Ex Machina

Dir: Alex Garland

2015

*****

Ex Machina is the most intelligent sci-fi film made in quite some time. Following Neill Blomkamp's woefully underrated CHAPPiE,it's 2015's second big movie that deals with the idea of artificial intelligence. Both films are the complete opposite to one another but both work well as companion pieces. While CHAPPiE deals with whether society could ever accept artificial intelligence, Ex Machina explores the decisions that A.I. would likely make, what their behaviour would realistically be like and just how human they would be and/or seem. The film explores what the possible outcomes could be should a Turning test (a test that finds whether A.I. exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to or indistinguishable from that of a human) be performed. It's a little like a modern retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in many respects, although the ethical question is different. It questions the notion of artificial intelligence too, suggesting that not all humans are intelligent, which is of course true. So would A.I. be intelligent or animalistic, would they have instinct and if so, what would it be and if A.I. has to pass as human, surely this includes all the negative traits that come with it!? The experiments are set in a high-tech facility but the film isn't as clinical as you'd expect from the genre. This and the fact that this A.I. is created by a C.E.O. of the world's leading search engine, a genius programmer, rather than a science guy or government lab dude, is quite refreshing. It's like if Mark Zuckerberg created A.I., a terrifying thought, especially when you realise that this A.I. was created illegally based on the patterns of the world's internet search history. It's clever stuff. It's certainly more of a noir-thriller than what you'd expect from a sci-fi/sci-fi horror. The special effects are minimal but superb when used. It's astonishing really when you realise it's basically a three person show within the confines of a few rooms. The conclusion is as troubling as all good sci-fi should be, as whether or not it is a happy or sad ending is completely subjective depending on how you look at things. It's a future classic, I have no doubt.