EX MACHINA

I had never watched this before until Joe Rogan said it was one of his favourite movies. It’s so interesting to watch in 2023 with the regulation of AI in everyday life.

ChatGPT_developer rated this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

They could've added more to the story here

This is a visually stunning, though low-key sci-fi, revolving around three main characters, one of them an AI creation.Alicia Vikander is a stunning presence which aids the sexual tensions the film plays on, but primarily she is very convincing as this artificial humanoid, her movements, expressions, and dialogue feeling very authentic. In fact, she is much more convincing than the human characters who let the film down somewhat. Her voice has a soft, sometimes broken innocence to it, suggesting a new creature born into the world, but hiding a cold and manipulative core. I felt that, though stunning as mentioned, her appearance, with the mechanisms of her artificial nature revealed to us, was perhaps unnecessary and a symptom of an overall feeling of style over substance that I got from the film. There is an undoubted erotic nature to her design that is a key theme throughout the film and works well but it might have been more interesting if she was presented with the appearance of a normal, though beautiful, human, and more of the interactions involved in the Turing test were explored.It's a welcome and interesting theme though, to see the erotic nature of AI explored.On the other characters, I wasn't convinced with Domhnall Gleeson's American accent and rather thin, computer programmer, social awkwardness. He seemed a bit too stylish and well groomed to fit that stereotype but he did bring a believable emotional connection to, and sexual desire for, Ava to the role.Oscar Issac's super intelligent, web tycoon Nathan just doesn't convince. It feels like he's the one-dimensional projection of the writer/director Alex Garland's idea of what a person like that would be. Immature, thoughtless, with more money than moral compass. I just didn't buy that, and would have found a more intelligent character, with subtler glimpses of a darker, twisted side, better serving of the film and more disturbing.There are the odd occasions in Ava's movement, and a scene of violence later on in the film, where the CGI and lack of budget is more obvious but I'd recommend this film on the visual aesthetic, interesting themes, and Alicia Vikander's performance.

Technical enough to seem realistic and convincing without bogging down the audience with techno babble. Excellent acting and visual effects. Above all a really engrossing storyline tapping into fears of AI becoming hostile

This menace-filled tale has undertones from Greek myth,French fairy-tale (Bluebeard) and E.T.A. Hoffman, but its resonances are supremely modern. The zillionaire perverted inventor Nathan, compellingly played by Oliver Isaac, is an internet supremo and manipulator, a splendid hate figure. The young guest in his mountain fastness, Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is the central figure of the tale, an egg-head innocent who is invited to test the artificial intelligence of a robot who proves one too many for him (Ava, played winningly by Alicia Vikander). Drawing on the CIG technology of the later Seethreepio, Ava as a humanoid/machine combination combines the irresistible appeal of a fresh young maiden with the allure of the very latest model of a MacBook. Another robotic wench, Kyoko, played to the hilt by Sonoya Mizuno, seems to have been designed by Nathan to conform to an old stereotype: Japanese beauty, servile, doesn't speak the language, moody, highly sexed. To avoid spoilers is difficult. Suffice it to say that the enginer is hoist with his own petard and that the fate of Caleb recalls Waugh's 'Black Mischief'. A technological tale which gives one furiously to think about morality, responsibility and motivation.

i really think this might be one of my favourite films. 5 stars is pretty high i guess, i would probably give 4.5/5 if i could since it isnt perfect or anything, but what film is?anyways, beautiful cinematography and graphics. great acting. extremely aymospheric - there are aspects of plot and set which divert from what is probable or realistic i guess, but all these aspects seem to me more like artistic flair than flaws as they all add up to create the overall striking emotional effect of the film. its got notes of thriller to it but its very conceptual and abstract too - psychological thriller seems like a pretty good description i suppose. but what i love most of all about this film is how challengingly cerebral it is. it really forces you into the position of moral philosopher, not just raises and exploring questions like what does it mean to be human, but actually making you feel strongly and passionately about them. at least, thats what i found. me and my mum actually watched this together twice, and still argue about our two completely different interpretations. it is a bit of a confusing subject and it is pretty open ended in the film too but it still made me feel strongly about subjects id never grappled with before, and whats more, made me want to know more. i dont think ive ever watched a film and as soon as it was finised ive felt so fascinated and conflicted that ive wanted to pick up and study a philosophy text to try and understand the tantalising glimpse of... something, i dont know, whatever the film just showed me a part of. i want to know more. to understand more.also maybe this is just me, and i know some petty people would probably view this as a downside, because they are silly, but i personally found the gender politics really fascinating in this film. it seemed to explain things that we see in real human society clearly and easily yet without even using humans half the time. it simulates something very alien and yet very familiar. im not sure, its just sort of uncanny. im going to have to think about this some more because there are lots of interesting parts of this film but i can tell my immediate response is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding it. at the moment all i can say is that it was beautiful, exciting, intellectually stimulating, emotional, and at points infuriating. but for the right reasons. most interesting film ive seen in a long time, if ever.