Reviewed by Matt Denny.
This is a rather trite summation of Alex Garland’s directorial debut, and doesn’t do justice to how fresh Ex Machina feels in spite of occupying a well-worn generic furrow. Paradoxically, this sense of freshness seems to stem from the film’s apparent paring down of both the thriller and science fiction to barest genre essentials. There is nothing superfluous in Ex Machina, it’s lean, ruthless - some might even say mechanical. Ex Machina’s great strength is the skill with which the science fiction and thriller elements are interwoven. These generic strands share a symbiotic relationship, the thriller adding urgency to the philosophic pondering and sci-fi exposition. In turn, the philosophical and psychological concerns of the science fiction plot become the concerns of the thriller; the poles around which mysteries, suspicions, and loyalties are organised. This means that Ex Machina is both a genuinely thrilling thriller and a fulfilling, rigorous piece of hard(er) SF. Ex Machina compares favourably to Transcendence in this respect, a film full of fascinating ideas that singularly fails to fascinate.
Ex Machina has been touted as
Ex Machina plays like a taut chamber piece, with a minimal cast and the action restricted (largely) to a single location. The claustrophobia of the situation is intensified by the acerbic and unpredictable presence of genius software-millionaire Nathan, with Oscar Isaac delivering an incredible performance just the right side of scenery chewing. The film is punctuated by forays into the sublime landscape surrounding Nathan’s lab, although such moments serve to accentuate the sensation of feeling trapped by emphasising character’s isolation, rather than feeling like an escape. Ex Machina echoes cabin-in-the-woods style slashers in this respect, although unlike The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Evil Dead there is no clear sense of who the monster is.
Alternate Take available here
This review was published on January 28, 2015. |
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