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Stunningly Intelligent

Already the second film this year about artificial intelligence, "Ex Machina" is everything the movie "Chappie" wanted to be. Smart, involving and complex, director Alex Garland has crafted a film that offers surprising turns and revelations, surely to keep audience members at the edge of their seat.

I want to keep things brief in terms of plot, because watching everything unfold in "Ex Machina" is the film's truest pleasure. Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a computer programmer who wins a lottery to be witness to a top secret experiment. He is flown to Nathan's (Oscar Isaac) palatial fortress of solitude, which can only be reached by helicopter. Most of the house can't be accessed without the use of a key card. Nathan - who owns the company Caleb works for - is a strange but brilliant man, who has created Ava (Alicia Vikander), a robot with a human face and qualities. It is a massive breakthrough in artificial intelligence.

That's the plot in its simplest form. Garland, who wrote "28 Days Later...", "Sunshine" and "Never Let Me Go" has experience in crafting weird sci-fi stories.

"Ex Machina" marks his directorial debut, and he is as assured behind the camera as a seasoned professional. He brilliantly shrouds the entire film in mystery, which will keep you guessing until the final scene. The cinematography by Rob Hardy and music by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury elevate the atmospheric quality of the film.

Gleeson - son of the great Brendan Gleeson - is strong playing it straight. Some of his scenes with Vikander offer emotional depth to the movie. Isaac continues to deliver performance after performance that solidifies him as one of the finest actors working today. He is chameleonic in his approach to taking roles, never doing the same thing twice. He was excellent in the Coen Bros' "Inside Llewyn Davis" and commanding in last year's "A Most Violent Year". He is as infuriating as he is terrifying as the egotistical Nathan. It's one of the year's finest performances.

Moments of "Ex Machina" will shock you, but this is a deliberate film that takes its time. It is not a slam-bang sci-fi action thriller, but a slow burn. Thankfully, Garland rewards the audience's patience in the end.