With AI technology bettering at an astonishing rate, I went back to take another look at Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland, to see how well its take on artificial intelligence holds up. Ten years ago, AI was still largely unknown to most people, and Ex Machina offered audiences a look into what one day may be possible with an AGI in human form. Now, with AI being around every corner it seems, how does the movie hold up to the test of time?
The Story
Ex Machina is a film about Ava, a robot of AGI, and her attempt to outwit two men: Nathan, a tech mogul, and Caleb, a programmer. More precisely, Caleb is sent to administer the Turing Test to Ava in order to validate whether she truly possesses self-awareness. The result is a psychological game of cat and mouse, whereby each character conceals his agenda in the direction of others.
Psychological Strategy
The whole film is replete with psychological manipulation that is masterfully given to the audience. Alex Garland, the director, has managed to keep the audiences guessing by letting out each character’s strategies little by little. Ava, who looked so vulnerable in the beginning, slowly turned out to be bright and able to manipulate both Caleb and Nathan. Indeed, even Nathan’s belief that Ava is playing with Caleb is not convincing because Nathan was entangled in his own web of arrogance.
Visual Atmosphere
Visually, Ex Machina is a film full of chill. The film is set in a very remote, Alaska-based research facility, and that isolation only heightens the psychological tension. Ava’s body is a minimalist creation that marries human-like features with mechanical parts; hence, the eerie feeling of ambiguity between machine and human lingers. Graded in largely muted colors, the starkness of the sets further perpetuates unease-a manifestation of the more deep-seated fights between the characters.
Performances
Oscar Isaac is brilliant as Nathan, the genius of technology teetering on the edge of madness. His alcohol-fed unpredictability adds layers to the story. Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, the innocent programmer, to perfection-he unravels as he becomes enmeshed in Nathan’s mind games. Alicia Vikander’s Ava mesmerizes with a sense of innocence and a chilling sense of control, making her at once sympathetic and fearsome.
Technological Flaws
While the film provides a great view into AI, some of the technological elements put forth in the film feel really outdated. Centrally connected to the plot of the film was the Turing Test, which was-at the time of making-already an argued-irrelevant test. Also, the depiction by the film of Ava causing power outages without the use of Wi-Fi or any sort of external connectivity does seem a little hard to believe, especially for modern AI enthusiasts.
Conclusion
Despite a few technological gaps, Ex Machina is still an intriguing psychological thriller in which the AI, human emotions, and manipulation went on to resonate. While the AI performance is no longer bleeding edge, strong performances and the psychological depth of this movie make it well worth watching, even 10 years later. A sequel based on AI in today’s world could add fascinating new layers to Ava’s story.
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