In an awesome moment for sci-fi fans, Netflix has come through, adding one of the greatest and most underrated sci-fi movies to its platform—one that gets better with each subsequent viewing and very much earned its 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. While this movie doesn’t tell a story that can be called entirely new, it absolutely puts its own spin on it, making the narrative feel fresh, while also tapping into an eerie sense of existential dread that feels inescapable through its hour and 48-minute runtime.
Alex Garland’s Ex-Machina, which debuted back in 2014, perfectly builds a creeping sense of horror as it centers around a low-level programmer, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson). Unexpectedly, Caleb wins a contest, the prize of which is that he gets to spend a week at the private estate of the company’s CEO, the enigmatic and chaotic Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). When he arrives, Caleb is told what the real prize of the contest is—that he has been chosen as the human component in a Turing test to determine the capabilities and consciousness of Ava (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful and incredibly lifelike robot created by Bateman. However, it soon becomes evident that Ava is far more self-aware than expected, and she has plans of her own.
Ex-Machina is a Perfect Warning About Artificial Intelligence
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Beyond the thread of anxiety woven throughout the movie, there’s also something incredibly alluring and borderline sexy about it. It is more dialogue-heavy and relies much less on action as it masterfully uses only a handful of characters to tell a story that’s both engaging and intense. The twists, turns, and subversion of expectations feel earned as opposed to hollow, showing just how talented director Alex Garland truly is. “It not only takes place right on that blurred line between human and AI, but also portrays the exact point where it’s finally crossed,” says Joseph Tomastik of Loud and Clear Reviews, who rates the film 5 out of 5 stars.
Casual viewers raved about the film as well, with one saying, “Thought-provoking sci-fi thriller, I loved this film. It is the quintessential AI pick years before AI became a daily headline topic. The acting is top-notch, and the visual artwork is stellar. A must-see and top of form film.” Another rated it 4 out of 5 stars, adding, “1 star for: Ava’s manipulative gaze 1 star for: the Turing test as seduction 1 star for: Oscar Isaac’s dance scene 1 star for: the cold architecture as psychology 0 stars lost for: a slightly neat ending.”
Now that Ex-Machina is back on Netflix, you really won’t want to miss the opportunity to stream it, and the rise-of-the-robot-army brand of anxiety that comes with it.
What’s your favorite moment from Ex-Machina? Let us know in the comments, and then check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going with other sci-fi fans.