Ex Machina (2015)

I watched Ex Machina yesterday. Going into the theater I was very curious to see what the movie was going to be like. The film’s trailer had piqued my interest, it seemed like a pretty creative film and I was very interested by the subject matter. I had heard great things about the movie and I knew that it had received excellent reviews from the critics. When I walked out of the theater, there was no doubt in my mind that Ex Machina is one of the best films of 2015.

There is something very unique and appealing about Ex Machina. It is unlike any other movie I’ve seen in recent memory. It has a very small cast (there are only really 4 characters in the movie) and the entire film takes place in one location. It is easily one of the most interesting and well-made thrillers that I have ever seen. The film is beautifully shot, I loved the contrast between the futuristic look of the compound and the beautiful green landscape and lush nature that surrounds the building.

One of my favorite things about the film was the great performances by the three main leads. Oscar Isaac gave yet another fantastic performance, this time playing an eccentric billionaire who always seems like he’s hiding something. Domhnall Gleeson gave a great performance as well, he did a really good job in portraying his character as the charming and somewhat innocent man who gets flown into a secluded complex with a mysterious job opportunity. I loved watching the transition his character made as the film went on, how his expressions and mannerisms changed as he found out more and more about the mysterious compound. With that being said, my favorite performance had to be from the film’s breakout star, the relatively new Alicia Vikander, who plays the beautiful, sentient robot at the center of it all. Vikander did an absolutely superb job playing a machine acting human. She did such a good job with the subtle facial expressions. Her eyes alone were able to convey such powerful emotions without even uttering a single word. She made her character both charming and mysterious, scary yet vulnerable. She did such a fantastic job, I see bright things in her future in the entertainment industry. All these performances were made even better thanks to the great cinematography of the film. The director did a great job of getting in up close to the actors faces during tense or emotional moments so that the audience could get a full appreciation of all the great performances by this very talented cast.

The film deals with what I personaly consider to be a very interesting subject matter. Without giving too much away the movie deals with the creation of Artificial Intelligence, the future of technology and its role in our world. There are so many fascinating conversations and discussions in the film and even more fascinating questions that arise from them. If you have any interest in technology and its future then I guarantee that you will like this movie.

What makes Ex Machina such a great movie is the fact that it is brilliantly suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time because I never knew what was going to happen next. I pride myself on being able to see plot twists coming in movies and this movie had me guessing so much that I wasn’t even close to seeing any of the plot twists coming in the film. Ex Machina has twists on twists on twists that make the film extremely captivating. It really is a roller-coaster ride, going up and down and side to side always keeping you on your toes and never sure of what is going to happen next. I think a sign of a great movie is when it is able to surprise you. Ex Machina was such a pleasant surprise, and then some.

I can’t say enough good things about this movie. I really can’t think of anything major that I didn’t like about it. It really is a brilliantly unique film that is creative and exciting to watch. The performances by the cast were exquisit and the plot is so engrossing that you won’t even want to blink. I can’t reommend this movie enough, if you’re a fan of science fiction, thrillers, or just great movies in general you have to see Ex Machina. 4.5/5