Alex Garland is perhaps best known for his 1996 novel 'The Beach' subsequently made into a Leonardo DiCaprio starring movie and Directed by Danny Boyle in 2000. He has also authored 'The Tesseract' and 'The Coma' and has written a number of Screenplays including '28 Days Later', 'Sunshine', 'Dredd', 'Never Let Me Go', and more recently 'EX MACHINA' which is his Directorial debut, and which I saw this week. Made for a very lean US$13M this film has already grossed twice that sum, and has proven what a deft touch Garland has as Director in putting out his first film in such a nuanced, creative and engaging way.
The story is light on characters (with just four playing out almost the entire film), but it is rich in dialogue, intrigue, atmosphere, emotion and big thought provoking ideas. As we open up we see 26 year old computer coder Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) tapping away at his office desktop computer, alerted to a signal on his screen that he is the winner. We learn subsequently that he is the winner in the office lottery, and his prize is a week in the company of the C.E.O. Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac) at his own private residence. The company in question is 'Bluebook' - the worlds number one Internet Search Engine accounting for 94% of all global Internet searches. Nathan is a genius, likened to a young Mozart, because he developed his Search Engine programme that turned him into a gazillionaire, at age 13. Now he lives a reclusive life tucked away in some remote mountain forest hideaway accessible only by helicopter - which Caleb is using to get to his destination.
When Caleb arrives there is no fanfare, no one to meet & greet, no reception committee and no welcome party. He arrives at the residence and is ordered to the front door by a robotic voice giving him instruction. He enters into a beautiful luxury home built into the side of a forested hill and largely undercover. Eventually, he meets his Host for the week - reclusive C.E.O. Nathan and after exchanging social niceties they get to know each other over a beer or two. Nathan outlines his plan for Caleb that he wants him to conduct daily test sessions with an A.I. android that he has secretly developed, and of which not another living soul is aware of. Nathan's residence is in fact a research facility - technology to the hilt, heavy security measures, monitored everywhere, and before Caleb can do anything he is made to sign a non disclosure agreement.
The test in question is 'The Turing Test' (remember 'The Imitation Game') whereby the tester interrogates the computer and if it is shown that its responses could come from an artificial intelligence or a human, and if its replies cannot be distinguished from a real human, then the test is passed, and the computer must be considered intelligent.
Initially Caleb is overwhelmed by the android's scale of intelligence, emotion, thought processes and responses. While these daily 'sessions' are ongoing Nathan observes from the CCTV, takes notes, drinks and exercises. Each day the pair meet up for dinner to discuss the days learning's, Caleb's opinions and what he has learned and what he has observed of Ava the android (Alicia Vikander). As the days progress and the sessions develop into more complex conversations so Caleb and Ava seem to connect more & more and a bond begins to form. Ava though is able to exert some power over the technological fortress in which she lives and which she knows no different by creating a power surge and so knocking out the electricity supply temporarily, so that Nathan loses all audio/visual contact. During these periods she alerts Caleb that Nathan is not all he seems, that he cannot be trusted, and that there is more to the facility than first appears.
As the days move on we are introduced to Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) who is a resident Chief Cook & Bottlewasher Assistant to Nathan, and at his every whim it appears. Through his own observations, clandestine discoveries and the bond he forges with Ava, Caleb comes to learn that Nathan is guarding more secrets within his research facility despite his seemingly open and affable approach - for the most part, and when he's not blind drunk. Going through his lab one afternoon Nathan shows off his creation to Caleb and how he created the artificial chemical brain for Ava and downloaded its intelligence from the billions of users at Bluebook. He then talks about future versions of his android and killing off Ava to recycle her for the next more advanced upgrade.
As the week draws to a close Caleb and Ava hatch a plan to derail Nathans plans, and escape from the facility, but both are seemingly unaware that he has been watching them while they have been watching him! In the end as the big reveals come and the tension mounts it doesn't end well for anyone, but there is no doubting that the most intelligent one rules the day . . . and so it is here!
The film, on its modest budget, is beautifully crafted and has the look & feel of a film of three times its outlay. The story is solid, the dialogue intelligent, the performances are strong particularly that of Vikander who it seems here can't put a robotic foot wrong, and visually the film scores very highly. Garland has done a fine job for his first Directing gig with an offering that will provoke thought and discussion, stir the emotions and leave you wondering what if? You don't have to see this on the big screen, but you won't be disappointed if you do.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
