Ex Machina 4K UHD Blu-ray
By Chris Heinonen on
Audio Quality
Video Quality
Overall
Summary: After winning a competition to spend a week at the mountain estate of his company’s brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac), programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) arrives to discover he has been chosen to take part in a study of artificial intelligence. Sworn to secrecy and cut off from the outside world, Caleb meets his subject, a beguiling and seductive android (Alicia Vikander) — and is plunged into an A.I. experiment beyond his wildest dreams in this epic thriller charged with heart-stopping suspense.
Movie Review: Ex Machina does a wonderful job of building suspense the whole time the film goes on. Taking place almost entirely in a claustrophobic house/research lab, you never feel at ease during the entire film. As Nathan tries to manipulate Caleb, he works to try to outwit him for the sake of Ava, who is working to outwit them both. Having watched this multiple times now, as it was one of the first titles with a DTS:X soundtrack, it never disappoints.
Technical Review: Ex Machina was given a full 4K digital intermediate using a negative from a Sony F65 and other cameras. The F65 is a 4K camera and the film was shot this way, but the cinematographer made a choice to use lenses that add a bit of character to the look. It’s not the perfectly razor sharp look that some 4K transfers have, with some shots looking sharper than the others, but they went for a more film-like image. Because of this, the image on screen here is likely to be as sharp as it can be. HDR is used some, but the sunlight near the end is only so-so. It has more of the look of HDR done afterward and not during the original process.
The soundtrack with Ex Machina has always been fantastic. It makes the mood even more creepy and disconcerting and uses the height effects very well. The soundtrack matches the film perfectly, and the DTS:X soundtrack is perfect for what it is.
Special Features: A five-part featurette, 8 behind-the-scenes vignettes, Q&A with cast and crew, and Oscar Isaac dancing.
Review System: Sony 65” A1E OLED, Oppo UDP-203 UltraHD Blu-ray Player
, KEF Ci5160RL-THX Fronts, Ci3160RL-THX Center, 2x Ci200RR-THX Surrounds, 4x CI200RR-THX Atmos Speakers, Anthem MRX 1120 Receiver.
Pros
Great film, fantastic DTS:X soundtrack, transfer looks better than the Blu-ray.
Cons
Image isn't as sharp as it could be in 4K due to choices by the cinematographer.
Summary
We don't know if Ex Machina can ever look better than this, but the UltraHD Blu-ray version looks and sounds fantastic.
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