Theatrical Review: Ex Machina (2015)

(aka sEx Machina)
Release Date: April 24th.
Country: USA.
Rating: R.
Written by: Alex Garland.
Directed by: Alex Garland. 
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, and Sonoya Mizuno.

We saw Ex Machina weeks ago, and here I am still sitting on the review, trying to figure out how I feel about the movie.

On one hand, it's a stunning piece of work that had us totally immersed in its world from start to finish, and it left us wanting more, in a very good way. On the other, I'm wondering if it used its stunning visuals and effective atmosphere to preach to me about feminism, sexism, or some sort of other ism that I don't particularly want to be preached to about.

Maybe I'm just over-thinking it way too much.That's probably it.

Nathan is a billionaire tech genius, who created the world's biggest search engine, Bluebook. He lives in a secluded compound in the mountains, where he's developing the world's first humanoid AI in the form of a sexy robot named Ava. He also has a hot robot sex slave, so he may be sexist or something. At least that's what Twitter will probably tell you.

NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW HARD IT IS TO BE A BILLIONAIRE.

Caleb is a mousy tech geek who works as a programmer for Bluebook. He's chosen by Nathan to visit the mysterious compound for a week to test Ava, in an effort to discover whether or not the AI has a consciousness, or feelings, or something. Of course given the fact that Ava is gorgeous, and that Caleb is an awkward computer geek with limited social skills, he instantly falls in love with her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, MOTHER, I'M ON LEAVE NINE!"

Ava is a robot girl just trying to make it in a human world. She's smart, sexy, and all she really wants out of "life" is to be loved. Then again, she's not to thrilled about being locked in a room with no freedom, or about the idea of her maker eventually destroying her, so she probably wants a bit more than just love.

NOTHING UNSETTLING ABOUT HER AT ALL. NOPE.

Will Ava pass the AI test, and prove that she is more than just a robot? Will Nathan's ego be the death of them all? Can a man like Caleb bang a hot robot, and not be considered a complete creep?I don't know about those first two questions, but as for the last one, there are plenty of creepy dudes out there who have relationships with rubber dolls, so, why not? Love is love, man!

THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP.

Visually stunning, foreboding, and smart, Ex Machina is a haunting as it is sincere. It's also fairly creepy, given its subject matter. It's also kind of sexy in a way, which makes us feel kind of creepy even saying that... so overall, I think it's safe to say that this is a a pretty effective movie, on a few different levels.

From his start as a writer on Danny Boyle flicks like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, to his PERFECT script for Dredd (yes, we said perfect), we've long been fans of Alex Garland. One more time... Dredd was FUCKING PERFECT!

Ahem.

For a first time directorial effort, Alex Garland shows that he is indeed a man of great vision, and even style. Maybe it's because he grew up under the tutelage of Danny Boyle (that guy is pretty great too) that he has such a way with words, and can tell such great stories. Makes sense to us. Whatever it is though, Alex Garland is going to be the go-to guy for serious Sci-Fi movies for a long time to come. 

LIQUID AI, OR BREAST IMPLANT? YOU DECIDE.

Ex Machina is definitely one of those movies that asks us deep questions, chief amongst them: What does it mean to be human? It also asks us how creepy is it to bang a robot, and are there any billionaires out there that don't have some sort of misguided God Complex, but the humanity question is the important one. Whatever the questions though, this movie poses them in a fairly unsettling way; there really wasn't one moment of this movie that didn't feel like there was an impending sense of doom hanging over its characters, human or otherwise.

This movie also boasts some great performances. Oscar Issac has already proven himself a solid actor with roles in movies like Inside Llewyn Davis and A Most Violent Year, but he's about to star in new Star Wars and X-Men flicks, which is probably going to bump him to A-list overnight. His performance in Ex Machina only serves to strengthen his already impressive resume.

Domhnall Gleeson (son of Brendan) is no slouch either, both in general, and in this movie. He's got a vulnerable, likable quality about him that was a perfect fit for the Caleb role. He's also going to be starring in a new Star Wars movie too... coincidence? I don't think so. As for Alicia Vikander, she was pretty damned inspired playing inhuman in this one, and we'll be looking forward to seeing more of her soon.

THIS SCENE RIGHT HERE...

BEWARE, HUGE ENDING SPOILERS!

What was with the ending? Are you telling me that after everything that Caleb did to help Ava, that she's just going to leave him to die trapped in that escape-proof house, without as much as a second thought? She obviously failed the empathy portion of the Turing test.

She played them all!

STONE COLD.

Why is there still no Dredd sequel?

With Ex Machina having stirred the souls of just about every critic on the planet, Alex Garland is a critical darling in every sense of the word now...   so really, someone giving him some money to make the sequel that fans are rabidly clamoring for, seems like a no-brainer to us.

Are you honestly telling me that Netflix can spend $100 million on a bore-fest like Marco Polo, but they can't pony up a measly $50 million to fund a sequel to what may be the most under-appreciated Sci-Fi/Action flick of our times?

Garland creates it, Netflix finances it, they actually run a strong Ad Campaign for it this time around, and then they release it wide. The end result? It makes its budget back theatrically, it sells millions on Blu-ray & DVD, and after all of that, it streams exclusively on Netflix, which strengthens its brand even further.

Take back the money that you sunk into that ill-advised partnership with Adam Sandler, Netflix, and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

WE MISS YOU, JD.

There are a few bloody scenes in this one, but tension was way more the focus here than gore was.

DOES THIS REMIND ANYONE ELSE OF THEY LIVE? EVEN A LITTLE BIT?

Full-frontal robot nudity.

SEE? SHE'S COMPLETELY NAKED.

Playing God never ends well. Also, robots have feelings too. Fake feelings, but they have them.

"SSH. JUST LET IT HAPPEN."

Ex Machina is one of the best Sci-Fi movies that we've seen in years. We loved the quiet and graceful way that the movie's story unfolded as much as we did it's breathtaking visuals. We even didn't mind that it made us think a little bit, as that is never a bad thing.

If you can, go see this one in theaters now, as it's the perfect kind of movie to see on a big screen. If it's not playing anywhere near you, then be sure to catch it when it hits Blu-ray and VOD.

A-

Ex Machina is still in a few theaters now, and will be hitting Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD in July. You can pre-order it below.

Alicia Vikander and Sonoya Mizuno are just about as sexy as robots get.