Highly original and compelling to watch.

Rating: 8/10 (24 April 2015)

Science fiction is a well known and reliable movie genre. Its literary cousin, hard science fiction, less so. Hard sci-fi is based on current research and technologies that are plausible in our current understanding of the subject; it is a future that is just around the corner. Think more Gattaca and Interstellar and less Armageddon and The Matrix. Into this sub-genre we may as well throw one more sub-sub: humanity's preoccupation with artificial intelligence or A.I. for the cognoscenti. Even before Spielberg brought us the Kubrick film of the same name, the possibility of sentient machines has been a subject that Hollywood returns to again and again. From Fritz Lang's Metropolis to Kubrick's own 2001: A Space Odyssey, audiences have been captivated by questions like, can machines be self-aware? Are they capable of feeling? Can they even, whoa, love?
The questions are tantalizing and the subject shows no sign of slowing down. Following the recent, and somewhat disappointing, Chappie and last year's Her, a film that shares similar themes, here we have Ex Machina. Directed by first time helmer Alex Garland, who's previous writing credits include 28 Days Later and Sunshine, another sci-fi flick of the hard variety. For a debut film this is impressive work. The set up is at once simple and compelling: a young coder is selected to participate in a modern day Turing test, the premise of which is being able to tell if a subject is human or A. I. by asking a series questions and analyzing the answers. If the interviewer cannot tell the difference then true A. I. has been achieved. In a classical Turing test the interviewer does not know beforehand who or what he's asking the questions to but here the rules are changed in a few ways. For once, we get to see the subject A. I. almost from the beginning played by Alicia Vikander in a gorgeous mixture of live action and CG that's midway down the slope towards the uncanny valley.
The programmer, played by Domhnall Gleeson, is brought to a reclusive mountain retreat by Oscar Isaac's Nathan. You know? I don't know what this Isaac fellow did before becoming an actor but after this and Inside Llewyn Davis it seems he's truly found his calling as an actor. Here he plays a billionaire genius that seems like a combination between Steve Jobs and Doctor Frankenstein. It is he that sets up the Gleeson's programmer to test his A. I. creation but who is really testing who? To say more of the plot would be to rob viewing audiences of watching this expertly crafted yarn unfold. Suffice to say this is intelligent and provocative film making, with writer/director taking meticulous care in developing his narrative. At times he seems to know exactly what his audience is thinking and has the characters provide answers to intriguing questions. For example, just how intimate can you get with a machine? As a cinema experience it makes for gripping viewing. Watch it with Spike Jonze's Her for an interesting discussion on what the future may hold for human/machine interactions. As the director's first film it marks Garland as a talent to watch. I personally can't wait to see what he'll do next.