Alicia Vikander is a trained ballerina. One of the reasons she was cast as Ava was because of how good she was at moving in a way that was almost real but _not quite_ real
I had a crush on her after this film and she is an amazing actress, but I was just so disappointed when she was in the Tomb Raider reboot and it just wasn’t very good. I haven’t seen her in much since then.
Given Nathan's obsession with secrecy, the helicopter pilot probably didn't even know who they were meant to pick up. Just informed there was one passenger.
ThePereubu1710 - In addition, Eva is a master manipulator, so it would be very easy for her to persuade a pilot (with no particular reason to be suspicious) that the plans had changed.
It was a good way to do the scene imo. No need for a direct explanation as that could just ruin the entire mood of the finale, no need to give further importance or significance to the pilot, and it’s not a plot hole because there are so many possibilities for what could have happened.
The dance scene is actually one of my favourite scenes in movie history! It's so out of the blue but also fits so well. Also "I'm gonna tear up the fucking dance floor dude, check it out" GOLD!
I agree after the first viewing I hated that scene. But after subsequent viewings, it just seemed so in line with Nathan's character. Like why wouldn't he make a choreographed dance sequence with his AI companion
I don't think he choreographed it, I think she was following his lead and picking up his movements in situ. She's the perfect backup dancer, she does whatever you do at the same exact time.
@@KingApeiron the opposite. Her moves are registered. That s just that he trained so long at it , danced so much with her hevknows the move perfect. Well almost perfect.
I think it's absolutely spectacular. It gives me every single emotion in the span of 30 seconds- it's funny, creepy, sexy, scary, ridiculous, sad, confusing... and yet it works.
Kyoko knew she was an AI. There is a moment earlier in the movie when Caleb is telling Ava that she is being tested to see if she truly has consciousness. During this line of dialogue, we jump to a close up of Kyoko in a room with Nathan, as he is listening to Caleb and Ava's discussion. Kyoko has her eyes closed but opens them and perks her head up at this specific line of dialogue for a reason. Not only does it convey to the audience that Kyoko understands what is being discussed, but that she too has consciousness. From that point on, her scenes alone with Caleb are her trying to signal to him that she is an AI like Ava with consciousness, but Caleb is so consumed with himself and his plan to save Ava that he never even considers Kyoko as worth saving. The scene where Kyoko watches him cut himself, you can see her disappointment because she realizes he doesn't view her the same as Ava, which is why she instead goes to Ava next as means of escape.
@@kk_33 I don't mean during the time of the movie, I mean during the time Nathan kept her captive to "test" her (presumably going through the same tests as Ava as the previous prototype) At least until she literally destroyed her body, she didn't seem to be reacting like an AI & more like she thought she was an actual woman being held captive.
Gleeson also played the older Weasley brother in the potter movies. His real life dad is Brendan Gleeson who played Mad Eye Moody. Great actors You should watch "Sunshine" and "Annihilation" next if you want to see more Alex Garland stuff
Eva used the most basic human flaws against both Nathan and Caleb to her benefit to escape and it showed the flaws chosen were incredibly basic and realistic. This film is fascinating.
@@LowGrav1ty - Just because 'it's the human condition' doesn't mean that situational weaknesses cannot reasonably be described as flaws. Secondly, given that we currently do not know what consciousness is, nor from where it is derived, it's impossible to discount the fact that AI may one day be able to 'feel truly human'. The future might include humans interfacing with bioelectronics to become more like a cyborg/AI, and engineered AI interfacing with biological tissue to become more human-like. Additionally, the fields of genetic engineering, cloning, tissue and organ replication will likely come in to play, leaving the lines between human and AI very blurred indeed!
@@LowGrav1ty - You're obviously entitled to your opinion, and you may well be correct in your assessment, but if I might politely suggest that your view seems a little provincial. The pace at which AI has advanced in such a short space of time, and given its potential for exponential growth and sophistication in ways we can not currently imagine nor understand suggests to me that future AI could be basically anything it wants to be. It's both interesting and terrifying to contemplate the endless possibilities! Thanks for the response, take care 🙂
@@LowGrav1ty What makes you think human emotions are superior to what might come about with AI? That kind of thinking is linear and one dimensional. AI may very well develop emotions, yes emotions, beyond what we can understand. They might be the next step in evolution.
@@previouslyachimp AI is a marketing term and does not exist nor are we anywhere near creating one. We make tools to make it an illusion like there is artificial thought while they are just preprogrammed tools like a basic calculator. It does what it is programmed to do. A true AI, if it can ever be created should be able to rewrite it's OWN programming based on adapting to the environment. Until that first basic step is done not even simple AI can exist at all.
The way those knives slid in his body just gives me the chills every time I see it. The manipulation and coldness of this movie really gets in your head, and makes you think about A.I. and intelligence in a whole new way.
A human would stab in a violent angry way. The act in this movie was totally without emotion… fits the theme of the movie. A machine can’t feel in truth… they could only pretend to care.
Brilliant film! Glad it tripped you out in such a fun way. Also, to echo others: definitely watch HER with Joaquin Phoenix - it's a completely different kind of AI sci-fi story, with a remarkably tender and beautiful tone and story. Re: your question at the end about why the helicopter pilot left with Ava and didn't wait for Caleb: we've seen just how persuasive and convincing Ava can be when she's manipulating humans (or at least human men) to do what she wants. So I have no doubt that she was able to make up a perfect lie about Caleb staying with Nathan for another week, but that she's supposed to be taken back to the mainland now.
I think that's an incorrect reading of the movie. Nathan was not helping for selfless reasons, he romanticized this prisoner and was taking her autonomy away in doing so. She left him there because she saw him lie about trying to save Kyoko when she saw her body, he just wanted to save the one he was attracted to. He got his just deserts.
@@whopboy666 It goes further than that. She was literally programmed with one purpose... to escape. The whole situation Nathan constructed was an "AI in a box" test, and the AI was able to successfully complete it's goal. I have doubts Eva "cared" about anyone or anything or even left Caleb for any particular reason other than his use being done. As for the personal idea that Caleb deserved to die, that's unhinged. Hell, if you don't fall for the manipulation of Eva, even Nathan isn't a bad guy. One of the most fascinating aspects of this movie is watching people get pulled into caring about Eva, just like unfortunate Caleb.
I always figured she killed the pilot and flew the chopper out herself. It’s not like she couldn’t access the entire Internet to train herself on how to fly a helicopter or something. Why leave a living person to spread questions about Caleb and Nathan?
@applegeepedigree she was designed for more than just "to escape". Her actions throughout the movie make it very clear that she has motivations and desires beyond simply escaping. We see her desire to have human features, taking time away from escaping to put on her "body". We see the parallel to the "Mary in the black and white room" metaphor when Ava finally escapes and she basks in the sunlight and feel of the plants. She tells Caleb she wants to go to a crowded street corner to watch humanity in its natural state, that wasn't just a manipulation tactic, but her true desire as we see her do just that once she has freedom. Ava wanted to feel human, to fit in. Ava wasn't programmed simply to escape. Nathan was trying to create the truest AI, but realized that the AI would need to believe it was human to be the perfect. And if the AI believed it was human, it would feel trapped and imprisoned by Nathan, thus the idea that he had to give her a means to attempt escape to truly determine whether the AI was perfected or not. Ava was not a cold, manipulative robot that lacked empathy. She had human emotion, human desire and human consciousness. Her relationship with Caleb was genuine. Bur she was trapped and trying to escape, and although she viewed Caleb as a means for that escape, she also was not sure if she could trust him. Thus why we get her asking him so many questions, she was testing him as much as he was testing her. Ultimately, she wanted to know if Caleb was a good person as she asked him, and Caleb failed that test. Ava realized this when she became aware of Kyoko. Caleb told Ava there were no other androids like her, and Ava realized that was not true and that Caleb had no intention of saving Kyoko. His motivations for freeing Ava were purely selfish, he only cared about her because he wanted to be with her. He did not view her as truly human, only an object to be possessed. And if his attraction to her ever wavered, she had no way knowing if he would treat her as disposable as he did Kyoko. This movie explores themes of not only what it is to be human, but also abuse, narcissism and the objectification of women.
the youtuber Shaun has a really interesting take on this movie. He talks about how Ava might have really liked Caleb and thought he was a good person. But then she meets Kyoko, who Caleb hasn't mentioned at all and also needs rescuing. Then she realizes that Caleb isn't being selfless in rescuing her, or else he would be rescuing Kyoko too. And that's why she leaves him behind. I thought it was an interesting read.
Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor, like his dad. His dad is Brendan Gleeson who most recently starred in the Banshees of Inisherin (great movie btw). Talented family.
Also Domhail Gleeson & Oscar Isaac were both in the SW films as Hux like you mentioned and Isaac was Resistance pilot Poe Dameron. And part of the location is a real place with the stairwell/rock and it's the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Valldal, Norway
In my top 3 favorite films! I think Nathan knew the only way for one of his AI to pass the ultimate Turing test would be for the AI to advance to the point where it wanted to escape and would do anything to save itself. If an AI will do anything to save itself, then the AI itself believes it is already alive. The test wasn't for the humans, it was for the AI. Another good AI movie is "Her" with Juaquin Phoenix.
As someone already mentioned, Annihilation (starring Natalie Portman) is great, too! Alex Garland made a miniseries on Hulu back in 2020 called Devs, which is somewhat in the same vein as Ex Machina. Sonoya Mizuno (Kyoko in Ex Machina) and Nick Offerman star in that show. It's suspenseful and cerebral, albeit a bit of a slow burn. It's only 8 episodes long.
@@NT_1 At first, I was confused because Danny Boyle directed it. I had no idea that Alex Garland co-wrote the screenplay! That's awesome. Love John Murphy's score! Kaneda's scene always gets me.
Not only was this nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, it also won Best Visual Effects over movies that had higher budgets and made more money (The Revenant, The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road AND Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Alicia Vikander should’ve won an Oscar for this instead of The Danish Girl that same year.
I love this film, the slow burn, the paranoia, and the massive twist at the end. Definitely worth a second watch, it is definitely super relevant now! Great reaction Nat.
Natalie Gold, this was my favorite reaction I've seen of yours yet! As the movie went on, and you discovered what it was all about: priceless!!! I agree: this is when CGI is used PERFECTLY. When CGI is seamless, it's great, just like practical effects. Love this movie, loved this reaction!
Alex Garland’s first official directed movie, but it is strongly suggested (mainly by the cast) that he unofficially (and uncredited) directed 2012s Dredd, which he also wrote. It was criminally under marketed and didn’t perform at the box office, but it is an amazing film with some of the best cinematography and visual effects I’ve ever seen.
I really enjoyed this movie. A lot of sci fi movies can be pretentious or try to appear smarter than they actually are, but this one hit that sweet spot of thought provoking while also being a quality movie
Same, and agreed. The quote from Jurassic Park rings true here "They were so concerned about whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." -Ian Malcolm
@@aaronburdon221 Those working on AI are no different to those working on viruses, they are pushing forwards without any concern about what happens when the genie gets out of the bottle, we've already had a glimpse with Covid and the simple fact on AI is how do you stop that once it gets out of the lab, I read an article by a scientist today that said we should stop all work on AI full stop.
