Review of Ex Machina (2015) by Cameron H — 01 Jun 2017

Director and screenwriter Alex Garland is as subversive as the character in focus, Ava (Alicia Vikander). I am utterly fascinated by how he directs what he writes. The film is on a chill pill that never wears off, no matter how dramatic a scene is supposed to feel.

Editing is cerebral in its laxness, score never intrusive, and the performances, too, beg for you and the fellow actors to take it down a notch. What is all of this for? SPOILER: Garland wants you to sit idly and comfortably, as computer AI takes its next steps to dominate the universe.

One of the best cinematic twists I have seen in a long while, all the creepier by slow, deceitfully peaceful plot and character development. There is enough on-screen chaos to entertain the viewer, but Ex Machina's implicit chaos has no interest in mingling with Hollywood storytelling tricks.

You never knew the knife was stuck in your back, until Garland gently twists it out. Conversations about computer AI are bound to come from a viewing, and the film poses some interesting questions as to what it's all for and what is humane.

For those talks, I would more quickly recommend modern lectures from true experts on the subject. Alex Garland is not that, nor does he claim to be. He is a filmmaker, first and foremost. That is why I firmly recommend any appreciators of cinema and storytelling to see this.