It's spring, and the warm weather, beautiful scenery, and gentle sunshine tempts us outside with timeless allure. Go outside and play. Then, when you're tired, go to the movie theater and see "EX MACHINA."
I'll just come out and say it: this movie is fucking awesome. I'm a big fan of "Her," but I honestly can't recommend it to everybody because I think it got sufficiently intellectual at points that it could leave some audience members behind. "EX_MACHINA" remedies that with a simple genre shift: instead of being a philisophical AI sci-fi romantic comedy/drama, it's an AI sci-fi thriller. If you like a psychological thriller, you're going to like this movie. The suspense builds slowly and inexorably, and keeps you guessing until the end. You don't need to be a geek to get it. The basic science language you need to understand what's going on is laid out simply and quickly at the beginning, and you're ready to roll.
Now if you're a little more cerebral and like a movie that makes you think - like me - then you are in for a real treat with this one. The acting is flawless. Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac present characters that are utterly believable. They feel familiar, like people you've already met, or at least heard about in the news. And like real people, the more you get to know them the stronger your emotional reactions to them (by the end, my reactions were visceral). And Alicia Vikander as the AI...I honestly don't want to say anything. Just go see the movie.
Director Alex Garland clearly paid scrupulous attention to every detail of this film, with marvelous results. The visuals are powerful; from the very beginning, nature and man-made artifacts are juxtaposed in beautiful, provocative contrast. The colors and textures draw you in. The sounds (or absence thereof, in certain circumstances) each serve a purpose, forcing your brain to pay attention.
And then there's my favorite part of a good movie: all the THINKING I do afterwards! (Although I'm not writing spoilers, you may want to wait to read the next two paragraphs until after you've seen the flick--I wouldn't want to unduly influence your initial reactions.)
This was such a thought provoking film! Nuance and symbolism abound as the story progresses. There are clear literary ties to Frankenstein, the Book of Genesis, and Pygmalion of ancient Greek mythology. For scientific inspiration, I found nods to behavioral modification, Freudian ideas of female psychology, and even comments on contemporary academia and research methodologies. And of course there is tremendous philosophical influence, ranging from Nietzsche to Robert Jensen. I'm sure I'll think of more as I continue to reflect on the film--a thought provoking movie is the gift that keeps on giving!
Now, if you've seen the movie and are ready to do just a little more thinking, I challenge you with this question: imagine the film precisely as it was, but with each character's gender reversed. Yeah...tell me that doesn't get your brain going!
If you want a movie experience that leaves you both entertained and feeling like your IQ did a few sit-ups, "EX_MACHINA" will not disappoint. And if you just want to see a good psychological thriller, you can't go wrong with this movie, either!