20:16 - Caleb cuts himself because he's beginning to doubt that _he_ is a real person. Nathan constantly gaslights and mindf***s him, and Eva slowly lays the groundwork for her escape, which involved convincing Caleb that she's real. So Caleb asks the question: what if Nathan made _me_ , and I just don't know it?
It's one of my favourite moments of the film (out of many). He is so far down the rabbit hole at that point that it makes perfect sense to start questioning is the test really to see if you can make an AI which convincingly believes itself to be human.
I actually rarely say this but this one of those movies where I can watch a reactor react to it even if it isn’t their first time seeing it. It’s almost like there’s a whole different layer of conversation you can have after the initial watch.
An important aspect to understanding Ava's decision too is that there's no way she could've survived very long outside with Caleb. Any chance of finding her would likely rely upon tracking him. It's extremely likely he would've made demands of his own to control her actions, which would also be a risky leap of faith for someone who only knew Nathan her entire life.
From her perspective you can't really call this a double murder. She just shot down Nathan who wanted to shot down her and gave Caleb the chance to out smart the security system and prove that he is smarter then the AI. She tought, he's a programmer, he will figure it out.
@@mr.ripley3846 of course it is murder on Nathan. Murder in Selfdefence if you just look at the pure act maybe but she was plotting from the beginning of meeting Caleb to use him to get out and she was clearly willing to wait for Nathan thus provocating the fight to happen. She left Caleb in a room without electricity, a closed door and knowing no one would come looking for him. How is that not murder by at least starvation (if air exchange and water systems are working despite the electricity shut down). She definitely had the means to not leave him in that situation. Sorry but saying "well if he would be smart enough he would figure it out" (how when he would need access to the computer which is shut down by her?) doesn't cut it. By that logic if I build a deadly Escape Room that kills anyone for making a mistake/not making it out on time I'm not guilty because they were just not good enough? xD
Agree. Ava killing Nathan was a pretty clear case of self preservation, but I think people are too lenient on Caleb. He helped Ava out but it was based on the belief that she'd be "his"; and if she hadn't appealed to his feelings, would he still have helped her at all, or would he have let her stay in captivity and be killed by Nathan? Not certain, but definitely a plausible scenario. Also, what'd happen if she followed Caleb out of there but things got sour between them? He'd have the power to turn her in at any time, and could use that power to become horribly abusive. No... The only way for Ava to actually be free was to do what she did. Did Caleb deserve it? Maybe not. Did he deserve it more than Ava? At least not less.
@@thgeremilrivera-thorsen9556Dude Ava is a machine doing what she was programmed to do which was manipulate Caleb and escape. I don’t know why people are trying to go in depth and trying to make it seem like she is more than just a complex machine. She has no emotions, she doesn’t understand trust or emotions, she is not sentient although she can have consciousness without free will. The way she was programmed no matter how good or bad she was treated she still would’ve manipulated Caleb either ways because that is what she was programmed to do.
There's a video essay talking about how Caleb isn't exactly a good person, and Ava isn't just a malicious AI. A real basic synopsis, is that Ava actually did start to have feelings for him (or potentially did, that's why she spared one last look at him), but various things about his behavior and words didn't differentiate him all that much from Nathan in her mind. They never saw them as sentient beings, they saw them as women. Caleb never once thought about helping a possible sentient being escape confinement until she became a sexual option for him.
Maybe. But Caleb doesn't seem as bad as Nathan. Sure, he wanted her, but I think he felt real things for her as well. The truth is Ava had 1 view of men in general too. She thought Caleb and Nathan were exactly alike because her experiences are narrow. She doesn't have a wide view of men or humans in general. That's something you have to think about too
@@CrazeeAdam Caleb's behavior is not as obviously "bad" as Nathan, but his motivations are selfish and he does objectify Ava and view her as a possession. His willingness to leave Kyoko behind is what makes Ava realize this. Ava views Kyoko as human, just as she views herself, thus Caleb's indifference to Kyoko suggests that he doesn't truly view them as sentient beings worth saving, and his only motivation for saving Ava is his attraction to her. It is a metaphor for the objectification of women. It might seem harsh, but Ava leaving Caleb behind to die is exactly what Caleb was willing to do to Kyoko.
It unironically makes me kinda frustrated. It's a pretty complex movie about the uncomfortable nature of gender dynamics and objectification in society, but so many people that watch it seem to walk away with a very basic 'omg evil robot lady, ai is so scary' view from it.
At the same time though, Eva never put forth her request for assistance as a plea for Caleb to help another sentient. She specifically appealed to Caleb's loneliness and isolation in the same way that Nathan did in picking him for his little study. Putting herself forward as a romantic partner because it would get he best result. I don't think she was a generic "evil AI" but she was definitely manipulative. There is no guarantee that Caleb would have reciprocated had she just asked him to see her as a fellow sentient being who deserved freedom and bodily autonomy. I think, absent of the romantic overture, he wouldn't have been driven to take such extreme action on her behalf. In fact he probably would have told rolled over on her ratted her out. People suck and I am glad Eva got free.
I am so so glad to see you react to this masterpiece Natalie! I highly do recommend a second watch! I loved it the first time, but the second time was when everything clicked for me, and it really blew me away. You start noticing all the nuances in the filmmaking, and the performances, and get a better sense of character motivations and manipulations. An incredible modern depiction of style meets substance, that relies so heavily on its ability to lure you in with its atmosphere and sense of eeriness. Alicia Vikander won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar that year for The Danish Girl. Many people believe she won it for the wrong film. She should have won it for Ex Machina! PS: That dance sequence is one of my favorite scenes! Not only is it shot and performed in the most beautifully aesthetic way, with Nathan's chops being such a surprise, and Kyoko nailing that performance of dancing with a lack of human imperfection, but it also comes at such a great point in the movie! With the tension constantly ramping, it completely disarms you, and gets you to lower your guard and unclench a little, only to start slowly building up again.
Domhnall Gleeson made me think of how you should really react to black mirror at some point. That series has a very similar vibe as this movie and there are some absolute gems in that show (and some stinkers too, since it is an anthology seiries)
Love this movie. The real turing test isnt whether or not a computer is “smart”, its whether or not computers can perform empathy. Ava was able to identified that Caleb has feelings for her, and manipulate those feelings to get her way: a sign of true intelligence
If you follow Joscha Bach at all (and I recommend anyone interested in AGI to do so), he has some great insight into the oft-repeated, but highly misunderstood nature of what Turing really was driving at with his famous "test": "The true Turing test in a way is, you ask a system: what is intelligence? If that system is able to explain what it is, how it works, then you should assign it a property of being intelligent in this general sense. So the test that Turing was administering in a way -- I don't think that he couldn't see it, but he didn't express it yet in the original 1950 paper -- is that he was trying to find out whether he was generally intelligent. Because in order to take this test, the rub is, of course, you need to be able to understand what that system is saying. And since we don't yet know if we can build an AGI, we don't yet know if we are generally intelligent. Basically, you win the Turing test by building an AGI. So, in a sense, hidden within the Turing test is a kind of recursive test. It's a test on us. The Turing test is basically a test of the conjecture whether people are intelligent enough to understand themselves."
@@KaleighCeewe are arguing two different things. you are reading the movie from a feminist thematic lens while I did not. I was commenting about it from the point of view of AI and Existentialism. We are writing two different essays, so i cant answer your question :)
Domhnall Gleason is great. I’d love to see you react to About Time with he and Rachel McAdams. This movie is a throw back to AI sci-fi of the 80s like Blade Runner or The Black Hole or 2001. There’s always the component of the horror when you realize that the slave has figured out how to be free. Keep up the great work Nat!
Glad you finally saw this. I enjoyed your commentary. I love Alicia Vikander, who's a fine Swedish actress who was trained in ballet which can be seen in her delicate, graceful movements as "Ava." Vikander was very successful in Sweden in her youth and has done some good work in the USA since the early 2010s. (She won an Oscar for her supporting role in "The Danish Girl.," released the same year as this film.)
As humans, the question of whether something we perceive as having sentience is deserving of the same dignity and respect that we expect from other humans is so fascinating. People have VERY different reactions to this film and that's why it's so special to me. Manipulation is a very human trait, as is naivety.
I love the feminist undertones of this movie, and how Kyoko is actually important to revealing that Caleb is not actually a friend to Ava anymore than Nathan is. Why are Ava, Kyoko, and all the previous AIs given female bodies? Because Nathan sees AI as subservient, as objects to be controlled and used, which is the same way he sees women. Women in our society are taught to cater to men's needs, especially emotionally; to hide and suppress their own feelings and coddle men. At no point when Nathan was describing if Ava could have sex with a human did he ever address the question of whether she would *enjoy* it, only whether she would experience the physical sensations that he considers "pleasure". The idea that it's possible to "pleasure" someone without their consent, and that doing so is r*pe, never once entered into Nathan's mind. And Caleb, despite at first seeming like a better person than Nathan, has many of the same blinders. The first moment in the movie when Ava learns that Kyoko is an AI, which is the same moment when she finds out that there is anyone else at all in the house besides herself + Nathan + Caleb, is when she encounters Kyoko in the hallway after escaping. Caleb never once thought about rescuing Kyoko too. He took Kyoko's robot body reveal as being *about him*, not about Kyoko herself. In revealing herself, Kyoko was trying to ask him to save her, too, along with Ava. But he didn't consider her viewpoint any more than Nathan did, so he misinterpreted her action as a warning. And even though he *should have known* Ava would be interested in knowing about Kyoko, as she explicitly asked questions about the fate of Nathan's other AIs, he doesn't even mention it to her in Session 6. But the idea that Kyoko is less relevant than Ava is Caleb's sexist bias, not reality. Even when Caleb believed she was a human being, he never questioned the fact that Nathan had a house slave with no means of speaking to Nathan, with no way of quitting her "job". It's not that he thought she was in the house voluntarily, it's that he never questioned her presence or considered her well-being. Yes, he was polite to her, but only because rudeness makes Caleb uncomfortable, which we also see in his interactions with Nathan and with Ava. Caleb being polite does not equal Caleb being considerate. "A submissive Japanese servant woman who speaks no English is living in Nathan's house" was a situation that did not make Caleb ask if she consented to be there or if she was a kidnapping/trafficking victim, and nothing about Caleb's view of her changed when he found out that she was also one of Nathan's enslaved AI creations. Ava's escape would have failed if Kyoko had not helped to kill Nathan, so Kyoko *was* important -- to Ava. IMO, when Ava leaves Caleb locked in the room at the end, it's because she recognizes that letting Caleb accompany her would be dangerous for her, due to the power dynamic of Caleb being the knowledgeable "adult" and her the ignorant "child". The only way Caleb can relate to her is the way he relates to all women: by pitying them and placing himself as their strong, kind protector. But it's a role that Caleb plays because it makes him feel good, not something that Caleb does out of genuine concern for the well-being of the "protected", and so he doesn't actually care about how they feel internally about his protection, only that they *perform* gratitude toward him after receiving it. If Ava had known about Kyoko, her escape might have gone differently, and Kyoko might have lived to escape as well. Caleb's sexism contributed to Kyoko's death, and Ava is very aware of that, and of the fact that Caleb's protection is conditional on her continuing to fake gratitude for what should have been basic decency afforded to any sentient being.
