For me, Ex Machina was a highly-anticipated film. After receiving rave reviews last year and exhibiting some of the best actors in the world (Oscar Isaac being one of my favourite actors ever), my expectations were extensive to say the least. Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson) is awarded the opportunity to spend a week in the company of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), who is an all out child prodigy technology genius (think an evil Bill Gates). Upon arrival, however, Caleb discovers that what he believed to be Nathan's house is a research facility and he has been brought to test Nathan's latest discovery in artificial intelligence, Ava (Alicia Vikander) and things spiral out of control from there.
Though the film obviously has elements of science fiction, the focal genre is thriller and the contained nature of the solitary facility housed in a rural Norwegian setting emphasises the tension and paranoia that is maintained through the uncomfortable relationships between all characters. Domnhall Gleeson maintains both a sense of gullibility and quiet intelligence that makes the characters morality and actions believable and Alicia Vikander finds the perfect balance between human and robot characteristics to allow Ava to fully be portrayed as AI. Of course, Oscar Isaac, who seemed to make an attempt to be in every good film of 2015 nails Nathan's egotism and deception whilst still never truly becoming an "antagonist" of the film.
This ambiguity of character between all three furthermore adds to the ambiguity of the film as a whole but also prevents any real alliance being made with any character which leaves you somewhat passive to the action that occurs. As well as this, though the film maintains pace and plot throughout and never deviates for pointless moments, when it ends you are left with a sense that more could have been explored whether that was in exposition or character development.
Positives: The film is beautifully shot and the performances are astonishing whilst all maintaining pace without many if any plot holes.
Negatives: The characters are all, in their own way, discreditable and the short run time all leaves a sense that something was missing even though you're not quite sure what.
Summary: Despite not liking many characters, Ex Machina is a fantastic film and definitely worth anyone's time.
9/10
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