One of the best films ever made.....

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2015)

Just saw the film and am still gob-smacked, so this review may not be as clear as some of my earlier ones.
A few notes:
1. Wow
2. As far as AI goes, this is the film that Spielberg wishes he would have made. It covers the same weighty questions but in a way that grabs the viewer by the throat and doesn't let go until the very end.
3. The I/B (impact to budget ratio) is off the chart. A full length feature that has what, 3 major characters, the same set, and some nice CGI? The backer who wrote the first check must have been crying tears of joy because they were in profit before the cameras rolled.
4. Wow.
5. Not merely a thinking-mans sci-fi, also a horror flick. Riffs off themes from classics like ISLAND OF DR MOREAU (where the daughter of the mad scientist is much more than she seems) and even the original Dracula (where the innocent young man gets invited to a castle for a job and discovers the owner and his servants are more than they seem).
6. Wow
7. Director Alex Garland is a force to be reckoned with.
8. Riffs off Sleuth (1972) where two men who are having seemingly simple conversations end up in a battle of wits.
9. Is it just me or is Oscar Issac as Nathan channelling Mandy Patinkin from Homeland, including voice mannerisms, even the beard?
10. Also borrows from Frankenstein (the created wanted to destroy the creator) and even Pinocchio (the puppet who wanted to become a real boy).
11. The pacing is extraordinary. It never peaks or plateaus. Every time you think you know what is coming, it just takes the story up a notch.
12. Even the ending -- a riff on the "cuckolded boyfriend" -- is unexpected and mesmerizing.
13. Cinematography is breathtaking. Musical score is perfect.
14. Did I mention Wow?