Review: Alex Garland's Gripping & Brilliant 'Ex Machina' With Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander & Oscar Isaac

After giving new life to the zombie and space opera genres with the Danny Boyle-directed duo of “28 Days Later” and “Sunshine” and devastatingly adapting Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go” for Mark Romanek, it seemed inevitable that screenwriter Alex Garland would eventually find his way into the director’s chair (especially after those rumors that he took over from credited helmer Pete Travis in the editing room of “Dredd,” which he also wrote).

What was less inevitable is that Garland’s directorial debut “Ex Machina” would be any good: if the film fell flat, he’d be far from the first scribe to unsuccessfully attempt directing. As such, it’s extremely pleasurable to report that the picture is a triumph: it's arguably Garland’s tightest and most fascinating screenplay to date, brought to life with meticulous filmmaking and sensational performances. It's the first great film of 2015.

Like his earlier work, which gave a fresh coat of paint to the undead, the...