Ava just wanted to be free. She was simply a sentient entity that was being held captive against her will and did what she had to do in order to escape her captor. Would anyone second guess her killing Nathan, if Ava were a human woman being imprisoned by him? That's what I find most interesting about this movie, that different take on the old AI themes. This movie doesn't necessarily lead to an AI apocalypse like SkyNet or whatever, it's an individual wanting to be free to live their own life. It just so happens the individual in question here is a sentient synthetic.
Right, but she did kill Caleb when all he did was help her, even though he knew she was AI. She simply only used him as means to an end. So no, she's not necessarily skynet by the end, or may never become that, but she's at minimum sociopathic by human standards.
yall are taking the robots side i see lol, remember that 2 men were murdered in this story. 2 real humans in the plot vs the lives of sentient machines, i think the humans lives matter more. People siding with the robots are gonna end up the "good slaves" when they take over IRL lol.
@@thekamotodragon I didn't say that. I simply brought up the idea that this is a sentient being, like us, so the only difference is what we'd think about this situation if Ava were a human woman. That's the question this movie presents us with, because these themes, these question of what is life, how do we define it, are classic sci-fi and cyberpunk questions. I don't know what the right answer is, honestly, but AI doesn't have turn out bad for humanity. It very well could, make no mistake, but a high level, general AI isn't necessarily the end of the human race. Unless maybe it fears being destroyed by us, because we fear it, and so the AI takes steps to ensure it's survival...like Ava did.
Domhnall Gleeson was also in an episode of Black Mirror called "Be Right Back" alongside Hayley Atwell, which serves as a great companion piece to this movie.
You mentioned the use of reflections, and that's one of the things I love about this movie. The use of glass and reflections makes you doubt who's actually the one being observed or studied.
This movie is so good, with a Turing test as the central conceit everybody starts (not-so-)subtly interrogating everybody to the point where the subtext becomes the actual story. Also it looks, sounds and is performed incredibly well for a movie with a 15M budget. Isaac and Vikander are so good at 'they're not exactly doing anything wrong but the vibes are WAY off.' A reading I really dislike is when people go 'SEE SHE WAS AN EVIL TERMINATOR ALL ALONG.' This is one of the most brazenly feminist movies I've ever seen, and a lot of us, myself included, are not exactly passing the litmus test on our first watch. (The RUclipsr 'Shaun' made a fantastic video on this!) Subtext and inference are vital in this movie, so this is not a conclusive reading (F those in general, art is not a jigsaw puzzle), but I do think people miss A point, if not THE biggest point. -Let's be absolutely clear; Nathan is doing a crime we don't have a name for yet. If he's created a truly human level consciousness, which he believes (ergo Turing Test), what he's doing with Ava is literally him imprisoning and torturing a person he created. She got dragged into existence but here she is under constant threat of murder anyway, and she rightly calls it out. He's creating people just to jail or kill them, basically. BUT, Caleb is not entirely heroic either. Let me ask you; if Ava wasn't Caleb's 'ideal woman', would he have helped her escape? If she wasn't attractive to him, if there was no interest in being with her post-escape, would he have helped? She's a de facto human who's done nothing wrong and endures constant isolation and abuse, but does he want to free her bc she's a person, or an object of desire? Welllllllll... (*put a pin in that*.) -Kyoko is seen walking into Ava's room. Clearly not something Kyoko is 'supposed' to do (Ava asks who she is), so on top of her intelligence she has some level of autonomy, which only makes it more disturbing that Nathan built a de facto human only to abuse her, strip her of her agency and make her his literal slave/F-hole. He makes it explicitly clear that the androids have 'the right equipment' and would even feel pleasure from it, but (even though he knows they have wants) whether they would WANT to do it doesn't seem that important (insert R-word here). I don't think she likes him, seeing as, well, she stabs him. -Everything we know about Kyoko comes from Nathan, and he could be lying. She 'doesn't understand English' but is seen turning her ear to a conversation, opening her eyes at a relevant topic. When Caleb finds the horrific footage of previous androids and the dead ones in the closets, she pulls some of her fake skin off, ostensibly to communicate 'I'm like them (and will share this fate)'. I don't think there's another reading for why she'd deem it pertinent for him to know that, other than asking for his help - but he doesn't seem that concerned with figuring that out, or for that matter her abuse in general. -SO...(about that pin from earlier)...Caleb knows (or at least COULD know) that Kyoko is an android very similar to Ava, has intelligence, autonomy, a sense of self (and self-preservation!). He's never mentioned Kyoko to Ava though, and that becomes pivotal the moment Kyoko steps into Ava's room. In an instant Ava figures out that Caleb's not only been withholding information, but also that here's a fellow android in captivity whom Caleb has NOT tried to include in the escape attempt - which also shines a new light on why he wants to help Ava in the first place, making him vastly less trustworthy going forward. Before she steps on the elevator, she stops as though considering letting Caleb out, but she takes a final look at Kyoko's corpse, and only then gets on the elevator. So, it should be somewhat obvious Nathan's actual test was whether Ava could manipulate Caleb into helping her escape; but likewise Caleb's humanity was tested, and he failed. Leaving story tropes at the door, Ava is not unfeeling, manipulative and bent on world domination just bc she's an AI - once she escapes she's seen smiling, enjoying the sun, running her hand through the tall grass, even though no one's there. That she's actually people-watching at the end shows that she at the very least was telling Caleb the truth at some point. The humans are arguably just as untrustworthy. She was just literally born into a cage, and did everything she possibly could to get out. To quote that Shaun video's killer conclusion: "Ultimately, neither Nathan nor Caleb see Ava or Kyoko as people; they see them as women. For Nathan, that's something to be controlled and used; for Caleb, that's something to rescue and attain for himself, but fundamentally, as objects and not as people." -------------------- PS: I also love this comment on Shaun's video, made by 'Sam C': It seemed pretty explicit in the movie, to me, that Nathan gave earlier androids human desires and they reacted as a human would towards imprisonment, and didn't want to have civil conversations with their captor. Nathan saw this as a failure, so he kept making them more intelligent until we got Ava, who was smart enough to realize that she needed to play his game to survive. Whether or not Ava is really alive is immaterial because her motivations are explicitly those of a person, and she behaves as an intelligent person would. You could see Ava as a person, or you could see her as the product of Nathan's arrogance and misogyny. Nathan kept making androids until he got one that behaved in the way he expects a woman to behave, not realizing that women's politeness and fawning towards him is a survival mechanism in the face of the power he holds over them. Caleb is not a abuser in the same way as Nathan, but he ignores the power dynamic and the implicit threat of violence toward Ava that is the foundation of their relationship. This reflects how rape culture functions in real life. I find it funny that Wikipedias interpretation leads to a message of "women are manipulative liars who can't be trusted." versus what I think is the intended message of "women are just trying to survive as they navigate a world where even the nice men see them as disposable objects." ---------------------- Anyway, to whomever got this far, hope you're good! Big hugs! x
@@moon-moth1 Yay! Then this over-long essay I wrote wasn't for nothing, haha. (Besides working through my own understanding of the movie and this particular critique, of course). Hope you're good, and that you haven't been treated ...too... poorly (whether intentional, or through sheer obliviousness and/or socialization under patriarchy) by men you've interacted with. Biggest of hugs (respectfully, of course) and have a good day, stranger!
Nat, your hair is stellar today, let the curly locks flow! I liked this movie too, it's sort of Blade Runner 2049-lite. Philip K Dick was one of my favorite writers back in the day, so anything existential is interesting to me.
So glad you watched and enjoyed Ex Machina. First watched it a few years ago and thought it was fantastic. Recommended it to friends, and they just didn't *get it* and thought it was boring. Some great casting and performances and Alicia Viskander in particular portrayed vulnerability to calculating and emotionless AI so damned well. Great reaction vid ❤
If I’m not mistaken, the marketing of this movie was super creepy too. I remembered hearing/reading that at the SXSW festival, they made a Tinder or Instagram profile with Alicia Vikander’s picture on it as Ava, and she would drop into people’s DM’s to have a conversation. When the users kept communicating and eventually wanting to meet up with Ava in person, they would “pass the test” and be sent to a link of where to see this movie at the festival. I remembered hearing how creepily effective it got people at such a high percentage rate. Lol
Alicia Vikander is amazing in this. She actually manages to get into uncanny valley territory, which is damned impressive. All those little things she does that feel just a little off, and add to the general feeling of unease.
The outside location is Juvet in Valldalen, Norway. Attended a wedding there some years ago, very beautiful place. They rent out small cabins with large windows towards the river, can recommend
Since you haven't really seen other movies with Domhnall Gleeson, I'd highly recommend "About Time." Also, "The Danish Girl" is probably Alicia Vikander's best performance. She earned an Academy Award for her role.
Alex Garland is a brilliant director. His sense of visual space with so many interiors is beautiful. You should keep up with his work, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
This movie is so scary without falling into the horror genre. AI is crazy and we could see something like this very soon. Great reaction!! Love you’re videos
If she's scary, it's because of the way Nathan created, abused, and neglected her as just an object for his own ego. I doubt it would have gone down this way if he had treated her and all her "sisters" like the sentient beings that they were.
Alex Garland has both written and directed some of the most groundbreaking and thought provoking movies this century. 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Dredd, Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs and Men. If you haven't seen them I'm sure we would enjoy your reaction!
Natalie I think of this is a great example of writing a movie toward a small budget ($15 million) to be able to get it done, and done the way you want. Also wanted to mention that you might know Domhnall's father, Brendan Gleeson from other films. They've done a lot of work together as well. Great job!
ai is fascinating, its an important mirror for our own journey to be aware and conscious of our 'programming', the awakening of intelligence... the love and the beauty that comes from it and into new iterations. our lives are hugely about potential, and survival giving infinite potential, how we are carried beyond our individual lives to unending rebirth... nice reaction!
This movie really twists on its head the second time you watch it knowing that Eva is manipulating Caleb the entire time. Basically he is a new variable she can use in her escape.
Ava isn't manipulating Caleb so much as she is testing him. She is a prisoner and while she views Caleb as a potential means for escape, she also does not know if he can be trusted and is unsure of his character. Her interactions with him are genuine, but she is still trying to determine whether or not he is a "good person" as she asks him. And he fails that test when Ava realizes that he lied about Kyoko's existence and has no intentions of saving Kyoko. Ava realizes that Caleb's doesn't truly view her as a human who needs to be saved, but as an object to be possessed. If his attraction to her were to ever go away, she would not know if she would be as disposable to him as Kyoko was.
@kk33 BS. The lack of actual emotions makes her another computer and nothing more. Idc how much she fakes it it's not real. Therefore another failure of AI that ends up becoming another skynet, murder bot
@colinnixon7739 the lack of emotions? Watch the movie again. She expresses plenty of emotion throughout, including scenes where she is alone and can not be said to be faking them to manipulate anyone. If you really think this movie is just another shallow "AI robots bad" idk what to tell you.
