10 Best Science Fiction Movies (Not Set In Space)
6. Ex Machina (2014)
Before Westworld's ingenious 2016 revival, there was Ex Machina.
Written and directed by Alex Garland (whose recent Natalie Portman-helmed Annihilation has itself nestled into a comfortable spot in the sci-fi canon), the film follows a programmer (Domnhall Gleeson) invited by his CEO (Oscar Isaac) to administer the Turing test to a lifelike AI (Alicia Vikander).
Imagine if that early sequence of Blade Runner was focused to a pinpoint and made into an entire feature film, and you've got the basis for this feature - but it is that and so much more.
Exploring big, existential concepts with a limited budget, tight yet formidable cast and single location, Ex Machina forces us to consider, define and redefine our notions of what constitutes humanity and consciousness.
Never quite knowing where the line is being drawn between programming and identity, the film rides uncertainty for a taut hour and a half that keeps you guessing and fearing into the final moments - but keeps you thinking for days after.