Ex Machina: Instinto Artificial

This is the kind of movie I really enjoy when I think about science fiction. Movies that make you think if we should continue trying to progress even more. Are we not already smart enough with everything we have? With all our daily gadgets that we can't miss for one second. Do we really need artificial intelligence? Because let's face it, once that will be concrete then we won't do a thing by ourselves anymore. We will send our robots to our job, we will chose and model our life partner like we want them to be. The story of Ex Machina might be futuristic but I certainly can imagine it like that in the future. All actors were good in their respective roles. For a movie that is filmed at the same spot all the time you certainly don't get bored for a second. Nice science fiction like there should be more of them.

Ex Machina, directed by Alex Garland, delivers a visually striking exploration of artificial intelligence that is elevated by exceptional acting and a hauntingly atmospheric score. Alicia Vikander's portrayal of Ava, alongside Oscar Isaac's enigmatic Nathan and Domhnall Gleeson's relatable Caleb, creates a compelling dynamic. The film's minimalist yet futuristic setting and deliberate pacing contribute to its thought-provoking nature, although some may find the pacing slow. While Ex Machina excels in posing profound questions about AI and humanity, it leaves room for deeper character development and a more engaging narrative, earning its 7/10 rating as a visually arresting and intellectually stimulating sci-fi thriller.

I don't often feel the need to review films on here, but after I have seen a film I like to see other peoples opinions, as I find it interesting, although very annoying too. It shouldn't annoy me I guess, but when thoughtless, nonsense, throwaway films are given 10 stars, and films that have a lot of thought and effort put into them are picked apart and given low ratings by idiots I get wound up. Anyway, I loved this film. Watched it last night on DVD. It has depth and darkness and leaves you with something, as great writers and directors can only seen to do occasionally. It is very atmospheric, with a great soundtrack, great performances by each actor. If you like action films, why do you go to see this? Reviews are always available online here. It is pretty obvious that this film is meant to be intelligent and thought provoking, rather than all-action Hollywood. If you have a short attention span then you will probably not like this film. Give it a chance and get drawn in... it's great.

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson)

Ex Machina is a thoughtful science fiction about Artificial Intelligence, whereby, to no fan's surprise, the current female robot, Ava (Alicia Vikander), has human qualities that cause trouble for inventor, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), and visitor, young Caleb. If you know anything about these stories, you could write the screenplay, but you'd need these actors to make it the impressive sci-fi it is.

Poets and philosophers have been intrigued by just this story about AI gone astray after interacting with humans. The Frankenstein motif is alive and dangerous, and the spirit of Spike Jonze's Her, with the seductive operating system, is very much a part of Ava's approach to Caleb. The destructive force of Nathan's creation is more subtle than in Dr. Frankenstein's creation, but menacing nevertheless: "Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?" Ava to Nathan

Brainy Nathan has a compound somewhere in an Alaskan refuge as modern as could be with ID cards and glass walls and doors to give the impression of peace and transparency. Caleb is chosen to help Nathan use the Turing Test to judge the quality of the AI-human experience.

As in real life, nothing is as it appears because neither Nathan nor Ava can refrain from lying. Yet, even Caleb is drawn into lies as he gets closer, even romantically, yikes! to Ava. Once again for science fiction, as soon as the robot gets to enjoy being like a human, trouble ensues. However, even if this film seems like a retread, say, of Never Let Me Go, very few filmmakers could match the ultra modern, yet still sexy, set design. And Isaac's character is so mercurial, at once comforting then tyrannical, that the film could be remembered if only for his star turn as the mad but charming scientist.

After all, Ex Machina is as much about a scientist playing God as it is about the bridge between robot and man. Each topic could, and has been, treated on its own. Here it is an exciting return to modern man as god and monster:

"I am God." Nathan

Don't mean to insult here, but who else wants to love a machine. Bear with me: this movie has a deep insight to communicate, whether intended or not is open to question.

The story is a modern telling of Bluebeard's Castle as the correct version of Beauty and the Beast. In other words, it seems to be about impotence. Except that this is geek love, love at an impossible distance, that is eroticism. And the movie itself tells you all you need to know about eros.

The insight. Ex Machina is ostensibly about Turing's Test, the thesis that a machine might be so human as to fool a human being. Does Ava pass this test? Depends on how you perceive the test. Ex Machina actually implies a more relevant Test: could a machine seem so human as to make the human being inteacting with it come to believe that he himself is a machine?

And the insight? It might be that the solution to the AI/human interface may not involve the humanising of robots, but the robotisation of humans.

Only 8/10 because it is not clear that this insight was actually part of the plot. But whether you find eros or AI in this movie, you will have a rewarding journey.