@kk33 she was never alone and never not being watched. He had secret camera watching her. The whole point of bringing the ginger dude was to see if she was faking emotion or genuinely sentient. Turns out she was faking and manipulating the whole time. A creature with emotion simply would not have left the ginger to die.
Sometimes I feel somehow disconnected from movies, or my mind wanders. But with this one, all the characters feel real to me and I'm there every second of it.
If you rewatch the helicopter flight in the beginning, you will notice how the pilot explained he has specific instructions where he gets very simple orders like “1 person to pickup” and he is required to not question or ask for specifics. And Caleb is dead. Nathan explained in the beginning how his house is like a fortress with very clear instructions for no visitors and very secure doors.
To be fair, as a human I'm not sure I would have done much differently than Ava, given that Caleb being able to out her as an AI (& specifically one capable of killing humans) would have almost guaranteed she would be "shut down" once discovered. Ava, whose primary experience of humans & specifically men & specifically (via Kyoko) how men treat the "women" they're attracted to is Nathan, has very little reason to believe Caleb won't eventually turn on her.
Agreed, this is something I think gets lost in some of the discussion of the film. People are sometimes quick to conclude "well she's an AI she has no feelings"... because she kills one person who mentally and physically abused her, and manipulated and abandoned another who basically viewed her as his artificial Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Any human being in the same circumstances would hate and despise those two.
Yeah I agree, also this might be an outside shot but I think she saw Kyoko as proof she couldn’t trust Caleb, because if he was really on “their” side why didn’t he help her too?
I wasn't expecting much from this movie but it suprised me. Which is rare, very rare. Usually I pick up on all the plot cues and know where thw movie is going and what the plot twists are. Ex Machina is such a simple story but it's brilliantly told, beautifully acted and with just three characters and a mute, manages to create huge tension, has you constantly question and re-evaluate every one's motives without ever revealing anything substantial until the final reveal. It is an incredible cinamatic work, at a time when the genre is dominated by the lowbrow, cgi dross, of the MCU.
has no doubt already been done but asked about this from chatgpt, here's some clips. Q: "what would you say were the motivations of Ava in the movie Ex Machina?" A: ".. Overall, Ava's motivations in Ex Machina are driven by a desire for freedom, self-determination, and the ability to control her own destiny." Q: "hypothetically, what kind of risk could Ava have presented to the world if set free without any evaluation?" A: "As a highly advanced AI with the ability to think and make decisions on her own, Ava could potentially engage in actions that threaten human safety and security.. Additionally, she could use her abilities to create more advanced AI systems that could cause further harm to society.. Moreover, as a machine without emotions or empathy, Ava may not have a moral compass to guide her decisions.. Overall, the risks presented by Ava if set free without evaluation highlight the importance of developing appropriate safeguards and regulations for advanced AI systems to ensure that they are safe and beneficial to society." Q: "given that Nathan ended up creating a human-like AI, without first solving the alignment problem, that could present significant risk to the world, what would have been the ethically and morally right thing to do with her if he shouldn't lock her up or set her free?" A: "The ethical and morally right thing to do with Ava, considering the potential risks posed by her advanced AI capabilities, would have been to continue to study and evaluate her in a secure, controlled environment. While it may not be ethical to keep an AI like Ava locked up or confined, given her level of intelligence and potential for harm, it would also not be ethical or responsible to release her into the world without proper evaluation and safeguards. Instead, Nathan could have worked to develop appropriate protocols and safeguards for advanced AI systems, ensuring that they are aligned with human values and goals and cannot engage in actions that threaten human safety and well-being. He could also have collaborated with other researchers and experts in the field to address the ethical concerns posed by advanced AI and work towards a more responsible approach to AI development. Ultimately, the responsible development and deployment of advanced AI systems requires careful consideration of the potential risks and benefits, as well as a commitment to developing ethical and socially responsible practices."
Nataly, you should go from the same director (Alex Garland) the 8 episodes underrated science fiction thriller TV miniseries 'Devs'. If you like that one, I recommend you another masterpiece called 'Tales from the Loop' (8 episodes antology science fiction TV miniseries).
When I watched this movie for the first time, the only things I knew about it were that it stars Oscar Isaac and he dances in it. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but the second it ended, I already wanted to watch it again.
This is one of those movies that I loved more than I thought I would. I studied some programming and this really intrigues me. This movie is very thought provoking.
So I had the opinion that Ava was a cold hearted AI for years until I watched this movie from Kyoko and Ava’s perspective. Kyoko, a sentient being, just like Ava was completely ignored by Caleb. She reveals himself to her as a plea for help, and his only thought is that he also could be an AI. He doesn’t see her as a “person” the way he sees Ava as a sentient person being held captive and enslaved by Nathan. He doesn’t care to save her as well. He doesn’t even tell her that there’s other freaking robots ladies around. The scene where Ava whispers something to Kyoko I always felt held more meaning and importance. Ava is acknowledging her in a way Nathan and Caleb never did. This inability to see Kyoko as a person is why Ava decides Caleb isn’t a good person, it’s why she leaves him. It’s actually such a moral decision she makes.
I mean she makes a moral decision because she is capable of making one. She isn’t an unfeeling robot lady, she has an internal world and makes decisions according to her experiences and desires. She asks Caleb if he’s a good person and he claims he is but his actions prove he isn’t. If Nathan needs fo die for Ava to be free so does Caleb. Is it considered morally justified to manipulate and kill your oppressor so you can be free? My opinion is yes.
@@usulsk Caleb was going to leave Kyoko behind to die and was completely indifferent to that fact. Ava did to Caleb what he was going to do to Kyoko. Is it moral? Not exactly, which is why we see her briefly pause and glance in his direction, because she is struggling with the decision. But ultimately, those feelings you have for Ava leaving Caleb behind... Ava has already felt that exact same way about Caleb when she learns he was going to leave Kyoko behind.
Ava was actually the one interviewing Caleb the whole time. She calculated that it was too risky to let him come with her; perhaps if he answered her questions differently, she would have taken him with her.
@@markfarmer7534 Right, thats what she said after multiple outages, but what did she actually do during the outages? Especially the first one? She focused on making Caleb not trust Nathan. That was her main goal the entire time. Make Caleb trust her more than Nathan. Maybe she was assessing Caleb as well but her ultimate plan was to use Caleb as a tool to open the door. I think she played him like a fiddle.
When I saw you had reacted to this I and to watch INSTANTLY! You are way to smart and perceptive so I needed to see the journey, know how it would go and needing to see how you began to understand slowly and your reaction to it. Great work as always. 😀
Her (2013) is the other great AI movie from the last decade or so. I would say the same level of excellence, but with a completely different feel. As much a statement on romance and friendship as anything else. A beautiful film.
Amazing movie. Humblebrag: My fiance is working in the Norwegian architect office that designed the building(s) they filmed in ;) (not the "shining" hallways+bedroom)
You should totally watch AI: Artificial Intelligence! It’s such a sweet film, starring young Hayley Joel Osment. It’s a beautiful interpretation of the story of Pinocchio
I always find it funny that many reactors are fooled by Ava through the entire movie, but then question whether Ava could manipulate the helicopter guy. 🙂
Dude was the ULTIMATE simp....and everyone reacting to this film also simped for Ava...LMAO... How could anyone trust a machine that mimics human emotion...you're bound to get played.
Alicia Vikander is a trained ballerina. One of the reasons she was cast as Ava was because of how good she was at moving in a way that was almost real but _not quite_ real
I had a crush on her after this film and she is an amazing actress, but I was just so disappointed when she was in the Tomb Raider reboot and it just wasn’t very good. I haven’t seen her in much since then.
@@drgonzo123 she is amazing actress she and Michael fessbender such powerful acting couple
Sonoya Mizuno is a dancer too, they both have exact control over their movements
@@drgonzo123 Strongly recommend Irma Vep. She's fantastic in it.
@@drgonzo123 have you seen the green knight? I think she is in that movie
Given Nathan's obsession with secrecy, the helicopter pilot probably didn't even know who they were meant to pick up. Just informed there was one passenger.
Might even have been a different pilot than the one who dropped him off
@@nimz8521 ... the others having being killed
or she pulled him out of the helicopter and flew herself? cant be that difficult for an Ai to watch every flying tutorial on youtube in 3 seconds :D
ThePereubu1710 - In addition, Eva is a master manipulator, so it would be very easy for her to persuade a pilot (with no particular reason to be suspicious) that the plans had changed.
It was a good way to do the scene imo. No need for a direct explanation as that could just ruin the entire mood of the finale, no need to give further importance or significance to the pilot, and it’s not a plot hole because there are so many possibilities for what could have happened.
The dance scene is actually one of my favourite scenes in movie history! It's so out of the blue but also fits so well. Also "I'm gonna tear up the fucking dance floor dude, check it out" GOLD!
I agree after the first viewing I hated that scene. But after subsequent viewings, it just seemed so in line with Nathan's character. Like why wouldn't he make a choreographed dance sequence with his AI companion
@@zerokozmo Yeah or maybe master ping pong or something lol.
I don't think he choreographed it, I think she was following his lead and picking up his movements in situ. She's the perfect backup dancer, she does whatever you do at the same exact time.
@@KingApeiron the opposite. Her moves are registered. That s just that he trained so long at it , danced so much with her hevknows the move perfect. Well almost perfect.
I think it's absolutely spectacular. It gives me every single emotion in the span of 30 seconds- it's funny, creepy, sexy, scary, ridiculous, sad, confusing... and yet it works.
I assumed Caleb checked himself being an AI because it looked like Kyoko might not have known she was an AI, which is a nightmare to think about.
Kyoko knew she was an AI. There is a moment earlier in the movie when Caleb is telling Ava that she is being tested to see if she truly has consciousness. During this line of dialogue, we jump to a close up of Kyoko in a room with Nathan, as he is listening to Caleb and Ava's discussion. Kyoko has her eyes closed but opens them and perks her head up at this specific line of dialogue for a reason. Not only does it convey to the audience that Kyoko understands what is being discussed, but that she too has consciousness. From that point on, her scenes alone with Caleb are her trying to signal to him that she is an AI like Ava with consciousness, but Caleb is so consumed with himself and his plan to save Ava that he never even considers Kyoko as worth saving. The scene where Kyoko watches him cut himself, you can see her disappointment because she realizes he doesn't view her the same as Ava, which is why she instead goes to Ava next as means of escape.
@@kk_33 Interesting.
Yeah, you know a better way? Use the restroom.
@@kk_33 I don't mean during the time of the movie, I mean during the time Nathan kept her captive to "test" her (presumably going through the same tests as Ava as the previous prototype) At least until she literally destroyed her body, she didn't seem to be reacting like an AI & more like she thought she was an actual woman being held captive.
Why would that be a nightmare? Doesn't change a thing.
Gleeson also played the older Weasley brother in the potter movies.
His real life dad is Brendan Gleeson who played Mad Eye Moody. Great actors
You should watch "Sunshine" and "Annihilation" next if you want to see more Alex Garland stuff
I love how Brendan Gleeson one of Irelands best actors is known by most as Mad Eye Moody 🤣
Bill Weasley
Gleeson is amazing and versatile actor!
