I recently watched the film Ex Machina which I surprisingly enjoyed. I say surprisingly because I was sceptical due to its low budget. The budget was $15 million which is low if you expect the film to be good. The film does not contain many roles as it is a maximum of four people on screen at a time. These characters included actors Domhnall Gleeson (Caleb), Oscar Issac (Nathan), Alicia Vikander (Ava) and Sonoya Mizuno (Kyoko). None of these are A List stars so this lowered my expectations for the film. But, for the budget and cast, this film is outstanding. The box office it gained was $36.9 million, which is huge for a small budget film.
It is a very futuristic based film which can give viewers an insight of life in the future. It is creative in the making of the robot that is featured throughout the film, her name is Ava. She is sexualised in the film which some viewers may disagree with as she is a robot, but this makes it seem more realistic. A reason why the film is so stunning is due to the fact that it was filmed in Norway. Norway is a beautiful place and really suited the aesthetic to this film. A stand out feature that surprises many viewers is that no green screens were used to create the amazing visual effects. This also adds to the setting as Nathan's house is actually there. Nathan is one of the main characters and he "controls" Ava. He is her creator and has total possession of her. This makes the audience feel a connection with Ava, even though she is only a robot. But this makes you feel emotion for her, and leaves you thinking if robots do actually have feelings.
The film starts off the action when Caleb arrives at Nathan's luxury house, this is when it really grabs the audiences attention as you do not know what will happen. You will gain different feelings for Nathan as you just don't know whether to trust him or not. He seems like a nice character but you can just tell he has some dark secrets. This is why I enjoyed the film as I started to realise what the characters were like, it made me feel as if I personally knew them and that I was the "lucky winner". It also made me connect with Ava the robot and made me be on her side. This is the beauty of this film.
Overall I believe that this film is for any ages as the ideas are complex but simple to understand. As soon as the film is over you will be left wondering what life would be like with robots as it is very realistic. Lovers of Sci-Fi and lovers of the complete opposite will be engaged with this film and enjoy it. The way the Garland directed this film is simple yet so effective, this is due to the fact that he can make a whole engaging storyline, with three main characters. He is known for his classics; such as 'Never Let Me Go' and his famous novel 'The Beach'. But I personally believe that this is his top creation so far. I've never seen anything else like it. Also, as it was made in 2015, it can give them audience on a feel for the future in a creative way which is actually believable, I think that this was Garlands aim.
I give this film 4/5 stars.
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