Ex Machina is one of the best sci-fi movies of the last 15 years, and its Rotten Tomatoes score proves it. Written and directed by Alex Garland in his film debut, Ex Machina stars Oscar Isaac as Nathan Bateman, a tech CEO who invites Domhnall Gleeson’s computer programmer Caleb Smith to his remote mansion for help administering the Turing Test to his humanoid robot. Alicia Vikander portrays the android named Ava, who undergoes various trials to determine her likeness to human consciousness. As the experiments go on, Ava exhibits remarkable intelligence, and she and Caleb grow fond of each other. Additionally, Ava divulges to Caleb that Nathan cannot be trusted, and that has been mistreating her and another android in the house, Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno). From this point forward, Ex Machina evolves from a standard sci-fi movie to an exhilarating thriller. The film premiered in 2014, though its wide release was in 2015; it won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2016 and took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie the same year.
Videos by ComicBook.com
With a critic approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, Ex Machina cemented itself as a massive success upon opening in theaters and it has endured as an icon of the sci-fi genre over time. The film also ranks among the best performances of Isaac and Vikander’s careers, in particular, though the entire cast of Ex Machina shines. All in all, Garland’s sci-fi masterpiece propelled him to helming other fantastic movies such as 2018’s Annihilation and 2024’s Civil War. Ex Machina‘s impact cannot be understated, as its outstanding qualities have made it a timeless classic.
[RELATED: 10 Sci-fi Movies That Still Need a Sequel Years Later]
Ex Machina Fully Deserves Its High Rotten Tomatoes Score
In the wake of its release, Ex Machina was highly praised for its detailed visuals, gripping story, and thought-provoking subject material. Critics also lauded Vikander’s layered portrayal of Ava; the Oscar winner remarkably succeeds in exuding human behaviors while still coming across as not quite human. It’s easy for audiences to grow attached to Ava, as the character convincingly expresses thoughts, desires, and fears the way a human would. Isaac impresses in the role of the callous, arrogant CEO — who could be considered a Frankenstein-type character due to his creation of an unfettered humanoid that ends up becoming a threat. Ex Machina’s heart-pounding climax which sees Ava cut the power, escape the house, and leave Caleb trapped in it received a mostly positive opinion from reviewers, though some felt it was a tad rushed. Overall, Ex Machina was deemed a pioneering work of science fiction, and its brilliance has stood the test of time.
Ex Machina Is a Sci-Fi Masterpiece That Has Also Aged Well
As noted by many reviewers, Ex Machina is not only wildly entertaining, but it’s also incredibly insightful. The movie grounds itself by highlighting the impending emergence of artificial intelligence in the real world, emphasizing the difficulty of controlling something once it reaches human levels of intellectual ability. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence in recent years has paved the way for humanoid robots to eventually take up a common existence, and humanity may not be prepared. Ex Machina is far from the first high-profile movie to tackle the theme of AI, as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Her are just a few of its predecessors in the category.
Ex Machina approaches the subject from a hyper-realistic, almost pessimistic angle by focusing on the challenge humanity faces of determining when AI has crossed the line. When humans and artificial intelligence can no longer be discerned from one another, the result could be catastrophic. At the same time, Ex Machina ponders the question of equality between humans and their man-made counterparts in this hypothetical, yet foreseeable, future. Nathan and Caleb consider the androids to be objects and treat them as such, but the more it becomes clear that Ava possesses genuine consciousness, the more the abuse inflicted on her appears disturbing. Ava’s revolt after living trapped in a house for her entire existence is more heroic rather than the act of a villain when considering her human likeness. Even so, the movie’s naive human characters are astonished by Ava’s capacity to deceive and fight back.
The complex themes of Ex Machina generated lots of discourse back in 2015, and the film will remain a relevant story for many years to come. So, while most viewers love Ex Machina for its suspense and thrills, the movie also serves as a cautionary tale whose warnings about advanced AI and mankind’s hubris everyone should heed.
Ex Machina is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
