Sunday Review : Ex Machina

Hello all!
There were no new films this week that I had any interest in this week, so I watched one from 2015 that I missed out on, Ex Machina.
I had been meaning to watch this film for a very long time, but I just got around to doing it now, and I can't believe what I missed out on last year. This film is magnificent.

The basic plot of this film is that a programmer who works at a tech organization, played by Domhnall Gleeson, is invited by the C.E.O. of that organization, Oscar Isaac, to test out what he made, which he is convinced is A.I.

Ex Machina is one of the most thought-provoking films I have seen in years. Unlike other mindless science fiction films, this cerebral work of art actually makes you think, especially about the main theme of the film, what it means to be human. It also has been released at the perfect time, due to the abundance of technological advancements that we have every day. By far, the best part of this film occurs after the film has ended; the part where you think for yourself. Any film that I am left thinking about for days after, due to the ideas it suggests, is automatically great.

There are only three performances in this film, and all three of them are excellent. My favorite of the three was Alicia Vikander as the A.I. itself. She was not a cheesy robot kind of character, and had many things about the character which are very interesting to see. Without an excellent performance from Vikander, this film simply would have felt flat, and she brought it. Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson were both great here too. I enjoyed how the director added in many random character traits to both of these characters, just to give us a better idea of how these people really are. Gleeson's character was not given many interesting traits, but was just made out to be a normal guy. The director tried to put the audience in his perspective, and it's done very effectively. 

My only real flaw with this film is it's very slow pace. For a movie that is only an hour and forty minutes, there isn't really an excuse for the movie to be slow in it's plot.

Other than that, Ex Machina is very thought-provoking work of science-fiction, complete with three excellent leading performances, that more people need to watch.

Consensus : 
A