When you think you have seen everything about AI movies, Ex Machina arrives and gives a very nice perspective on the matter. The movie goes quick, not many things happen but they are clever, very well thought. The story is more focused in the moral problems of the human main character rather than in the awe of the creation nor the existencial problem of the AI. The cast is all great, from Vikander to Mizuno, Glee and great Oscar Isaac. A real must to watch if you are into the topic.

**Enjoyable, satisfying sci-fi** Kinda smutty, kinda creepy, kinda evil, thoroughly enjoying. OK, there's nothing mind shattering but still good fun and a nice pay off imho. For those complaining it was predictable - if you want something you CANNOT ever predict go watch Predestination https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/206487-predestination Something about it hit the right chords for me, modern, start up, big loud talker, sad lonely guy.... I've seen lots of those geeks turned CEO's and they don't know what they've become. Actually more to be said about the Nathan character than the rest. Definitely worth a watch if you like dark humour and sci-fi.

John Chard

Nov 9, 2019

8.0

Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you? Ex Machina is written and directed by Alex Garland. It stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno. Music is by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury and cinematography by Rob Hardy. A young programmer is thrilled to be selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment involving synthetic intelligence. He's to evaluate the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid Artificial Intelligence known as Ava... Your nutshell review is that it's a cautionary tale of science going too far, where the narrative thrust of a Turin Test becomes something far darker and troubling. This is a deliberately slow paced sci-fier, told out of a remote reinforced science institute populated by just one human and some A.I. creations. Enter Caleb (Gleeson), who doubles the human quotient and kicks starts what is a cunningly sexy, troubling and potent picture. As we are drawn into this most fascinating world, we are requested to pose ourselves the deeper questions about being human, for better or worse. This is nothing new, this has been explored in many other sci-fi pictures, but the intensity of the set-up, the performance of the actors in this intimate surround, for sure engage the patiently interested. The ending is plain daft, even irresponsible when one considers how much thought has gone into the story previously, but mostly this is a genre piece of considerable worth. 8/10

I thought the story was both interesting and believable on some levels. I have no doubt that an AI would eventually turn on a creator, especially since most creators don't think of artificial intelligence as anything other than a tool to use and dispose of. Be careful what you wish for, if you try to create a life through AI, don't be surprised if it has a mind of its own.⭐⭐⭐⭐

specimenb

Aug 10, 2026

4.0

*Ex Machina* has a polished look and a strong premise, but I found it far more self-satisfied than genuinely intelligent. The idea of testing a humanoid AI’s consciousness is promising, yet the film keeps treating its familiar twists and vague philosophical dialogue as if they are profound revelations. The sterile setting and performances are competent, but the characters felt less like people than pieces being moved around to make the ending work. Caleb’s choices are frustrating, Nathan is written as a cartoonishly awful genius, and the movie’s gender politics felt uncomfortably shallow. By the end, I wasn’t impressed by its supposed ambiguity—I just felt like I had watched a sleek, predictable thriller pretending to be deeper than it was.