Following in the footsteps of such classics as Blade Runner, Ex Machina sets us into another exploration into what Artificial Intelligence could do to humanity, and what it says about our wishes to create.

With a small scale focus - just three characters, one major set - Ex Machina gives us three unique perspectives from which to view this question - Creator, Creation, User.

The user in this case is Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer for “Bluebook", a search engine company, chosen via lottery to visit the company’s CEO, Nathan (Oscar Issac). Nathan is, of course, the Creator. Using all of the input data from Bluebook - user searches, images, microphone data from cellphones - he’s attempted to create a new form of A.I.. The creation? That’s Ava (Alicia Vikander). Ava is Nathan’s latest revision, and it’s up to Caleb to serve as the prompt for the Turing Test, a test which determines how believable an A.I. is.

The movie takes us through Caleb’s testing process - day by day, going deeper and deeper, learning more about Ava and the complexity of her consciousness. This is all as Nathan watches and observes, looking to improve Ava with each step.

What follows is a mediation on everything from morals, to sex, love, humanity and the effects of creating something so close to humanity that it may as well BE human.

That said - the movie’s biggest strength is the movie’s biggest flaw. It mediates, it never judges. It shows, it never tells. The big questions are asked, but few are answered. Perhaps this is the intent of writer Alex Garland (of 28 Days Later fame, who is making his directorial debut here), but I can’t help but feel a bit empty in the end.

The movie remains captivating, even through to it’s somewhat predictable third act, and that’s very much due to the incredible cast. Domhnall Gleeson feels just right as Caleb, amazed to be selected for such a key task. Oscar Issac’s Nathan is the perfect “brogrammer", mixing his beers and coding with intense workouts. But without Alicia Vikander’s Ava, it’d all be for naught. She is incredibly captivating every moment she’s on screen - humanized enough to be believable, but maintaining enough distance in her performance to be perceived as robotic. It’s a risky role, but she carries it well.

Ex Machina may not have the answers to some of the biggest questions about Artificial Intelligence, but in asking the questions it does, the results are a captivating film you cannot ignore. If you enjoy sci-fi of a more intimate, subtle style, you’ll absolutely love it.