A tense Science fiction film about ideas rather than action

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2019)

Ex Machina, Alex Garland's Science fiction film about artificial intelligence, covers no new ground but it is a tense, suspenseful and well-acted picture. Garland forgoes action and special effects and tells a slow-burning story about big ideas. Thanks to Garland and his cinematographer Rob Hardy, the films atmosphere is very claustrophobic and paranoid. Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson are excellent but the film belongs to young Swedish actress, Alicia Vikander. On the surface, she plays the AI Ava with a childlike innocence and wonderment. But underneath, is a very intelligent and cunning being. Her performance was the highlight of the film. There are a couple of plausibility issues I have with the plot. But they are minor and do not hinder the overall experience of an otherwise intriguing science fiction picture.