting

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Seldom do we see a sci-fi flick that is never loud, no too flashy and without complex back stories. Ex Machina manages to break all those stereotypes as it proves that futuristic ideas supported by technical wizardry can make it quite the engaging encounter we seek!