Perfectly Executed.

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2015)

FINALLY! 2015 has, at last, unveiled it's first great film. Ex Machina is quite a simple film. It centers on a lonely tech coder, Caleb (Played by Domhnall Gleeson). Who previously starred in the small film, 'Frank'. He wins a staff lottery that allows him to meet the companies reclusive CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Upon arrival to Nathans back woods estate he realizes he hasn't come to simply meet this derailed billionaire. He promptly signs a lengthy discretion document and is introduced to AVA, a prototype Artificial Intelligence. Caleb is tasked to test her to decide if she has a human like consciousness. OK, maybe it's not as simple as I made it out to be but it's when the film gets off and running that the plot becomes fairly simple. For the remaining 90 minutes the film is only set on testing AVA. Alone this plot line is fairly bland. But Alex Garland (writer and director) has some tricks up his sleeve. The more we learn about each character the more Nathan and Caleb clash. This creates an extremely intriguing power struggle. Both using their knowledge and wits to try and outsmart each other. While the film masquerades wholly as the bond built between AVA and Caleb the real meat of the film is in the quieter moments between Nathan and Caleb. It's a completely unique story dynamic. What helps to boost the story is the stars performances. Isaac delivers a fine performance as the head strong, self confident man who fancies himself God. While Gleeson is great as the quiet, insecure, average human being. He is the one we as the audience connect with most. The simple man thrust into a completely foreign area and tasked to fulfill a seemingly impossible task. These two are fabulous in the film but it's Alicia Vikander (AVA) that comes as a revelation. Delivering a mysterious, bold performance. She encapsulates the AI's mannerisms so perfectly it feels like she was born for this role. The film, like it's characters, is highly unsettling. There is a palpable aura of dread that surrounds 'Ex Machina'. The pieces of it's sinister puzzle unfold at Hitchcockian proportions, even if some of them are rather predictable. But this isn't the 'Sixth Sense', where we get one massive twist at the end. No, this is like riding a roller-coaster that is the record holder for most cork screws in one ride. Some turns hit exactly how they intend while others drop lazily to the side all to predictably. As each twist unravels the film plunges deeper towards it's inevitable madness. Once we finally reach this point it throws everything it has at you. Every little detail it went over creeps up and makes a gut wrenching appearance. It's impossible to leave 'Ex Machina' fully satisfied because the film wants to be this way. There are questions left unanswered and threads left untied. This benefits the already thought provoking script. It leaves the door open for hours of post movie discussion. 'Ex Machina' is a simply complex film that takes the all to familiar AI genre and effortlessly redefines it with a great cast, thought provoking script and intensely unsettling tone.