As we wait for Terminator Genisys to come out (for better or worse) there is yet another movie coming out that deals with robots and AIs. For all those who are complaining about the new Terminator movie having an PG-13 rating, the upcoming Ex Machina has a nice R Rating.
Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) testing out this new Robot AI called “Ava” (Alicia Vikander). Sounds simple- right? But then the trailer gets darker and darker as questions about Nathan and Ava start to arise. Questions like if Ava has actual feelings for people or is she able to use sexuality; expending no more thought than we would to flip a light switch. Questions like; if Nathan is running the tests on Ava for a reason other than the one he told Caleb.
The lighting gets darker and cuts a lot quicker near the end of the trailer. The build up in the trailer, in other words, is just right and leaves me with a sense that I need to see this movie.
This movie marks Alex Garland’s directorial debut. He has written the scripts for such movies as 28 Days Later and Sunshine in the past. Besides directing this movie, Ex Machina is also written by him.
Do I think this looks good? I feel that if it explores Ava’s reasons for thinking as she does and has a lot of intrigue with the other characters- it could be a wild ride. Plus the feeling of claustrophobia I got from the trailer makes me think even if it isn’t good, at least I’ll be out of breath by the end of it.
As a little trivia to end on: the title comes from the phrase “deus ex machina” which refers to a literary device where a hopeless situation is saved by an unexpected character/event. Usually referring to a contrived plot device.
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Ava looks a lot like the TOK-715 (terminator Cameron), but I don’t think Ava is as durable.