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Initial Thought: I thought this looked like it would be one hell of a movie. The cast is small yet really recognizable. It looked like something that would be eye catching and intelligent. I planned on seeing this one as soon as it came out. I hope it is as good as it looks.
Characters/Acting: Domhnall Gleeson has really risen up since his very limited role in the Harry Potter series. I loved him in About Time so I was interested to see his next big thing. I swear he didn't disappoint me. His acting here was just great and I feel as if I would have been the same kind of person in this situation. Oscar Isaac is amazing as usual. Here he plays such an interesting character that you aren't sure if he is someone to like or not. He also has a few moments of perfect comedic timing that I had not expected especially near the end. Alicia Vikander was wonderful here. I swear I might have fallen for Ava no matter the fact that she isn't human. Which honestly I really could care less about how weird that sounds haha. Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko was a pretty interesting character to watch. Everyone just did absolutely wonderful here.
Story: Basically this guy is chosen via a contest to come to his employer's home to help him with an experiment. That's where we come to find out about what we already know about him creating Ava. This is just a visually stunning treat of a movie. The design of Ava is so unique to look at as it just feels so realistic. The conversations between Nathan and Caleb are comical, but they kind of give us a look at how vastly different these two men really are. On one hand you have this genius who just wants to drink and relax casually learning about the subject. On the other hand you have this lanky guy who is so excited to learn about such an advanced project that all he sees are the serious scientific studies. There are some pretty good twists of which there are expected and slightly unexpected varieties.
Directing/Writing: Alex Garland has yet to fail at filmmaking. I have loved each of his films. I wish he would hurry up and get 28 Months Later out as the first two were just great! Anyways this is by far one of his best so far. On par with Never Let Me Go. This guy is really a great director to watch. He really knows how to mess with our emotions. He pulls some humor out even when the story is a little dark. He has come a long way. Many people thought The Beach was just average, but I actually enjoyed it. If they went from that to this there is still a huge change in quality. It's amazing how much a director's style can improve given time.
Final Thought: This is a really awesome movie. It's a simplistic view of a scientific study that could have been complicated. I enjoy the fact that anybody can watch this and not be confused by scientific mumbo jumbo. This is an intelligent movie that still gives us a fun and intriguing study of human and machine understandings. I thought the ending was also pretty good and different in a way. It's definitely a must see especially if you already have it on your to watch list.
