Suspenseful, keeps you guessing

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2015)

I thought this was a really well done and thought-provoking movie. I appreciated the direction of the movie and the fact that the director didn't feel the need to spell out every single detail. He assumes you are intelligent enough to follow along. The entire set up for how Caleb was invited to the CEO's retreat was done via a selection of carefully placed scenes, which is great storytelling. He didn't spend inordinate amounts of time setting it up and spelling things out for you.
I thought the entire dance sequence felt really odd and out of place. That's one moment where I just paused and scratched my head.
As far as the climax and the ending, I didn't really see it coming. I really had no idea what was going to happen and the fact that Ava left Caleb at end was a great twist - truly shows that she was intelligent enough to manipulate her way to freedom. It also raises the inherent question of AI - can they truly love and feel empathy, or are emotions simply a means to an end.
I think this movie really makes you question how you define intelligence, and the broader dangers of AI. I also tend to like movies where there isn't a clear protagonist - I don't think movie really had one. I think the movie frames Nathan as the antagonist, but none of the other characters are innocent. They are fundamentally self-serving.