Ex Machina finally finds its way to a larger release this weekend.
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| "Hey baby. Wanna make out?" |
Ex Machina will go down as one of the smartest and sleekest looking science fiction films of 2015. Pitting the fresh talents of Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac into this futuristic masterpiece is just the tip of the intellectual iceberg. The film captures the perversity of man and his scientific antics into a captivating dialogue that comes up just short of perfection. Based upon common themes and visual elements, the cast is astounding, the music is breathtaking, and the story is like an artistic melding of an old Twilight Zone episode mixed with unadulterated sci-fi in its purest form. Ex Machina questions man's persistence in creating artificial intelligence and offers the answers we may not have been looking for.
Between its well crafted script and two of today's best young actors, Ex Machina finally brings the science in fiction back to the forefront. Gleeson and Isaac are both in picture perfect form, each offering elements we may not have seen from them before. Isaac is cold and calculating while the boundless Gleeson is desperate and unsure. Alicia Vinkander plays Ava with a robotic but slightly human feel that is sad yet engaging. Between her dead on physical performance and the way she communicates with her beautiful eyes, each moment spent with her robotic character is just as convincing as the last.
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| "Dude. Everyone likes Jell-O. What's wrong with you?! |
Ex Machina takes the chances that most modern science fiction movies are lacking. Instead of showing off beautiful AI graphics the whole time, the environments and mood take a large part, giving this a dynamic reliant on dialogue and plot. Much like Moon, Ex Machina has a claustrophobic feeling that forces audiences to fixate on hand crafted elements of emotion and fear. This only lets up when the main characters are allowed to wander the rich color palette that lies just beyond the facility's doors. Audiences will breath a sigh of relief each time they step outside.
Centered on the duality of their characters and the beautiful AI known as Ava, Ex Machina is seething with an intensity that is rooted in the base components of excellent storytelling. Tension, growth of character, and finality all play a key role and each are delivered with precision. There's a heart to this story that lies just under the surface of a synthetic being that's waiting to be seen and heard. Other than a few minor stumbling points, Ex Machina is a must see movie.
-CG