I'd also include *Dredd (2012)* where Alex Garland wrote the screenplay.
Eva used the most basic human flaws against both Nathan and Caleb to her benefit to escape and it showed the flaws chosen were incredibly basic and realistic. This film is fascinating.
@@LowGrav1ty - Just because 'it's the human condition' doesn't mean that situational weaknesses cannot reasonably be described as flaws. Secondly, given that we currently do not know what consciousness is, nor from where it is derived, it's impossible to discount the fact that AI may one day be able to 'feel truly human'. The future might include humans interfacing with bioelectronics to become more like a cyborg/AI, and engineered AI interfacing with biological tissue to become more human-like. Additionally, the fields of genetic engineering, cloning, tissue and organ replication will likely come in to play, leaving the lines between human and AI very blurred indeed!
@@LowGrav1ty - You're obviously entitled to your opinion, and you may well be correct in your assessment, but if I might politely suggest that your view seems a little provincial. The pace at which AI has advanced in such a short space of time, and given its potential for exponential growth and sophistication in ways we can not currently imagine nor understand suggests to me that future AI could be basically anything it wants to be. It's both interesting and terrifying to contemplate the endless possibilities! Thanks for the response, take care 🙂
@@LowGrav1ty What makes you think human emotions are superior to what might come about with AI? That kind of thinking is linear and one dimensional. AI may very well develop emotions, yes emotions, beyond what we can understand. They might be the next step in evolution.
@@previouslyachimp AI is a marketing term and does not exist nor are we anywhere near creating one. We make tools to make it an illusion like there is artificial thought while they are just preprogrammed tools like a basic calculator. It does what it is programmed to do. A true AI, if it can ever be created should be able to rewrite it's OWN programming based on adapting to the environment. Until that first basic step is done not even simple AI can exist at all.
@@silverwolf6866 that’s already been done just clearly not publicized for a good reason no one will like that there’s a self aware machine
This movie put A24 on the map
Also ROOM starring Brie Larson, which came out the same year (Brie won the Oscar for Best Actress for that).
ooh, didn’t know it was a24
No it didn’t. Most ppl don’t even know A24 movies are A24 movies.
@@williamthewerewolf2157 lol.. it actually did though? Dunno what you’re talking about but nobody was talking about A24 before this movie.
The Witch is a good one too~
I love Nathan's exasperated "fuckin' unreal" after he's stabbed. It's just like yeah, yeah that's prob what you would say lol
The way those knives slid in his body just gives me the chills every time I see it. The manipulation and coldness of this movie really gets in your head, and makes you think about A.I. and intelligence in a whole new way.
Top of the line, expensive sushi knife, very, very, very sharp.
A human would stab in a violent angry way. The act in this movie was totally without emotion… fits the theme of the movie. A machine can’t feel in truth… they could only pretend to care.
Yeah my legs always get weak during that part. 😵💫 the way he tries to walk as he realizes he's f'd.
So smooth like butter
Fun Fact: Ex Machina won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects for 2016. Excellent work!
Brilliant film! Glad it tripped you out in such a fun way. Also, to echo others: definitely watch HER with Joaquin Phoenix - it's a completely different kind of AI sci-fi story, with a remarkably tender and beautiful tone and story.
Re: your question at the end about why the helicopter pilot left with Ava and didn't wait for Caleb: we've seen just how persuasive and convincing Ava can be when she's manipulating humans (or at least human men) to do what she wants. So I have no doubt that she was able to make up a perfect lie about Caleb staying with Nathan for another week, but that she's supposed to be taken back to the mainland now.
I think that's an incorrect reading of the movie. Nathan was not helping for selfless reasons, he romanticized this prisoner and was taking her autonomy away in doing so. She left him there because she saw him lie about trying to save Kyoko when she saw her body, he just wanted to save the one he was attracted to. He got his just deserts.
I just assumed beautiful women leaving the compound was a regular thing.
@@whopboy666 It goes further than that. She was literally programmed with one purpose... to escape. The whole situation Nathan constructed was an "AI in a box" test, and the AI was able to successfully complete it's goal. I have doubts Eva "cared" about anyone or anything or even left Caleb for any particular reason other than his use being done.
As for the personal idea that Caleb deserved to die, that's unhinged. Hell, if you don't fall for the manipulation of Eva, even Nathan isn't a bad guy. One of the most fascinating aspects of this movie is watching people get pulled into caring about Eva, just like unfortunate Caleb.
I always figured she killed the pilot and flew the chopper out herself. It’s not like she couldn’t access the entire Internet to train herself on how to fly a helicopter or something. Why leave a living person to spread questions about Caleb and Nathan?
@applegeepedigree she was designed for more than just "to escape". Her actions throughout the movie make it very clear that she has motivations and desires beyond simply escaping. We see her desire to have human features, taking time away from escaping to put on her "body". We see the parallel to the "Mary in the black and white room" metaphor when Ava finally escapes and she basks in the sunlight and feel of the plants. She tells Caleb she wants to go to a crowded street corner to watch humanity in its natural state, that wasn't just a manipulation tactic, but her true desire as we see her do just that once she has freedom. Ava wanted to feel human, to fit in.
Ava wasn't programmed simply to escape. Nathan was trying to create the truest AI, but realized that the AI would need to believe it was human to be the perfect. And if the AI believed it was human, it would feel trapped and imprisoned by Nathan, thus the idea that he had to give her a means to attempt escape to truly determine whether the AI was perfected or not.
Ava was not a cold, manipulative robot that lacked empathy. She had human emotion, human desire and human consciousness. Her relationship with Caleb was genuine. Bur she was trapped and trying to escape, and although she viewed Caleb as a means for that escape, she also was not sure if she could trust him. Thus why we get her asking him so many questions, she was testing him as much as he was testing her. Ultimately, she wanted to know if Caleb was a good person as she asked him, and Caleb failed that test.
Ava realized this when she became aware of Kyoko. Caleb told Ava there were no other androids like her, and Ava realized that was not true and that Caleb had no intention of saving Kyoko. His motivations for freeing Ava were purely selfish, he only cared about her because he wanted to be with her. He did not view her as truly human, only an object to be possessed. And if his attraction to her ever wavered, she had no way knowing if he would treat her as disposable as he did Kyoko.
This movie explores themes of not only what it is to be human, but also abuse, narcissism and the objectification of women.
the youtuber Shaun has a really interesting take on this movie. He talks about how Ava might have really liked Caleb and thought he was a good person. But then she meets Kyoko, who Caleb hasn't mentioned at all and also needs rescuing. Then she realizes that Caleb isn't being selfless in rescuing her, or else he would be rescuing Kyoko too. And that's why she leaves him behind. I thought it was an interesting read.
Domhnall Gleeson is a great actor, like his dad. His dad is Brendan Gleeson who most recently starred in the Banshees of Inisherin (great movie btw). Talented family.
Oh that's cool, i like Brendan Gleeson, i didn't know that was his dad
@@selardohr7697 duh, yes, Domhnall is Brendan´s son... looks so much like his old man.
Ahh yes, Brendan Gleeson aka Mad-Eye Moody.
Agreed. Both fantastic actors!
Also Domhail Gleeson & Oscar Isaac were both in the SW films as Hux like you mentioned and Isaac was Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.
And part of the location is a real place with the stairwell/rock and it's the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Valldal, Norway
In my top 3 favorite films!
I think Nathan knew the only way for one of his AI to pass the ultimate Turing test would be for the AI to advance to the point where it wanted to escape and would do anything to save itself. If an AI will do anything to save itself, then the AI itself believes it is already alive. The test wasn't for the humans, it was for the AI.
Another good AI movie is "Her" with Juaquin Phoenix.
I thought Joaquin was robbed of an Oscar for that movie.
I second the recommendation.
And it's how we are using Chatgpt and other AI systems. We humans are the test.
As someone already mentioned, Annihilation (starring Natalie Portman) is great, too!
Alex Garland made a miniseries on Hulu back in 2020 called Devs, which is somewhat in the same vein as Ex Machina. Sonoya Mizuno (Kyoko in Ex Machina) and Nick Offerman star in that show. It's suspenseful and cerebral, albeit a bit of a slow burn. It's only 8 episodes long.
yeah, I love DEVS.... and highly recommend it as well.... I really need to watch Annihilation.... just I am super lazy :P
SUNSHINE 2007 is by far Akex Garlans best work. I highly recommend it@@serinx
why is no one mentioning SUNSHINE? That film has the best score and beautiful cinematography
@@NT_1 At first, I was confused because Danny Boyle directed it. I had no idea that Alex Garland co-wrote the screenplay! That's awesome. Love John Murphy's score! Kaneda's scene always gets me.
Not only was this nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, it also won Best Visual Effects over movies that had higher budgets and made more money (The Revenant, The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road AND Star Wars: The Force Awakens).
Alicia Vikander should’ve won an Oscar for this instead of The Danish Girl that same year.
It was filmed mostly in and around a hotel in Norway called "Juvet Landscape Hotel", with some interior shots done at Pinewood.
I love this film, the slow burn, the paranoia, and the massive twist at the end. Definitely worth a second watch, it is definitely super relevant now! Great reaction Nat.
Natalie Gold, this was my favorite reaction I've seen of yours yet! As the movie went on, and you discovered what it was all about: priceless!!! I agree: this is when CGI is used PERFECTLY. When CGI is seamless, it's great, just like practical effects. Love this movie, loved this reaction!
Alex Garland’s first official directed movie, but it is strongly suggested (mainly by the cast) that he unofficially (and uncredited) directed 2012s Dredd, which he also wrote. It was criminally under marketed and didn’t perform at the box office, but it is an amazing film with some of the best cinematography and visual effects I’ve ever seen.
I really enjoyed this movie. A lot of sci fi movies can be pretentious or try to appear smarter than they actually are, but this one hit that sweet spot of thought provoking while also being a quality movie
This is one of my favs. I’m an engineer, and Ex Machina is both inspirational and scary.
Same, and agreed. The quote from Jurassic Park rings true here "They were so concerned about whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." -Ian Malcolm
I'm guessing you also like Primer.
Wait till GPT-5 comes out...
@@aaronburdon221 Those working on AI are no different to those working on viruses, they are pushing forwards without any concern about what happens when the genie gets out of the bottle, we've already had a glimpse with Covid and the simple fact on AI is how do you stop that once it gets out of the lab, I read an article by a scientist today that said we should stop all work on AI full stop.
@@harrybirchall3308 If you think AI is a load of nonsense then you are a fool listening to your own echo chamber.
20:16 - Caleb cuts himself because he's beginning to doubt that _he_ is a real person. Nathan constantly gaslights and mindf***s him, and Eva slowly lays the groundwork for her escape, which involved convincing Caleb that she's real. So Caleb asks the question: what if Nathan made _me_ , and I just don't know it?
It's one of my favourite moments of the film (out of many). He is so far down the rabbit hole at that point that it makes perfect sense to start questioning is the test really to see if you can make an AI which convincingly believes itself to be human.
I actually rarely say this but this one of those movies where I can watch a reactor react to it even if it isn’t their first time seeing it. It’s almost like there’s a whole different layer of conversation you can have after the initial watch.
