10 Brilliant Movies That Surprised Everyone
8. Ex Machina
Indie sci-fi films that attempt to tackle the big questions in life are a dime a dozen, and few of them are altogether too successful. Alex Garland’s 2014 cult classic Ex Machina is nothing short of a minor miracle with that in mind. On a budget of just $15,000,000, the first-time director created one of the trickiest and most intriguing films that we never saw coming.
The premise is simple: Oscar Isaac plays a reclusive tech genius who invites an employee (Domhnall Gleeson) to test his new invention - a robot who he hopes can pass the Turing test and exhibit intelligent life.
The film’s secret weapon is Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, who gives perhaps the most “realistic” robot performance ever put to film. As Ava she is simultaneously affecting and chilling, warm and cold. It’s the care put into the character and the performance that raises Ex Machina above the landfill straight-to-DVD efforts that make up much of the genre.
The film was released to little fanfare but has built a keen fanbase due to its winding plot and commitment to its scientific core. It’s a small, totally individual film that emphasises the power of ideas.