An engaging piece of sci-fi

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2020)

I've never delved deep into the sci-fi genre so I decided to dabble in it by first visiting Ex Machina, a film that's regarded as a sci-fi masterpiece.
Ex Machina starts off with a young programmer named Caleb, who manages to get the chance to take part in an experiment evaluating human qualities and emotions of a newly developed humanoid AI.
I personally thought Ex Machina was great. I don't love it as much as other people but I find it to be a very compelling sci-fi movie that raises a couple of questions. The film looks absolutely gorgeous and includes some incredible special effects. The locations that are shown bring about a sense of paranoia and claustrophobia as the film goes on. This is Alex Garland's feature film debut and I'm definitely on board with whatever he has in store for the future. Garland brings about many interesting ideas surrounding manipulation, the future of humans and how far AI can go. It's these themes that make Ex Machina memorable and stay in your mind.
Not only that but the performances are also strong. I loved watching Oscar Isaac in this movie. His character was really interesting and kept on getting intriguing throughout. Alicia Vikander, who played the humanoid, was outstanding. She finds the perfect balance between being human and robot with her mannerisms, way of speaking and expressions that all reflect that. The only character I had a problem with that of Domnhall Gleeson. I just wasn't invested in his character and didn't find his portrayal to be that great either.
For a debut, Alex Garland shows his skill in sci-fi and didn't disappoint at all. He is a director that's very interesting and cannot wait to see his other film, Annihilation. Ex Machina kept my interest piqued by its ideas and story that got more and more suspenseful towards the end. It's certainly a very strong piece of science fiction.