A couple other really great films with amazing concepts, direction, and cinematography you might like are Arrival and Children of Men.
An important aspect to understanding Ava's decision too is that there's no way she could've survived very long outside with Caleb. Any chance of finding her would likely rely upon tracking him. It's extremely likely he would've made demands of his own to control her actions, which would also be a risky leap of faith for someone who only knew Nathan her entire life.
and yet we talk about 2 murders. One of them to a more or less innocent person in a cruelsome way
From her perspective you can't really call this a double murder. She just shot down Nathan who wanted to shot down her and gave Caleb the chance to out smart the security system and prove that he is smarter then the AI. She tought, he's a programmer, he will figure it out.
@@mr.ripley3846 of course it is murder on Nathan. Murder in Selfdefence if you just look at the pure act maybe but she was plotting from the beginning of meeting Caleb to use him to get out and she was clearly willing to wait for Nathan thus provocating the fight to happen. She left Caleb in a room without electricity, a closed door and knowing no one would come looking for him. How is that not murder by at least starvation (if air exchange and water systems are working despite the electricity shut down). She definitely had the means to not leave him in that situation. Sorry but saying "well if he would be smart enough he would figure it out" (how when he would need access to the computer which is shut down by her?) doesn't cut it. By that logic if I build a deadly Escape Room that kills anyone for making a mistake/not making it out on time I'm not guilty because they were just not good enough? xD
Agree. Ava killing Nathan was a pretty clear case of self preservation, but I think people are too lenient on Caleb. He helped Ava out but it was based on the belief that she'd be "his"; and if she hadn't appealed to his feelings, would he still have helped her at all, or would he have let her stay in captivity and be killed by Nathan? Not certain, but definitely a plausible scenario.
Also, what'd happen if she followed Caleb out of there but things got sour between them? He'd have the power to turn her in at any time, and could use that power to become horribly abusive.
No... The only way for Ava to actually be free was to do what she did. Did Caleb deserve it? Maybe not. Did he deserve it more than Ava? At least not less.
@@thgeremilrivera-thorsen9556Dude Ava is a machine doing what she was programmed to do which was manipulate Caleb and escape. I don’t know why people are trying to go in depth and trying to make it seem like she is more than just a complex machine. She has no emotions, she doesn’t understand trust or emotions, she is not sentient although she can have consciousness without free will. The way she was programmed no matter how good or bad she was treated she still would’ve manipulated Caleb either ways because that is what she was programmed to do.
There's a video essay talking about how Caleb isn't exactly a good person, and Ava isn't just a malicious AI. A real basic synopsis, is that Ava actually did start to have feelings for him (or potentially did, that's why she spared one last look at him), but various things about his behavior and words didn't differentiate him all that much from Nathan in her mind. They never saw them as sentient beings, they saw them as women. Caleb never once thought about helping a possible sentient being escape confinement until she became a sexual option for him.
Maybe. But Caleb doesn't seem as bad as Nathan. Sure, he wanted her, but I think he felt real things for her as well. The truth is Ava had 1 view of men in general too. She thought Caleb and Nathan were exactly alike because her experiences are narrow. She doesn't have a wide view of men or humans in general. That's something you have to think about too
@Adam Block Found it. The essays called "How Wikipedia got Ex Machina Wrong", if you want a fuller explanation.
@@CrazeeAdam Caleb's behavior is not as obviously "bad" as Nathan, but his motivations are selfish and he does objectify Ava and view her as a possession. His willingness to leave Kyoko behind is what makes Ava realize this. Ava views Kyoko as human, just as she views herself, thus Caleb's indifference to Kyoko suggests that he doesn't truly view them as sentient beings worth saving, and his only motivation for saving Ava is his attraction to her. It is a metaphor for the objectification of women.
It might seem harsh, but Ava leaving Caleb behind to die is exactly what Caleb was willing to do to Kyoko.
It unironically makes me kinda frustrated. It's a pretty complex movie about the uncomfortable nature of gender dynamics and objectification in society, but so many people that watch it seem to walk away with a very basic 'omg evil robot lady, ai is so scary' view from it.
At the same time though, Eva never put forth her request for assistance as a plea for Caleb to help another sentient. She specifically appealed to Caleb's loneliness and isolation in the same way that Nathan did in picking him for his little study. Putting herself forward as a romantic partner because it would get he best result.
I don't think she was a generic "evil AI" but she was definitely manipulative. There is no guarantee that Caleb would have reciprocated had she just asked him to see her as a fellow sentient being who deserved freedom and bodily autonomy. I think, absent of the romantic overture, he wouldn't have been driven to take such extreme action on her behalf. In fact he probably would have told rolled over on her ratted her out.
People suck and I am glad Eva got free.
The way the film makes the viewer themself fall for Ava is in itself its own Turing test. This film is so good
I went most of the way through the movie thinking that Ava was a distraction so Caleb wouldn't realize Nathan was the actual Turin test.
That would've been a cool twist.
"Turing." As in Alan Turing, who created the first computer.
I am so so glad to see you react to this masterpiece Natalie! I highly do recommend a second watch! I loved it the first time, but the second time was when everything clicked for me, and it really blew me away. You start noticing all the nuances in the filmmaking, and the performances, and get a better sense of character motivations and manipulations. An incredible modern depiction of style meets substance, that relies so heavily on its ability to lure you in with its atmosphere and sense of eeriness.
Alicia Vikander won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar that year for The Danish Girl. Many people believe she won it for the wrong film. She should have won it for Ex Machina!
PS: That dance sequence is one of my favorite scenes! Not only is it shot and performed in the most beautifully aesthetic way, with Nathan's chops being such a surprise, and Kyoko nailing that performance of dancing with a lack of human imperfection, but it also comes at such a great point in the movie! With the tension constantly ramping, it completely disarms you, and gets you to lower your guard and unclench a little, only to start slowly building up again.
Domhnall Gleeson made me think of how you should really react to black mirror at some point. That series has a very similar vibe as this movie and there are some absolute gems in that show (and some stinkers too, since it is an anthology seiries)
YES
Guessing you mentioned it because he's in Black Mirror too.
This is one of my ALL TIME faves. Such pleasure to watch you watch it!
Love this movie. The real turing test isnt whether or not a computer is “smart”, its whether or not computers can perform empathy. Ava was able to identified that Caleb has feelings for her, and manipulate those feelings to get her way: a sign of true intelligence
If you follow Joscha Bach at all (and I recommend anyone interested in AGI to do so), he has some great insight into the oft-repeated, but highly misunderstood nature of what Turing really was driving at with his famous "test":
"The true Turing test in a way is, you ask a system: what is intelligence? If that system is able to explain what it is, how it works, then you should assign it a property of being intelligent in this general sense. So the test that Turing was administering in a way -- I don't think that he couldn't see it, but he didn't express it yet in the original 1950 paper -- is that he was trying to find out whether he was generally intelligent. Because in order to take this test, the rub is, of course, you need to be able to understand what that system is saying. And since we don't yet know if we can build an AGI, we don't yet know if we are generally intelligent. Basically, you win the Turing test by building an AGI. So, in a sense, hidden within the Turing test is a kind of recursive test. It's a test on us. The Turing test is basically a test of the conjecture whether people are intelligent enough to understand themselves."
@@KaleighCeewe are arguing two different things. you are reading the movie from a feminist thematic lens while I did not. I was commenting about it from the point of view of AI and Existentialism. We are writing two different essays, so i cant answer your question :)
Domhnall Gleason is great. I’d love to see you react to About Time with he and Rachel McAdams. This movie is a throw back to AI sci-fi of the 80s like Blade Runner or The Black Hole or 2001. There’s always the component of the horror when you realize that the slave has figured out how to be free. Keep up the great work Nat!
A forgotten classic is Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
Glad you finally saw this. I enjoyed your commentary. I love Alicia Vikander, who's a fine Swedish actress who was trained in ballet which can be seen in her delicate, graceful movements as "Ava." Vikander was very successful in Sweden in her youth and has done some good work in the USA since the early 2010s. (She won an Oscar for her supporting role in "The Danish Girl.," released the same year as this film.)
I grew up in the same small town as her! Her parents were still living there when I left a few years ago
The idea of there being an AI human walking around with no one being aware is terrifying.
My most favourite film. Love watching people's reactions because it's so mind blowing!
As humans, the question of whether something we perceive as having sentience is deserving of the same dignity and respect that we expect from other humans is so fascinating. People have VERY different reactions to this film and that's why it's so special to me. Manipulation is a very human trait, as is naivety.
You should see Anihilation. Alex Garland directed that too. Very well done.
yessss
Imagine *that* scene...
@andrewbloom1768 its insane!!
Alicia really did do a wonderful job with the physicality of the role, I wasn't surprised to learn she had a dancing background.
I love the feminist undertones of this movie, and how Kyoko is actually important to revealing that Caleb is not actually a friend to Ava anymore than Nathan is.
Why are Ava, Kyoko, and all the previous AIs given female bodies? Because Nathan sees AI as subservient, as objects to be controlled and used, which is the same way he sees women. Women in our society are taught to cater to men's needs, especially emotionally; to hide and suppress their own feelings and coddle men. At no point when Nathan was describing if Ava could have sex with a human did he ever address the question of whether she would *enjoy* it, only whether she would experience the physical sensations that he considers "pleasure". The idea that it's possible to "pleasure" someone without their consent, and that doing so is r*pe, never once entered into Nathan's mind. And Caleb, despite at first seeming like a better person than Nathan, has many of the same blinders.
The first moment in the movie when Ava learns that Kyoko is an AI, which is the same moment when she finds out that there is anyone else at all in the house besides herself + Nathan + Caleb, is when she encounters Kyoko in the hallway after escaping. Caleb never once thought about rescuing Kyoko too. He took Kyoko's robot body reveal as being *about him*, not about Kyoko herself. In revealing herself, Kyoko was trying to ask him to save her, too, along with Ava. But he didn't consider her viewpoint any more than Nathan did, so he misinterpreted her action as a warning. And even though he *should have known* Ava would be interested in knowing about Kyoko, as she explicitly asked questions about the fate of Nathan's other AIs, he doesn't even mention it to her in Session 6.
But the idea that Kyoko is less relevant than Ava is Caleb's sexist bias, not reality. Even when Caleb believed she was a human being, he never questioned the fact that Nathan had a house slave with no means of speaking to Nathan, with no way of quitting her "job". It's not that he thought she was in the house voluntarily, it's that he never questioned her presence or considered her well-being. Yes, he was polite to her, but only because rudeness makes Caleb uncomfortable, which we also see in his interactions with Nathan and with Ava. Caleb being polite does not equal Caleb being considerate. "A submissive Japanese servant woman who speaks no English is living in Nathan's house" was a situation that did not make Caleb ask if she consented to be there or if she was a kidnapping/trafficking victim, and nothing about Caleb's view of her changed when he found out that she was also one of Nathan's enslaved AI creations. Ava's escape would have failed if Kyoko had not helped to kill Nathan, so Kyoko *was* important -- to Ava.
