Had this movie came out just maybe a couple of years earlier it would have been even more impactful.
The direction by Alex Garland was spectacular and it's one of the reasons why this movie worked so well. I'm completely blown away as this writer-turned-director can produce such quality as his first movie. Some of his shots were beautiful and poignant, and really add on to the atmosphere and tone of the story.
His three leads, all seemed to have equal screentime, were fantastic. The intensity of Oscar Isaac, in moments of his choosing, was so scary you could even feel it from your chair. Domhnall Gleeson as the eyes and ears of the audience in the whole experience in getting to know the wonders of advanced A.I. brings the humanity of the story. And Alicia Vikander as said A.I., was so creepy she could even receive her first Academy Award nomination.
The sound editing should be noted as well. Whenever Vikander's character moved, there's the tiny sound of robotics in the works; and they sounded realistic, never over-the-top, and at the same time very simple.
The ending gives another chilling take on how A.I. can be more superior compared to humans and yet it is the humans that created them just because we want to play god.
The tone and pacing were quite consistent throughout. However, there's one section in the middle involving Gleeson's own self-doubt that I thought should have pushed the emotional boundary a bit more to achieve a greater impact. Also, another scene involving the revelation of Sonoya Mizuno's character was a bit weird and out of context.
But overall a beautiful story written and directed by Garland and I'm looking forward to his next movie, which is already in the works, titled Annihilation.
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