Ex Machina Review

When I first saw the trailers for “Ex Machina” I told my wife that I was in. We agreed to see it, but we were in transition. We moved to Indianapolis, and well, we never got around to catching up with this movie at the time. However, I finally got to sit down and watch this one. I liked the style of the trailer, the colors, the language, the visual design flow that was throughout the trailer and of course the editing, wow. I was sold.

The plot of this one revolves around an interesting premise. A computer programmer wins the trip of a life time, to spend a week with the company’s CEO amidst a secluded area. This is like going to Jurassic Park to meet the owner, but without the dinosaurs, and it’s tremendous how they showcase it. I imagine it’s kind of like going to Skywalker Ranch or something. Anyways, the programmer meets the CEO named Nathan and he’s a cool dude. He has a huge estate, gives Caleb the rundown and he is to perform a test with one of the robots that is on premise. The robot has an AI feature that may be evolving to a point of being self-aware.

The movie progresses in the way that you’d expect “Ex Machina” to go. Is the android self-aware? Who is the mystery woman showing up and cleaning? What is really going on? As the movie progresses Caleb’s testing turns into a sinister point in which he starts to lose his mind, as the robot seems to be aware, and Nathan’s been lying to him. Or has he? The movie turns a screw very well, and you never get bored. You are given ample time to digest the movie, and by the time you realize what’s going on, things break loose.

This is a very good work of science fiction. It has a true emotional connection, and there is a lot to see here. I found myself asking questions that were answered by Nathan and Caleb’s discussions. There’s a lot to this movie. You will have a lot of layers going through the motions, trying to pick up what’s going on and you end up in a positive arena throughout, although this takes you into some deep, dark territories.

There’s a certain scary element to it, something about human nature and the need to create. There’s a point where playing God is discussed. But it’s given to a larger vantage point, and by the time Caleb realizes what he’s doing, Nathan’s already two steps ahead, or so he thinks. It’s a back and forth cerebral movie that doesn’t have bells and whistles that you are expecting. There’s no big explosion here, there’s no padding, no slapstick, as the movie progresses into a more philosophical realm. Whereas “Elysium” had a lot more entertainment, this strips down to just the story elements, the science, and the bigger questions.

It’s thematic, it’s sexy, it is gloriously filmed. There’s a lot to this one. It has the best visual style that I’ve seen in a science fiction release up to this point. With a limited budget, and attention to editing, dialogue, and story, “Ex Machina” easily has my vote for best movie to come out in the last year. It gets my highest recommendation. With a limited cast, and a serious touch here and there, you really get involved with the characters, as it doesn’t pull away from being smart, savvy, and entertaining. The use of color, the set design, the science, and the real world touches make this one a must see on Blu RAY.

I highly recommend “Ex Machina”, and you can pick it up on BLU Ray by clicking here. Do it.