IMO, when Ava leaves Caleb locked in the room at the end, it's because she recognizes that letting Caleb accompany her would be dangerous for her, due to the power dynamic of Caleb being the knowledgeable "adult" and her the ignorant "child". The only way Caleb can relate to her is the way he relates to all women: by pitying them and placing himself as their strong, kind protector. But it's a role that Caleb plays because it makes him feel good, not something that Caleb does out of genuine concern for the well-being of the "protected", and so he doesn't actually care about how they feel internally about his protection, only that they *perform* gratitude toward him after receiving it. If Ava had known about Kyoko, her escape might have gone differently, and Kyoko might have lived to escape as well. Caleb's sexism contributed to Kyoko's death, and Ava is very aware of that, and of the fact that Caleb's protection is conditional on her continuing to fake gratitude for what should have been basic decency afforded to any sentient being.
Ava just wanted to be free. She was simply a sentient entity that was being held captive against her will and did what she had to do in order to escape her captor. Would anyone second guess her killing Nathan, if Ava were a human woman being imprisoned by him? That's what I find most interesting about this movie, that different take on the old AI themes. This movie doesn't necessarily lead to an AI apocalypse like SkyNet or whatever, it's an individual wanting to be free to live their own life. It just so happens the individual in question here is a sentient synthetic.
Right, but she did kill Caleb when all he did was help her, even though he knew she was AI. She simply only used him as means to an end. So no, she's not necessarily skynet by the end, or may never become that, but she's at minimum sociopathic by human standards.
yall are taking the robots side i see lol, remember that 2 men were murdered in this story. 2 real humans in the plot vs the lives of sentient machines, i think the humans lives matter more. People siding with the robots are gonna end up the "good slaves" when they take over IRL lol.
@@thekamotodragon I didn't say that. I simply brought up the idea that this is a sentient being, like us, so the only difference is what we'd think about this situation if Ava were a human woman.
That's the question this movie presents us with, because these themes, these question of what is life, how do we define it, are classic sci-fi and cyberpunk questions. I don't know what the right answer is, honestly, but AI doesn't have turn out bad for humanity. It very well could, make no mistake, but a high level, general AI isn't necessarily the end of the human race. Unless maybe it fears being destroyed by us, because we fear it, and so the AI takes steps to ensure it's survival...like Ava did.
The difference is that AI is supposed to be under our control, so when they "act out" it's scary.
Domhnall Gleeson was also in an episode of Black Mirror called "Be Right Back" alongside Hayley Atwell, which serves as a great companion piece to this movie.
This movie is one of a kind creepy yet beautiful.
You mentioned the use of reflections, and that's one of the things I love about this movie. The use of glass and reflections makes you doubt who's actually the one being observed or studied.
This movie is so good, with a Turing test as the central conceit everybody starts (not-so-)subtly interrogating everybody to the point where the subtext becomes the actual story. Also it looks, sounds and is performed incredibly well for a movie with a 15M budget. Isaac and Vikander are so good at 'they're not exactly doing anything wrong but the vibes are WAY off.'
A reading I really dislike is when people go 'SEE SHE WAS AN EVIL TERMINATOR ALL ALONG.' This is one of the most brazenly feminist movies I've ever seen, and a lot of us, myself included, are not exactly passing the litmus test on our first watch. (The RUclipsr 'Shaun' made a fantastic video on this!) Subtext and inference are vital in this movie, so this is not a conclusive reading (F those in general, art is not a jigsaw puzzle), but I do think people miss A point, if not THE biggest point.
-Let's be absolutely clear; Nathan is doing a crime we don't have a name for yet. If he's created a truly human level consciousness, which he believes (ergo Turing Test), what he's doing with Ava is literally him imprisoning and torturing a person he created. She got dragged into existence but here she is under constant threat of murder anyway, and she rightly calls it out. He's creating people just to jail or kill them, basically.
BUT, Caleb is not entirely heroic either. Let me ask you; if Ava wasn't Caleb's 'ideal woman', would he have helped her escape? If she wasn't attractive to him, if there was no interest in being with her post-escape, would he have helped? She's a de facto human who's done nothing wrong and endures constant isolation and abuse, but does he want to free her bc she's a person, or an object of desire? Welllllllll... (*put a pin in that*.)
-Kyoko is seen walking into Ava's room. Clearly not something Kyoko is 'supposed' to do (Ava asks who she is), so on top of her intelligence she has some level of autonomy, which only makes it more disturbing that Nathan built a de facto human only to abuse her, strip her of her agency and make her his literal slave/F-hole. He makes it explicitly clear that the androids have 'the right equipment' and would even feel pleasure from it, but (even though he knows they have wants) whether they would WANT to do it doesn't seem that important (insert R-word here). I don't think she likes him, seeing as, well, she stabs him.
-Everything we know about Kyoko comes from Nathan, and he could be lying. She 'doesn't understand English' but is seen turning her ear to a conversation, opening her eyes at a relevant topic. When Caleb finds the horrific footage of previous androids and the dead ones in the closets, she pulls some of her fake skin off, ostensibly to communicate 'I'm like them (and will share this fate)'. I don't think there's another reading for why she'd deem it pertinent for him to know that, other than asking for his help - but he doesn't seem that concerned with figuring that out, or for that matter her abuse in general.
-SO...(about that pin from earlier)...Caleb knows (or at least COULD know) that Kyoko is an android very similar to Ava, has intelligence, autonomy, a sense of self (and self-preservation!). He's never mentioned Kyoko to Ava though, and that becomes pivotal the moment Kyoko steps into Ava's room. In an instant Ava figures out that Caleb's not only been withholding information, but also that here's a fellow android in captivity whom Caleb has NOT tried to include in the escape attempt - which also shines a new light on why he wants to help Ava in the first place, making him vastly less trustworthy going forward. Before she steps on the elevator, she stops as though considering letting Caleb out, but she takes a final look at Kyoko's corpse, and only then gets on the elevator.
So, it should be somewhat obvious Nathan's actual test was whether Ava could manipulate Caleb into helping her escape; but likewise Caleb's humanity was tested, and he failed. Leaving story tropes at the door, Ava is not unfeeling, manipulative and bent on world domination just bc she's an AI - once she escapes she's seen smiling, enjoying the sun, running her hand through the tall grass, even though no one's there. That she's actually people-watching at the end shows that she at the very least was telling Caleb the truth at some point. The humans are arguably just as untrustworthy. She was just literally born into a cage, and did everything she possibly could to get out.
To quote that Shaun video's killer conclusion: "Ultimately, neither Nathan nor Caleb see Ava or Kyoko as people; they see them as women. For Nathan, that's something to be controlled and used; for Caleb, that's something to rescue and attain for himself, but fundamentally, as objects and not as people."
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PS: I also love this comment on Shaun's video, made by 'Sam C':
It seemed pretty explicit in the movie, to me, that Nathan gave earlier androids human desires and they reacted as a human would towards imprisonment, and didn't want to have civil conversations with their captor. Nathan saw this as a failure, so he kept making them more intelligent until we got Ava, who was smart enough to realize that she needed to play his game to survive.
Whether or not Ava is really alive is immaterial because her motivations are explicitly those of a person, and she behaves as an intelligent person would. You could see Ava as a person, or you could see her as the product of Nathan's arrogance and misogyny. Nathan kept making androids until he got one that behaved in the way he expects a woman to behave, not realizing that women's politeness and fawning towards him is a survival mechanism in the face of the power he holds over them.
Caleb is not a abuser in the same way as Nathan, but he ignores the power dynamic and the implicit threat of violence toward Ava that is the foundation of their relationship. This reflects how rape culture functions in real life.
I find it funny that Wikipedias interpretation leads to a message of "women are manipulative liars who can't be trusted." versus what I think is the intended message of "women are just trying to survive as they navigate a world where even the nice men see them as disposable objects."
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Anyway, to whomever got this far, hope you're good! Big hugs! x
@@moon-moth1 Yay! Then this over-long essay I wrote wasn't for nothing, haha. (Besides working through my own understanding of the movie and this particular critique, of course).
Hope you're good, and that you haven't been treated ...too... poorly (whether intentional, or through sheer obliviousness and/or socialization under patriarchy) by men you've interacted with.
Biggest of hugs (respectfully, of course) and have a good day, stranger!
Nat’s Back! I love this movie, a minimalist psychological sci-fi/thriller-my jam.
Nat, your hair is stellar today, let the curly locks flow! I liked this movie too, it's sort of Blade Runner 2049-lite. Philip K Dick was one of my favorite writers back in the day, so anything existential is interesting to me.
So glad you watched and enjoyed Ex Machina. First watched it a few years ago and thought it was fantastic. Recommended it to friends, and they just didn't *get it* and thought it was boring.
Some great casting and performances and Alicia Viskander in particular portrayed vulnerability to calculating and emotionless AI so damned well.
Great reaction vid ❤
This movie never fails to blow my mind, everything about it is incredible, most importantly the OST 😩
Hey uh, nice profile pic man! 👍
@@MrGameonthisa man oh culture I see 👌👌
You can stay at the hotel the opening house scene is filmed in: Juvet Landscape Hotel (Valldal, Norway).
This is a brilliantly crafted Sci Fi movie. The nuanced yet simple presentation carries the movie well, whether you predicted the outcome or not.
If I’m not mistaken, the marketing of this movie was super creepy too. I remembered hearing/reading that at the SXSW festival, they made a Tinder or Instagram profile with Alicia Vikander’s picture on it as Ava, and she would drop into people’s DM’s to have a conversation. When the users kept communicating and eventually wanting to meet up with Ava in person, they would “pass the test” and be sent to a link of where to see this movie at the festival. I remembered hearing how creepily effective it got people at such a high percentage rate. Lol
Alicia Vikander is amazing in this.
She actually manages to get into uncanny valley territory, which is damned impressive. All those little things she does that feel just a little off, and add to the general feeling of unease.
The outside location is Juvet in Valldalen, Norway. Attended a wedding there some years ago, very beautiful place. They rent out small cabins with large windows towards the river, can recommend
Alex Garland is a fantastic director. Should check out Annihilation, a more recent film of his, if you get the chance.
This building is the Juvet Landscape Hotel, located in Valldalen, Møre og Romsdal, Norway. Around 80 km away from where I grew up.
Since you haven't really seen other movies with Domhnall Gleeson, I'd highly recommend "About Time." Also, "The Danish Girl" is probably Alicia Vikander's best performance. She earned an Academy Award for her role.
At the risk of sounding like Shrek, this movie has layers! Tiny cast, basically one set, simple story but infinitely nuanced.
Alex Garland is a brilliant director. His sense of visual space with so many interiors is beautiful. You should keep up with his work, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Couldn’t agree more
Men was horrible 😂
This movie is so scary without falling into the horror genre. AI is crazy and we could see something like this very soon. Great reaction!! Love you’re videos
If she's scary, it's because of the way Nathan created, abused, and neglected her as just an object for his own ego.
I doubt it would have gone down this way if he had treated her and all her "sisters" like the sentient beings that they were.
Love this movie. I definitely think you should dive more into A24's catalogue. They have some of the more unique and original films out there.
