Opened: January 21, 2015

Directed by: Alex Garland

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno, Gana Bayarsaikhan & Corey Johnson

A sci-fi film with real heart and brilliant twists, Ex Machina is a fantastic piece of fiction (that could easily become real in the future) by writer-director Alex Garland.

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a contest at his company where he gets to spend a week with CEO Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). Nathan has Caleb administer the Turing test on his AI android Ava (Alicia Vikander).

From Caleb and Nathan’s first interactions, there’s an unsettledness that is only enhanced by the introduction of Ava. With impenetrable CGI, Vikander brings Ava to life and gives her intelligence while remaining slightly robotic.

The film serves as a warning to the continual growth of AI and what it could do. With an eerie ending, you’ll think about this long past finishing the film.

Final say: Man or machine? The lines are clearly blurred. ★★★★★