Movie Recommendation: Ex-Machina
For my first review/recommendation I have chosen the 2015 directorial debut of screenwriting legend Alex Garland, about a three way battle of wills involving: a technological minded sociopath, a hapless employee and the worlds most advanced A.I.
*WARNING THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS*
Synopsis
Caleb is a young programing employee, who after winning a competition is invited up to the mountain home of reclusive tech genius and company CEO, Nathan. Why? Nathan wants Caleb to help him test his latest creation, an artificial intelligence called Ava, to see if she can actually replicate and fool Caleb into believing that she is human. But it soon becomes clear that not everything is as it seems in this techno-wonderland and the average Caleb must confront both the issue of who he can trust and even more disturbing can he trust his own judgement of reality?
Thoughts
Previously best known for his script work on various cult favourites such as 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd, Alex Garland’s directing debut is quite a feat for a first timer, looking more like a film made by a seasoned veteran in terms of sheer technological and storytelling prowess.
Although the film does blatantly parrot some of the themes of other films including Blade Runner and A.I., mainly A.I. overcoming original programming and becoming more and more human, the film presents them in a way that the audience of today could easily see becoming a reality further down the line. With a more sleek and smooth apple tech inspired visual design. There is also a very cold, almost kubrickian style atmosphere and pacing present. With many shots lingering on empty rooms or the faces of its characters, and sound design that is overpowering to the senses, which is always refreshing to see and helps set it apart from most other modern sci-fi films. But a good script is nothing without good acting to back it up.
Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb and is easily relatable as the average programmer who is taken down the rabbit hole into a world of god complex’s and manipulation. He gives a great impression of being overwhelmed by his surroundings and just barely holding onto his comprehension of whether Ava is or is not a sentient being. But while Gleeson is a good lead, it’s Oscar Isaac’s Nathan and Alicia Vikander’s Ava that steal the show. Isaac’s portrayal of an isolated genius who seems a bit out of touch with reality and is starting to believe in his superiority over the rest of the world is incredibly entertaining. While the character is not afforded much depth, he has a very demanding presence and has a slightly unnerving quality about him, in that he can turn on a dime from calm and friendly to a psychopathic letch and Vikander’s Ava is similarly enthralling. Similar to father figure Nathan she can switch between quiet and friendly and manipulative mastermind, but while Nathan is your entertaining run of the mill mad scientist bad guy, Ava is something far less definable. You are never quite sure where her allegiances lie, which makes for a nice layer of tension in the scenes between her and Caleb. And Vikanders understated and “fragile” performance brings depth to an A.I. not seen in a long time. But in a world of science fiction one must also ask how well visuals help give an impression of the future?
Special effects do play a pivotal role in the film and the best is undoubtedly Vikander’s human features on a robotic body, which is nothing more than a spectacle. Allowing the viewer to go along the same journey as Caleb, becoming lost in her eyes and smile before jolting you back into reality at the sight of her true metallic form. However some of the flesh on the androids later on look rather cartoonish and can take one out of the moment. But this is saved by the effects done to harm flesh and blood characters as when they get hurt, you really feel like they get hurt.
The only major criticisms I have besides the lack lustre effects in some scenes, are the films tendencies to turn into a lecture at certain points where we are bold facedly told the central themes of the movie and all the mechanics of the story that will be re-incorporated further on down the line. This gives the feeling that the film has little faith that the audience will be able to follow along and can take them out of the experience and possibly even sour it for the viewer. Which is a shame because there are a few isolated moments that are great examples of visual storytelling using no dialogue at all, only atmospheric sound, but these moments are too few and far between. And finally there is a scene near the end of the movie where the tension is threatening to boil over and instead of continuing to ramp things up the whole time, the tension is broken over the knees with an out of nowhere dance sequence, which then proceeds to take away the tension from the rest of the movie because of how seriously it is trying to take itself after such a left field sequence.
Summary
While this film does have a few substantial flaws, they should not be enough to stop you from seeing the movie. For a first time picture, Alex Garland has shown that he has the talent to pull off directing and has shown that he has his own cinematic voice. The characters, cinematography, performances, sound design and the primary special effects are all top notch and give an interesting counterpoint to most other science fiction films being released now. The only problems are the substandard effects for the other androids, the tension shattering dancing scene near the end and the films tendency to lapse into expository overload. If Garland can fix these problems with his next film however, he will be well on his way to becoming a great British film maker.