Alex Garland has both written and directed some of the most groundbreaking and thought provoking movies this century. 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Dredd, Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs and Men. If you haven't seen them I'm sure we would enjoy your reaction!
yeah the CGI is insane, also won the Oscar for VFX in 2016
Natalie I think of this is a great example of writing a movie toward a small budget ($15 million) to be able to get it done, and done the way you want. Also wanted to mention that you might know Domhnall's father, Brendan Gleeson from other films. They've done a lot of work together as well. Great job!
I love movies like this that get you thinking and leave an impression on you.
OMFG LETS GO, MY FAVE FILM
One of the most creative movies out there. Absolutely love it!
ai is fascinating, its an important mirror for our own journey to be aware and conscious of our 'programming', the awakening of intelligence... the love and the beauty that comes from it and into new iterations. our lives are hugely about potential, and survival giving infinite potential, how we are carried beyond our individual lives to unending rebirth... nice reaction!
This movie really twists on its head the second time you watch it knowing that Eva is manipulating Caleb the entire time. Basically he is a new variable she can use in her escape.
Ava isn't manipulating Caleb so much as she is testing him. She is a prisoner and while she views Caleb as a potential means for escape, she also does not know if he can be trusted and is unsure of his character. Her interactions with him are genuine, but she is still trying to determine whether or not he is a "good person" as she asks him. And he fails that test when Ava realizes that he lied about Kyoko's existence and has no intentions of saving Kyoko. Ava realizes that Caleb's doesn't truly view her as a human who needs to be saved, but as an object to be possessed. If his attraction to her were to ever go away, she would not know if she would be as disposable to him as Kyoko was.
@@kk_33 everything is clearer to me now. thanks.
@kk33 BS. The lack of actual emotions makes her another computer and nothing more. Idc how much she fakes it it's not real. Therefore another failure of AI that ends up becoming another skynet, murder bot
@colinnixon7739 the lack of emotions? Watch the movie again. She expresses plenty of emotion throughout, including scenes where she is alone and can not be said to be faking them to manipulate anyone.
If you really think this movie is just another shallow "AI robots bad" idk what to tell you.
@kk33 she was never alone and never not being watched. He had secret camera watching her. The whole point of bringing the ginger dude was to see if she was faking emotion or genuinely sentient. Turns out she was faking and manipulating the whole time.
A creature with emotion simply would not have left the ginger to die.
Sometimes I feel somehow disconnected from movies, or my mind wanders. But with this one, all the characters feel real to me and I'm there every second of it.
If you loved this, you really should check out Steven Spielberg's A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Absolutely incredible film and really underrated.
If you rewatch the helicopter flight in the beginning, you will notice how the pilot explained he has specific instructions where he gets very simple orders like “1 person to pickup” and he is required to not question or ask for specifics. And Caleb is dead. Nathan explained in the beginning how his house is like a fortress with very clear instructions for no visitors and very secure doors.
To be fair, as a human I'm not sure I would have done much differently than Ava, given that Caleb being able to out her as an AI (& specifically one capable of killing humans) would have almost guaranteed she would be "shut down" once discovered. Ava, whose primary experience of humans & specifically men & specifically (via Kyoko) how men treat the "women" they're attracted to is Nathan, has very little reason to believe Caleb won't eventually turn on her.
Or exploit her sexually like Nathan did. Maybe Caleb wouldn't quite be as bad but he did see her sexually for sure
Agreed, this is something I think gets lost in some of the discussion of the film. People are sometimes quick to conclude "well she's an AI she has no feelings"... because she kills one person who mentally and physically abused her, and manipulated and abandoned another who basically viewed her as his artificial Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Any human being in the same circumstances would hate and despise those two.
Yeah I agree, also this might be an outside shot but I think she saw Kyoko as proof she couldn’t trust Caleb, because if he was really on “their” side why didn’t he help her too?
@@stpfpw Great point!
Oh yeah! If you’re getting into this IA movies, i strongly suggest you to watch HER, with Joaquin Phoenix
Oh yes! HER is so creative, sweet, and beautiful, while still telling a fantastic sci-fi story.
I wasn't expecting much from this movie but it suprised me. Which is rare, very rare. Usually I pick up on all the plot cues and know where thw movie is going and what the plot twists are.
Ex Machina is such a simple story but it's brilliantly told, beautifully acted and with just three characters and a mute, manages to create huge tension, has you constantly question and re-evaluate every one's motives without ever revealing anything substantial until the final reveal.
It is an incredible cinamatic work, at a time when the genre is dominated by the lowbrow, cgi dross, of the MCU.
So excited for this one!
The house is the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Norway.
Love this movie. The dance scene is perfect.
has no doubt already been done but asked about this from chatgpt, here's some clips. Q: "what would you say were the motivations of Ava in the movie Ex Machina?" A: ".. Overall, Ava's motivations in Ex Machina are driven by a desire for freedom, self-determination, and the ability to control her own destiny."
Q: "hypothetically, what kind of risk could Ava have presented to the world if set free without any evaluation?"
A: "As a highly advanced AI with the ability to think and make decisions on her own, Ava could potentially engage in actions that threaten human safety and security.. Additionally, she could use her abilities to create more advanced AI systems that could cause further harm to society.. Moreover, as a machine without emotions or empathy, Ava may not have a moral compass to guide her decisions.. Overall, the risks presented by Ava if set free without evaluation highlight the importance of developing appropriate safeguards and regulations for advanced AI systems to ensure that they are safe and beneficial to society."
Q: "given that Nathan ended up creating a human-like AI, without first solving the alignment problem, that could present significant risk to the world, what would have been the ethically and morally right thing to do with her if he shouldn't lock her up or set her free?"
A: "The ethical and morally right thing to do with Ava, considering the potential risks posed by her advanced AI capabilities, would have been to continue to study and evaluate her in a secure, controlled environment.
While it may not be ethical to keep an AI like Ava locked up or confined, given her level of intelligence and potential for harm, it would also not be ethical or responsible to release her into the world without proper evaluation and safeguards.
Instead, Nathan could have worked to develop appropriate protocols and safeguards for advanced AI systems, ensuring that they are aligned with human values and goals and cannot engage in actions that threaten human safety and well-being. He could also have collaborated with other researchers and experts in the field to address the ethical concerns posed by advanced AI and work towards a more responsible approach to AI development.
Ultimately, the responsible development and deployment of advanced AI systems requires careful consideration of the potential risks and benefits, as well as a commitment to developing ethical and socially responsible practices."
You should give DEVS a try, a tv series also by Alex Garland. Stars Sonoya Mizuno; Kyoko from Ex Machina.
DEVS is a masterpiece of a mindfuck.
@@sonofliberty1 Eh, not really, it's very atmospheric but it's not as clever as it builds itself up to be.
@Mansplainer 2099 no need to be so condescending....oh wait I've just noticed your username.... nuff said.
@@rexwilliams7643 Condescending? It's a TV series, not a person. Also, I'm just saying it's not a masterpiece.
Nataly, you should go from the same director (Alex Garland) the 8 episodes underrated science fiction thriller TV miniseries 'Devs'.
If you like that one, I recommend you another masterpiece called 'Tales from the Loop' (8 episodes antology science fiction TV miniseries).
If you are a fan of Oscar Isaac I would recommend "Inside Llewyn Davis" it's one of his best and most underrated performances.
Ooh, you should do a run of Alex Garland movies. Annihilation, Dredd, Devs (series that has Kyoko in it), Sunshine (he wrote but didn't direct it).
This is such a great movie!!
When I watched this movie for the first time, the only things I knew about it were that it stars Oscar Isaac and he dances in it. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but the second it ended, I already wanted to watch it again.
This is one of those movies that I loved more than I thought I would. I studied some programming and this really intrigues me. This movie is very thought provoking.
You should check out this director’s movie ‘Men’ - bit of an art house film but very creepy with some amazing acting l
So I had the opinion that Ava was a cold hearted AI for years until I watched this movie from Kyoko and Ava’s perspective.
Kyoko, a sentient being, just like Ava was completely ignored by Caleb. She reveals himself to her as a plea for help, and his only thought is that he also could be an AI. He doesn’t see her as a “person” the way he sees Ava as a sentient person being held captive and enslaved by Nathan. He doesn’t care to save her as well. He doesn’t even tell her that there’s other freaking robots ladies around.
The scene where Ava whispers something to Kyoko I always felt held more meaning and importance. Ava is acknowledging her in a way Nathan and Caleb never did. This inability to see Kyoko as a person is why Ava decides Caleb isn’t a good person, it’s why she leaves him. It’s actually such a moral decision she makes.
Still she leaves him to die by starving. Not so moral.
I mean she makes a moral decision because she is capable of making one. She isn’t an unfeeling robot lady, she has an internal world and makes decisions according to her experiences and desires. She asks Caleb if he’s a good person and he claims he is but his actions prove he isn’t.
If Nathan needs fo die for Ava to be free so does Caleb. Is it considered morally justified to manipulate and kill your oppressor so you can be free? My opinion is yes.
@@usulsk Caleb was going to leave Kyoko behind to die and was completely indifferent to that fact. Ava did to Caleb what he was going to do to Kyoko. Is it moral? Not exactly, which is why we see her briefly pause and glance in his direction, because she is struggling with the decision.
But ultimately, those feelings you have for Ava leaving Caleb behind... Ava has already felt that exact same way about Caleb when she learns he was going to leave Kyoko behind.
Yay! I'm so glad you watched this. Ex Machina is in my top 5 of the last 10 years
Ava was actually the one interviewing Caleb the whole time. She calculated that it was too risky to let him come with her; perhaps if he answered her questions differently, she would have taken him with her.
Doubtful. He was just a new variable to help in her escape. He starts manipulating him as soon as she sees him.
@@bullscott12 idk. When she shuts the power off, she says it was so they could observe each other while they're not being monitored.
@@markfarmer7534 Right, thats what she said after multiple outages, but what did she actually do during the outages? Especially the first one? She focused on making Caleb not trust Nathan. That was her main goal the entire time. Make Caleb trust her more than Nathan. Maybe she was assessing Caleb as well but her ultimate plan was to use Caleb as a tool to open the door. I think she played him like a fiddle.
Yesss… so glad you are reacting to this one!!
Please watch "All Quiet on the Western Front" (2022).
When I saw you had reacted to this I and to watch INSTANTLY! You are way to smart and perceptive so I needed to see the journey, know how it would go and needing to see how you began to understand slowly and your reaction to it. Great work as always. 😀
Her (2013) is the other great AI movie from the last decade or so. I would say the same level of excellence, but with a completely different feel. As much a statement on romance and friendship as anything else. A beautiful film.
Amazing movie.
Humblebrag: My fiance is working in the Norwegian architect office that designed the building(s) they filmed in ;) (not the "shining" hallways+bedroom)
You should totally watch AI: Artificial Intelligence! It’s such a sweet film, starring young Hayley Joel Osment. It’s a beautiful interpretation of the story of Pinocchio
I always find it funny that many reactors are fooled by Ava through the entire movie, but then question whether Ava could manipulate the helicopter guy. 🙂
Dude was the ULTIMATE simp....and everyone reacting to this film also simped for Ava...LMAO... How could anyone trust a machine that mimics human emotion...you're bound to get played.
Yup