One of the most satisfying SF films I've ever seen

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2016)

I've read a lot of SF over the past 5 decades. Ex Machina feels like a very good novella flawlessly recreated as film. There's just enough development of the characters and ideas to fill a good movie, without any indication that the source was cut or padded in the transition. The key points were communicated without excessive verbal exposition (the bane of SF films). I thought the successive revelations of Nathan's ostensible and true motives were cleverly managed. Alicia Vikander's (Ava) performance was stunning-- smart, nuanced, and sympathetic. The movie as a whole was a beautifully made and visually appealing production.