I really hate myself for just having watched this one last weekend. It is incredibly good and at certain points mind-blowing with all of it's ideas and messages.
I knew I was in for a good treat cause I was aware of the buzz concerning "Ex Machina". All the reviews said it was amazing and everyone I talked about this told me I really needed to watch it. Now that I did I can't quite stop thinking about the plot and some of the implications.
The characters are very well constructed. The tension between the main triangle - Caleb, Ava and Nathan - had me nervous throughout the whole film. The way they interact and speak - specially since Ava is an quite an different AI from what we're accostumed to see it this kind of story - is full of subtlety and calculism. Deception is a major part of the game and if you can master it you've the power.
Domhall Gleeson as confirmed himself, at least at my eyes, as one of the best young actors out there, even one of the best of his generation alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Miles Teller. The way he delivers a little bit of quirkiness to this role is quite enjoyable. He's a conflicted man attracted to a machine, torn apart between love and fear.
Oscar Isaac continues to impress as Nathan and its really hard to believe that actor with his chops has been in the spotlight for such a short time.
Alicia Vikander really stoods out here as Ava. And she's the real queen of deception. The way she conveys feelings and thoughts is notable, and the whole performance is "au point". Really, the casting department made the best choice it could have done. This still young-aged actress is really gonna blow out in the years to come.
Also a big thumbs up for Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko. She hasn't one single line throughout the whole film but she really knows how to act physically and lets just say that this role was given to someone who couldn't quite do what she does, the whole experience would be damaged.
Finally, I need to praise Alex Garland's and his team's vision. Being its debut as a director he performed like a seasoned expert in sci- fi. This is the guy who pinned the breakout "Dredd" and he really knows how to pull the strings and immerse the watcher. Really hoping to see more from him in the future, specially since he's adapting Jeff VanderMeer's novel "Annihilation" to the big screen.
Is there anything else to be said?
I knew I was in for a good treat cause I was aware of the buzz concerning "Ex Machina". All the reviews said it was amazing and everyone I talked about this told me I really needed to watch it. Now that I did I can't quite stop thinking about the plot and some of the implications.
The characters are very well constructed. The tension between the main triangle - Caleb, Ava and Nathan - had me nervous throughout the whole film. The way they interact and speak - specially since Ava is an quite an different AI from what we're accostumed to see it this kind of story - is full of subtlety and calculism. Deception is a major part of the game and if you can master it you've the power.
Domhall Gleeson as confirmed himself, at least at my eyes, as one of the best young actors out there, even one of the best of his generation alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Miles Teller. The way he delivers a little bit of quirkiness to this role is quite enjoyable. He's a conflicted man attracted to a machine, torn apart between love and fear.
Oscar Isaac continues to impress as Nathan and its really hard to believe that actor with his chops has been in the spotlight for such a short time.
Alicia Vikander really stoods out here as Ava. And she's the real queen of deception. The way she conveys feelings and thoughts is notable, and the whole performance is "au point". Really, the casting department made the best choice it could have done. This still young-aged actress is really gonna blow out in the years to come.
Also a big thumbs up for Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko. She hasn't one single line throughout the whole film but she really knows how to act physically and lets just say that this role was given to someone who couldn't quite do what she does, the whole experience would be damaged.
Finally, I need to praise Alex Garland's and his team's vision. Being its debut as a director he performed like a seasoned expert in sci- fi. This is the guy who pinned the breakout "Dredd" and he really knows how to pull the strings and immerse the watcher. Really hoping to see more from him in the future, specially since he's adapting Jeff VanderMeer's novel "Annihilation" to the big screen.
Is there anything else to be said?