Starring: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac
Directed by: Alex Garland
Screenplay by: Alex Garland
Like movies about artificial intelligence? Like the philosophical debate over whether A.I. can be good or evil? Don't want any of the action of Terminator? You've come to the right place.
Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) works for an internet search engine called Blue Book, the largest search engine in the world. It's CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), lives in the middle of nowhere. Caleb has just won a contest to go to Nathan's home to spend an entire week with him. So he's going to meet his boss. That has to be making him nervous.
Once he arrives, he finds that Nathan lives alone, except with a female Japanese servant who does not speak. But this house is not just a home; it's a research lab. Nathan needs Caleb's help on his latest project. Caleb is to be the human variable in a Turing test, a test in which a person can determine whether or not he or she is dealing with a machine or artificial intelligence (see The Imitation Game). The other component in the test is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a machine with a female sexual identity. They will meet each other multiple times during the week that Caleb is there and he will get to know Ava almost as if she were a real human being. Ava is able to express a variation of emotions, but it is up to Caleb to determine whether they are genuine emotions, or just simulations of emotions. Does Ava truly understand what she is feeling? Or is she just feeling things and is unaware of what they mean?
An interesting example of this is how their emotional connection strengthens. After much chatting and even some flirting on Ava's part, it is clear that she seems to like Caleb. Or does she? Does she really like him or is she simply simulating the effect of falling in love? Or is there a third option? You decide as you watch this film.
This is most definitely not the first time there's been a movie about artificial intelligence. Movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or the Terminator movies are only some examples of it. Ava is different from HAL or the Terminators because she has not been groomed to be a certain way yet. She is young A.I. and is unaware of the world. While HAL and the terminators are represented as examples of A.I. going wrong, Ava is represented as A.I. going neither right nor wrong. She has not yet learned to be good or bad. This makes Ex Machina a far more intellectual film than other films about A.I.
Many films about artificial intelligence are also loaded with violence. Ex Machina has no violence in it, which is good because it can focus more on the intellectual debate over Ava. This film has no debate over which she is good or evil, just whether she is true A.I. or not. One of the interesting things about the film is how the characters interact. Nathan and Caleb are basically on the same level intellectually. He may not seem it, but both of them are extremely smart and well versed in coding and the debate the film is having. This makes the philosophical aspect of the film all the better. Little has to be explained to the characters, even to Ava, who understands that she is artificial intelligence.
The film is structured almost like a diary, except it is happening currently, not in the past. Each act is clearly marked by each session that Caleb has with Ava. Each session is different from the last. The nature of the conversation changes, making it all the more difficult to tell if Ava is sentient.
I like that the film makes the A.I. system a woman. This is different from many other films about A.I. because many have voices of men. Would they have emotions like men? Probably. This is different because Ava is female. She thinks like a woman. She acts like a woman in her conversations with Caleb. Even the way she talks about her feelings for her suggest she is a female. Many films give excellent ideas of what artificial intelligence might look like in the future should it truly come about, but Ex Machina paints the entire picture. This machine has emotions and feelings making it different. The film suggests that true artificial intelligence would be as close to human as it gets without actually being human. Through all the wiring and mesh coverings that make up Ava, and if she were covered in a skin-like material, one should in theory not be able to tell the difference between her and another human.
The actors are excellent in this film, all delivering terrific performances. The film has a dark and serious tone, and with the slow pace of the story, can be difficult for some to watch. Some might find it boring. I find it fascinating because of how philosophical and intellectual it is. This is the best film I have seen so far this year and I cannot recommend it enough.
I give Ex Machina an A.
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