Ex Machina (2014)

A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.

Director:

Alex Garland

Writer:

Alex Garland

Stars:

Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac

Won 1 Oscar. Another 71 wins & 159 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Domhnall Gleeson	...	Caleb
Alicia Vikander	...	Ava
Oscar Isaac	...	Nathan
Sonoya Mizuno	...	Kyoko
Corey Johnson	...	Jay
Claire Selby	...	Lily
Symara A. Templeman	...	Jasmine (as Symara Templeman)
Gana Bayarsaikhan	...	Jade
Tiffany Pisani	...	Katya
Elina Alminas	...	Amber (as Lina Alminas)

Storyline

Caleb, a 26 year old programmer at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.

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Plot Keywords:

artificial intelligence | turing test | minimal cast | robot human relationship | robot | 

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Taglines:

There is nothing more human than the will to survive.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic nudity, language, sexual references and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oscar Isaac said he based his characterization of Nathan on Bobby Fischer and Stanley Kubrick, who he sees as mysterious, elusive geniuses. The now iconic look of the latter also served as an inspiration for his beard.

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Goofs

Passing the Turing test indicates an intelligence indistinguishable from a human intelligence. Exactly what such a result implies is a matter of debate and the conclusion that the characters in the film draw - that passing would imply consciousness - is one of many accepted schools of thought on the subject.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Caleb: How long until we get to his estate?
Pilot: [laughs] We've been flying over his estate for the past 2 hours.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits starts with a single dot in the background which then grows and various patterns emerge from it.

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Alternate Versions

The alternatively censored cut released in China featured frequent blurs of nudity and, on occasion, violence. One scene towards the end also seemed to be zoomed for no apparent reason.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Powerful Movie Scenes with Minimal Dialogue (2016)

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Soundtracks

Get Down Saturday Night
Written by Oliver Cheatham (as Cheatham) & McCord
Performed by Oliver Cheatham
Published by Universal/MCA Music Ltd
Courtesy of Geffen
Under license from Universal Music Operations Limited

User Reviews

Very good balance between sci-fi and psychology

A great story, with complex yet very relatable characters.

AI has been a recurring theme in sci-fi movies for some time now with varying degrees of plot and execution quality. I feel this movie aces both.

A secluded environment and very good original music set the mood for full focus on story and character development. The plot twists time and time again as an intelligence power-play is delivered with very good performances by this little known cast. Character development feels perfect as each one gains depth without loosing essence.

From a sci-fi point of view, it's not you're typical FX based movie, nor is it an action film. Nevertheless some very good effects and acting make for an excellent merge between fact and fiction that lets you concentrate on the philosophical questions the movie asks about the nature of AI.

Conclusion: I'd recommend this film to anyone. Though warning it concentrates on the brain rather than the muscle. Excellent movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ex Machina

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$237,264, 12 April 2015

Gross USA:

$25,442,958

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,869,414

Company Credits

Production Co:

A24, Universal Pictures, Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS Datasat

Color:

Color Black and White (some shots)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1