Ex Machina

For obvious reasons, artificial intelligence in the movies has always been more advanced than in real life, and Ex Machina is no exception.

It’s a science-fiction thriller with interests in both elements of the term, putting a fresh twist on familiar themes in a study of robotics and relationships that feels at times like a cross between Frankenstein and Spike Jonze’s Her.

The story takes place inside a remote estate belonging to Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the reclusive founder of a successful tech firm who recruits a protégé named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to spend a week working on a secret project.

That project is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a cyborg able to reason and react emotionally to visitors. Specifically, Nathan subjects the robot to the Turing Test, in which Caleb will interact with the seductive Ava for a fixed time each day to evaluate whether Ava’s consciousness sufficiently replicates human behavior.

The audience learns more about Ava as Caleb does, and the film gradually develops suspense as he begins to question Nathan’s motives and form some trust issues. As Caleb grows closer to Ava, he grows more suspicious of Nathan. Yet her cunning proves more difficult to grasp than either man originally thought was possible.

The film marks an assured directorial debut for screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later), who creates an intriguing sci-fi landscape and brings visual flair to the material despite its confinement almost entirely to a single location.

The sharply written film is cerebral yet doesn’t bog down in enigmatic concepts or scientific mumbo-jumbo, mostly ignoring discussion of how Ava was constructed or programmed.

As in Her, where Joaquin Phoenix fell in love with Scarlett Johansson’s computerized voice, it’s essential that the emotional attraction between Caleb and Ava is convincing, even if it’s awkward on a practical level. That’s where the performances shine, with Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Gleeson (About Time) matching wits as the mad scientist and the unwitting lab rat, respectively.

Despite a more conventional finale, Ex Machina offers a provocative cautionary tale by raising plenty of ethical questions without turning heavy-handed. If nothing else, perhaps it might give lonely computer nerds some romantic hope.

Rated R, 108 minutes.