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Ever since I’ve known, most sci-fi movies and most thrillers end up being uneventful, dull, boring, lacking in written knowledge but most of all they aren’t memorable. Ex Machina builds on the existing audience, without any previous movie. Let’s break down Ex Machina to its elements.

Ex Machina feels like a cup of coffee, super strong, bold and smells amazing, without the sugar. The sugar being action that most sci-fi movies are known for. This is a plus. The film succeeds in three major areas that propel it forward. The writing and directing, the performances and The Design.

Caleb, an employee at the world’s largest search engine bluebook, wins an opportunity to meet the CEO, Nathan. Once an NDA is signed Nathan shows Caleb what he’s been working on in seclusion. A humanoid robot with an AI named Ava.

The writing is beautiful. Both written and directed by Alex Garland, who penned the screenplay’s of ’28 Days Later’ (2002), ‘Sunshine’ (2007), ‘Never Let Me Go’ (2010) and ‘Dredd’ (2012), Making this his directorial debut. And man is it alarmingly beautiful. Garland manages to keep you thrilled, curious, at the edge of your seat but most beautiful of all how he manages to toy with your emotions in such a tame and smart way. And The Design? Gorgeous. Each shot in the film is filled with cinematic beauty, from the place to the props, attention to detail is quite high and that’s something that’s always appreciated.

The performances in the film just adds on. Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb effortlessly which reminds me of his performance in ‘Frank’. Oscar Isaac plays Nathan, a character you’ll grow to dislike and then agree with, and he plays it in such a manner that you hate having to agree with him, which is just amazing. But the best performance? Alicia Vikander who plays Ava. Vikander just takes over this Artificially Intelligent Robot with a grace and manner that scream at how much of a good actress she is.

Ex Machina, tackles a lot of topics, namely what is it to be truly conscious. And it does so gracefully and in somewhat of a poetic manner. This is a definite must watch that shouldn’t be passed on.

Reviewed by Aasif Faiz