Ex Machina is 'The Shining for the social network generation'
Alex Garland's sci-fi thriller 'is a film to puzzle over,' says CBC's film critic
The slick and sophisticated Ex Machina opens in select Canadian theatres this weekend, delving into the dangers of sentient computers and the complex nature of human relationships.
The sci-fi thriller, written and directed by 28 Days Later scribe Alex Garland, opens with Caleb, an ambitious computer programmer (played by Frank actor Domhnall Gleeson), who is invited to visit the cabin of a billionaire artificial intelligence developer, Nathan (played by Inside Llewyn Davis's Oscar Isaac).
Caleb's task: to test a beautiful robot, named Ava, for self-awareness.
Swedish actress Alicia Vikander plays the sexy yet chilly A.I. experiment who becomes locked in a three-way struggle for survival with Caleb and Nathan.
"As the question of what's real begins to blur," says CBC's film critic Eli Glasner, "Ex Machina becomes The Shining for the social network generation."
"This is a film to puzzle over, filled with data about ourselves and our desires," he says.
Watch Eli's full review in the video above.
Ex Machina opens in theatres Friday.