Mesmerizing and Intelligent.

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2015)

The first time I encountered this brilliant movie was just after the premiere of 'Interstellar' which I have also went to see on the big screen. Having learnt that it's much more efficient to be late for a movie because of the commercials, I took an extra ten minutes to get there. I sat down comfortably in my seat and let myself indulge in the trailer of 'Ex Machina', written by the one behind the creative and climatic '28 Days Later' as mentioned in the trailer. I knew it was going to be something. It grabbed my attention instantly. It was the last trailer before the opening of the film and I found myself regretful, that this wasn't the movie that was going to begin. It was okay.
How do I pronounce it; 'E X Mashina' or rather 'X Maekina'? It's the latter, but I am still not sure whether I'm supposed to say the 'E' or leave it out. Or maybe string them both together like in 'den'. Anyway, I didn't have to repeat myself and my mission in acquiring the ticket was successful. I entered the cinema hall. Two other people and I were all in that very last hall on the corridor. It is pleasant to have peace and privacy, but it is disappointing that movies such as this fantastic work of art are often discredited and abandoned. What is rare, is for the rare, I suppose.
We are slingshot into the story as we see Caleb, a young and gentle programmer who has won the golden ticket to spend a week with his mastermind employer, Nathan. We can admire the beautiful cinematography as the helicopter glides above the mountainous rural area, a chunk of gorgeous landscape that belongs to the billionaire Nathan himself. We can smile to the witty dialogue as we learn it does. From this point on, I was almost completely deprived of my natural skepticism.
It only got better. Caleb is given a choice (or is he?) he can either sign the form that seems perilous and discover what Nathan has got to show him, a desire that is 'eating him from the inside', or spend a week drinking beer and 'bonding'. The illusion of a choice being given vanishes as Nathan puts it to him cleverly. He signs instantly. The first interlude unveils, totaling to seven, they cut up the movie neatly into chapters, with the last being quite different from the other six, an original and very effective feature.
It really begins as Caleb awakes at night and knows that he won't be able to fall asleep. He puts on the TV in his room absent of windows. He is shocked to discover that its only purpose serves as a CCTV, planted by the devious and cunning Nathan (acted excellently and realistically by Oscar Isaac). He is given the option to watch the amazing and beautiful creature with an A.I. that's supposed to be indistinguishable from a human. There is a sense of doom and downfall as we witness him falling in love with 'Her'. We just don't quite know how it's going to happen.
The movie purposely seemed predictable and I was naïve to think that I foresaw it, I found myself outwitted twice, as I believed it predicted my conclusion and disregarded it, to learn much later that I were right. Maybe you are not as stupid as I am. There are many powerful twists that caused a wide smile on my face multiple times, especially in the climaxing moment.
One of the major climaxes is the one that's a twist without a twist. Perhaps I was dumb not to realize what was happening, as it is buttered all over our faces. I didn't give much thought to what just happened, I didn't understand it and even though something felt strange, I forgot all about it in the next scene. I do feel stupid but I think it's for the better. I like to be twisted. Looking back on it, the movie fooled me more than twice.
The acting, the visuals, the music, the story and the writing are the apogee of creativity and brilliance. It is rare for a movie to infuse me with such powerful emotions and thoughts but it does happen, and I am thankful for it. Not only that, it is extremely entertaining. Every scene is essential and no minute is wasted. Every single aspect is believable and authentic, ultimately, this is what makes it work.
The ending itself was perfect, leaving us a lot to think about. The themes explored in this superb film are great in depth and in fact a great challenge. Alex Garland is a newborn genius that triumphed over the task. With a debut such as this, I reckon he will succeed as a director many more times. At least I hope he does and wish him to achieve that from all my heart, although it's probably unnecessary with a talent such as this.
My intuition did not fail me, and it was the best way to spend a night along with my ten euro. I recommend it to anyone who loves to be entertained and provoked to think. I think this is the longest time I spent watching the credits and listening to the enchanting music covering them, along with the other two blokes. Unfortunately, the amount of people of the second category is scarce. I don't mind as long as it does not hurt the potential of the director, and am happy to enjoy his imagination in an empty hall.