A decade old and this serves as a warning that feels so timely even now The dangers and implications of artificial intelligence couldn’t be more potent than with this Director Alex Garland’s film debut featuring Domhall Gleeson, Oscar Issac, snd Alicia Vikander A programmer Caleb wins a contest to spend a week at his CEO’s house, Nathan who specializes in state of the art computer technology But he finds out he’s been chosen to take part in an experiment of a Turing test Nathan has created a sophisticated human robot named Ava who’s capabilities and conciousness are to be determined The thing is though how much of her is human, how much is machine? She might be more self-aware and deceptive than both men are led to believe Ava though advises Caleb not to trust Nathan repeatedly All of us as human beings are all too familiar with the implications of artificial intelligence; self awareness, manipulation, sexuality, empathy…if that’s not artificial intelligence then what is?, what is considered true conciousness?, how long before it replaces human beings?, are search engines a map of what people are thinking or more how they’re thinking?, at what point do we show sympathy for the stuff we create?, where does the cruelty begin having a machine do repetition?, machines are made by us but maybe there’s such a thing as being too sentient, we are excited by our capabilities but also afraid if we lose control, we are programmed by nature or nurture unlike machines which we can program any way we wish The film is brilliantly acted, suspenseful, atmospheric, and serves as a disturbing meditation on ethics of a.i. as well as sexuality/morality There’s even points where this is downright scary The caution is more aimed at the humans here Issac comes off as misanthropic, threatening and predatory, Gleeson is curious yet doubtful, and Vikander is intelligent although makes us question her true motives After all her character isn’t a real person yet we feel she’s at times abused as a tool or pitied by the men observing her The movie is really dialogue-driven with each of these players picking each other’s brains making each of their encounters that much more unsettling given they’re all placed in a claustrophobic setting Asks who the real one is being tested More heady than relying on special effects although they do look seamless particularly for Ava combing the mechanics and flesh There’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed when it comes to artificial intelligence especially with the concept of manufactured manipulation asking who’s more human or machine A sharp sci-fi film that asks the parables of humanity with enough of a cerebral edge positing interesting ideas

This proves you don't need a bloated budget to make a great Sci-Fi movie. Great small cast, well written, and slowly pulls you in and grabs you until the end.

I love film that are able to deliver on a budget.. it's all coherent, well acted with a solid plot. Feels like an independent movie with no studio getting in the way of the theme and the tone of the story.

One of the best sci-fi movies ever, period.

A surprisingly awesome sci-fi psychological thriller with emerging performances from Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander. The videography was excellent and the minimal but excellent special effects were on point and worthy of their Oscar win. I just love this film and Alicia's performance!

I enjoyed it so much. One regret is that I should have seen it more earlier.

Fantastic movie, seemingly a simple story but asks complex questions that seem obvious given the logic behind the story telling of the script and has now started giving me crippling anxiety so thanks for that

Ex Machina is one of my favorite films. I have watched it multiple times and It never seems to get old.

The best science fiction film of the 21st century so far.

A smart and well written film that analyzes the development of artificial intelligence. Featuring a small but stellar cast who play totally believable yet interesting characters. The setting of the film takes place in a hi-tech mansion in the wilderness that manages to be both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Speaking of which, the main character Ava is an enigma to both the main character and the audience as well. Ava is the main focus of the film as she is tested to see whether or not her artificial intelligence could be passed off as human and she is played wonderfully by actress Alicia Vikander. Overall the movie manages to be both a thought provoking scifi/drama and an intense thriller at the same time. For those who like this type of subject matter, you'll be left with a lot to think about and an urge to watch the film again. Easily my favorite movie in years, I highly recommend Ex Machina!

Extremely polished all around work of art. Especially nowadays with AI, it probes us with many societal questions. Overall very good, and absolutely worth a watch. For only a 15 million dollar budget , it surpasses most Hollywood movies.

A very intriguing sci-fi ethical trial of the consciousness and autonomy of artificial Intelligence and where do we draw the line between man and machine in terms of ownership and freedom. There are some good twists with the character reveals and the acting is terrific all across the board. AVA is adorable and clearly sympathetic, but is clearly hiding something. Oscar Isaac's character is also clearly hiding something, but with less sympathy in order to really push Domhnall Gleason's character into a real moral dilemma on who to trust and what's the right thing to do in this situation. I'm a bit mixed about the ending, but I understand that's part of the point to make you feel disappointed with the final character decisions. Definitely one of the better modern sci-fi films in my opinion.

BORing .....................

A superb debut as a director by Garland in this smart AI thriller that builds tension with it's remote setting and sly genius of its antagonist. A movie of style and smarts. One of 2014's best movies.

This is an intelligent, thought provoking story about AI, human connections and what makes up life. Oscar Isaac does an excellent job as Nathan, the eccentric tech billionaire. He can be cool and collected one minute and completely unhinged the next. He is a man that is hard to get a read on, both chill, yet one that you would never dare to betray. In fact, the acting all around is top notch. I admire how much the film was able to with its limited budget. Its CGI rightfully won the Oscar for best visual effects, with a meager 15 million, it was a steal compared to the other nominees. The movie and the characters intelligently discuss a lot of great profound topics. The movie creates a good sense of unease and menace with its setting and characters. But it doesn't do much beyond that. It is only these 4 characters in the one setting the whole time. And most of the movie just consists of talking about their A. I. invention. That's all it is. Nothing more, nothing less. On the positive, it is a good 1hr 43-minute runtime. But I feel they don't do much beyond just discussing it. It has a very good ending, and it is well put together. The movie tackles a lot of profound topics, but it doesn't go much beyond that. Still a good time, just know what you're getting in to.

Deep, created by a genius

A solid sci-fi thriller

A few plot holes but still an excellent move.

108 minutes to remind you ROBOTS don't have emotions this was stupid.

Wonderful. The AI revolution is a hot topic. This movie does a great job of depicting the realities in which we live today. The notion of consciousness is tested. A young man is used as a lab rat in an isolated location to test Ava, a human-like robot, and vice-versa.