Ex Machina: Society & Morals

Devon Smillie

The movie Ex Machina directed by Alex Garlend is a psychological scifi-thriller and makes viewers think about

morality and consciousness. In the movie, Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleeson is sent to a remote location to act as a test

proctor for a Turing test. Caleb is called upon by his boss Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac to determine whether his humanoid creation Ava can pass the Turing Test and be

considered sentient.

Summary

Opinion

The movie Ex Machina vividly portrays key characters within the movie as center points for exploring morality, ethics, and philosophical questions on existential sentience outside of human beings.

Director thoughts

Alex Garlend’s original thoughts about Ex Machina was that it would be underwhelmingand unnoticed. To his surprise it received warm receptions from many reviewers and exceeded even his own expectations.

Seitz’s review

Matt Zoller Seitz review brings out the key context that I will be reviewing: morality and society.

Seitz & Ex Machina

In Matt Zoller Seitz review of Ex Machina he reveals that he believes the movie to be less about technology but instead a “sociological observation about humanity.”

Seitz also goes to say that “gender roles handed down over thousands of years can poison otherwise pure relationships ”.

● Throughout the movie Caleb played a stereotypical white knight because he was easily manipulated and let his desires get the better of him.

● Ava would exploit Calebs kindness by making him believe that Nathan is

a dangerous person and begins to act as a victim.

● Through subtle hints at attraction, Ava was able to use Caleb to escape

Katherine Rose’s statement

Unlike Seitz, Katherine looks at and questions the technology in Ex Machina. She asks an important question:

“will technology change us or end us?”

● It is revealed within the movie that Nathan hacked the world’s cell phones in order to make Ava.

● Society also changes with the advancements of technology, and not always for the better.

Thesis & Argument

The movie can be interpreted in many ways depending on how you look at it and the reviews bring out my thesis; The social constructs created by society blind our perception for what is morally correct and society changes and is manipulated by the advancement of technology.

However, I challenge this because morality cannot be so easily contradicted by social implications, personal preference, and primal instincts. Even if morality is sometimes clouded by what we want, there are things much deeper within us that make us choose what is morally correct.

Sources (Citations)

Ex Machina. Dir. Alex Garland. Perf. Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Homhnall Gleeson, and Sonoya Mizuno A24 Films, 2015. Theater.

Rose, Katherine. “Ex Machina Movie Review: Should We Be Scared?” Rev. of Ex Machina, Fir. Alex Garland. Huffington Post, 20 May, 2015. Wev. 20 May, 2015.

Seitz, Matt. “Ex Machina.” Rev. of Ex Machina, Dir. Alex Garland. Roger Ebert. Matt Zoller Seitz, 9 Aprile, 2015. Web. 9 April, 2015.