Today is Domhnall
Gleeson’s birthday. If you have no idea who I’m talking about, he is a typical
red-haired Irishman. You probably know him as Nazi-wannabe villain in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,
or from his role as the leader of Leo and Tom’s group in The Revenant. Heck, you may even know that he played one of the
many Weasleys in Harry Potter. But
for tonight, we look at his starring role in the super slick and smart sci-fi
gem Ex Machina.
This film was the directorial debut for Alex Garland who
garnered attention for writing 28 Days
Later and Sunshine (and even Dredd). The movie really didn’t get much
love at the box office (unlike that fast-movie car franchise), but it
rightfully received some Golden Globe nominations for the acting. Even more
impressively, it beat out films like Star
Wars, The Revenant, and Mad Max for the Oscar for best visual
effects. When you look at the aforementioned movies and see their 100 + million
dollar budgets, it only makes it all the more impressive that Ex Machina won on a budget of 15 mil.
All this talk about the awards and talented film crew is
fine, but what really matters is what happens when you sit down (you can stand
or squat if you want, I’ll only slightly judge you) and actually watch the
film.
This film is 1 hour 57 minutes long. Why should you care?
Well, if writer/director Garland wanted to provide crummy backstory and
exposition at the beginning, he very well could have. Lucky for us, this man
understands story structure and character arcs, and this understanding is why
this movie is under 2 hours. So what is the story? Gleeson plays Caleb, a young
programmer chosen to visit the remote house of the company’s CEO Nathan
(this takes up probably the first 2 minutes—keeps the pace going, the mystery
of the story intact, and the ability to fully develop the characters through
their actions in the film itself). Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac who was with
Gleeson in Star Wars playing Poe (and
he’s been in numerous other hits), introduces Caleb to Ava. Ava is a female AI,
and Nathan wants to see if she could pass the Turing test, using Caleb as the
human element. Very briefly, this test basically has a human interacting with a
cyborg/AI/robot. If the human can’t tell that the person they’re talking to
isn’t actually human, then the AI passed the test.
The film essentially consists of 2 elements: Caleb and
Nathan’s interactions, and Caleb and Ava’s interactions. Nathan is a peculiar,
eccentric genius with a love of women and alcohol, and Caleb is much more
innocent and reserved. The scenes with Caleb and Nathan function in many ways;
for example, the slightest of foreshadowing is given through their allusions to
classic mythology, literature, and philosophy. Also, the talks switch between
being inside and out. And both the technologically enhanced house (unlike some
sci-fi films, all the futuristic stuff is logically placed and actually is put
to practical use) and the isolated surroundings are beautiful in stark,
contrasting ways. The house has the slick, clean white look with vibrant,
almost neon red and blue lights used throughout; and the world outside takes us
away from any claustrophobia and allows the audience to relax in the lush
greens, the flowing streams, and the warming sunlight. And in case you started
getting lost in all of my explanations, above all, Caleb and Nathan’s
conversations are fun, well-written, and smart.
When the 2 boys of the house are done talking, it’s time
to get down to business. Alicia Vikander plays Ava, and her performance is
breath-taking. As much as I enjoy Scarlett Johansson, as far as anything
related to cyborgs are concerned, Vikander’s performance takes the artificial
cake. Caleb and Ava’s sessions start off basic, but as the questions become
more relevant, layers upon layers are pulled back—both on an intellectual level
and an emotional one. Does Ava’s responses constitute as her consciousness
replying? Sorry, ya spoilbrats, you’ll have to watch the film for that answer.
And it’s an answer well worth watching for.
The visuals are outstanding, the acting is superb, and
the story structure is brilliant. It all adds up to one of the smarter and
better films you watch with an ending that will probably surprise you (for
better or worse). Heck, nerdy little me even applauds this movie's sound mixing. Seriously, pay attention any time Ava moves her body-- that noise alone is synthetic supremeness. We’ve seen the dumbed down side of robotics in I, Robot, and we’ve seen cyborgs
integrated well in the Alien
franchise. What we get in Ex Machina
is the cyborg we didn’t know we needed. It’s simply an engaging and interesting
movie in general, and for one that flew past the radar of nearly everyone in
its theatrical release, it’s high quality stuff. Check it out. And then check
out the other films I mentioned in this review. I named a whole bunch of great
films. Except that stupid franchise that has Vin Diesel saying “I don’t have
friends… I’ve got… family.” Take my advice, Vin. Stick to lines like “Superman”
and “I am Groot.”
