Not quite the cerebral thriller I was expecting ...

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2015)

Ex Machina has a simple plot. Nathan, a reclusive programming genius, treats one of his employees to a week at his remote estate with Ava, an enigmatically charming robot who's meant to wow (or seduce) her visitor into believing she has human tendencies. Although this appears to be no real challenge, both Nathan and Caleb, the unlucky employee, egotistically assume they control the experiment. The rest is a foregone conclusion. As much as I like Nathan and his dancing Japanese servant, style is no substitute for ideas. Where other films might explore the potential ironies or paradoxes of artificial intelligence, Ex Machina reduces the human condition to basic animal attraction. When not quoting philosophers or scientists, Caleb is a voyeur and Nathan is the inventor of elaborate sex toys. Ava just happens to be a spectacular example.