that's some robot

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2017)

Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander star in the 2014 "Ex Machina," directed and written by Alex Garland.
Caleb (Gleeson) is a 26-year-old programmer at an Internet search engine company of Google proportions. He wins a competition which enables him to spend a week at the private retreat of the CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac).
The retreat is in a gorgeous setting, but Nathan is a strange one, drinking heavily and keeping Caleb off-balance. Caleb learns that he has been chosen to be part of an experiment with artificial intelligence. The AI is a gorgeous robot, and Caleb is directed to interact with her and give his assessment. As he learns more about her and about Nathan, the situation becomes more and more strange and uncertain.
Beautifully photographed and well-made film with some excellent acting. There is nothing new about man versus machine, but "Ex Machina" deals with human emotions, deception, manipulation, and sexual attraction.
Gleeson comes off as the perfect patsy, and the character of Nathan is hateful, a tribute to Isaac's performance. The beautiful Vikander is great as Ava, the robot, hitting the right balance between automaton and human.
The finale is fascinating and also tells us something about artificial intelligence, if it ever comes to be. See for yourself.