{"id":84315,"date":"2026-04-25T20:19:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T20:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/1-of-the-weirdest-movies-ive-ever-seen-is-leaving-hbo-max-soon\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T20:19:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T20:19:41","slug":"1-of-the-weirdest-movies-ive-ever-seen-is-leaving-hbo-max-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/1-of-the-weirdest-movies-ive-ever-seen-is-leaving-hbo-max-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"1 of the Weirdest Movies I&#8217;ve Ever Seen Is Leaving HBO Max Soon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In 2015, screenwriter <strong>Alex Garland<\/strong> made his directorial debut with <em>Ex Machina<\/em>, a sci-fi film that revolves around an Artificial Intelligence that may have achieved true sentience. What a far-out concept!<\/p>\n<p><em>Ex Machina<\/em> was a modest success, grossing $37.3 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last 11 years, its reputation has only grown, making it one of the best movies of the 2010s \u2014 and one of the weirdest.<\/p>\n<p>Watch With Us is a big fan of <em>Ex Machina<\/em> because it\u2019s so odd, which is why you should stream it before it leaves HBO Max at the end of the month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2257678950-domhnall-gleeson.jpg?crop=0px%2C117px%2C1333px%2C753px&amp;resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=70&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 200px\" alt=\"GettyImages-2257678950-domhnall-gleeson\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" data-fallback-img=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2257678950-domhnall-gleeson.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n<p>    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">Who Is Domhnall Gleeson? Where You&#8217;ve Seen Taylor Swift&#8217;s &#8216;Opalite&#8217; Costar<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tTaylor Swift\u2019s \u201cOpalite\u201d music video stars a few famous faces. Greta Lee, Graham Norton, Cillian Murphy, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lewis Capaldi and Domhnall Gleeson take center stage in the video, which was released on February 6. While the group may seem random, they\u2019re all connected to Swift through an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The Premise Is Still Timely Over a Decade Later<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex Machina (1\/10) Movie CLIP - That&#039;s the History of Gods (2015) HD\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v3JlEi3CbGI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As almost everyone has noticed by now, AI has crept into our lives over the last decade, and it\u2019s already costing people their jobs. While there\u2019s currently no AI that\u2019s comparable to Ava (<strong>Alicia Vikander<\/strong>), it\u2019s not so far-fetched to believe that there could be a creation like her in the future. Plenty of movies have tackled the idea of AI going rogue, most notably in <em>The Terminator<\/em> films.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ex Machina<\/em> opts for a different approach. While Ava does indeed go rogue, she still seems all too human while doing so. <strong>Domhnall Gleeson<\/strong> was an apt choice to play Caleb Smith, the ordinary programmer who is excited about the possibilities that Ava represents even before he lays eyes on her. Gleeson brings the human element to the film as he sees in Ava a lot of the things that he wants to see, as well as the aspects of her personality that Ava believes will entice him. People already have unhealthy relationships with chatbots. If they all looked like Ava, we\u2019d really be in trouble.<\/p>\n<h2>Oscar Isaac Is a Different Kind of Frankenstein<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex Machina (7\/10) Movie CLIP - Tearing Up the Dance Floor (2015) HD\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b7C69HqnV8s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s ironic that one of Oscar Isaac\u2018s most recent roles was Victor Frankenstein in Netflix\u2019s <em>Frankenstein<\/em> movie, because his character, Nathan Bateman, is the Frankenstein of <em>Ex Machina<\/em>. Nathan created Ava without much regard for the implications of his feat, other than personal glory. Although Nathan seems very jovial, he also appears to be seduced by the idea that what he\u2019s done with his creation makes him like a God.<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-related article link-related__with-thumb\">\n<figure class=\"article__figure\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/13%20Must-Watch%20Sci-Fi%20Movies%20on%20HBO%20Max%20Right%20Now?resize=400,225&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all\" alt=\"13 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max Right Now (December 2025)\" width=\"400\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 800px, (max-width: 770px) calc(100vw - 6em), 400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/13 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max Right Now?resize=200,https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/113&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/13 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max Right Now?resize=400,https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/225&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 400w, https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/13 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max Right Now?resize=800,https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/450&amp;quality=86&amp;strip=all 800w\"\/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<div class=\"article__content\">\n<h3 class=\"article__title\">\n<p>    <span class=\"related-badge\">Related: <\/span><span class=\"related-title\">13 Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on HBO Max Right Now (December 2025)<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n\t\t\tFor the last few months, most of HBO Max\u2018s best sci-fi movies were on loan from Disney\u2019s 20th Century Studios. Unfortunately, when Disney took those titles back, HBO Max lost some of its top films in this category. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>If Ava is a manipulative creation, it appears to be a trait that she picked up from Nathan. Outwardly, Nathan is very friendly towards Caleb, but that may be because he\u2019s more interested in what Caleb can provide to the ongoing experiment. He\u2019s almost like the bro version of Frankenstein in this film, but Nathan ultimately pays the price for his hubris, just like Victor.<\/p>\n<h2>Alicia Vikander Gives an Otherworldly Performance<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex Machina (2\/10) Movie CLIP - Breaking the Ice (2015) HD\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mAtmopQxu0o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"news-block\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form  \">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-narrow\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"newsletter-form__background background-wide\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-signup__success\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<h3>Thank You!<\/h3>\n<p>You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>Ex Machina<\/em> won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Special Effects, but the film\u2019s greatest asset is Vikander\u2019s performance as Ava. The idea of Caleb providing a Turing Test on Ava is ironic because the entire film is a Turing Test being conducted on the audience.<\/p>\n<p>The viewers are allowed to see different shades of Vikander\u2019s Ava as she wraps Caleb around her finger. That\u2019s a talent that may not have been what Nathan had in mind for her. But if Nathan wanted Ava to know her role, then he shouldn\u2019t have given her a female body in the first place.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ex Machina<\/em> is streaming on HBO Max through April 30.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2015, screenwriter Alex Garland made his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a sci-fi film that revolves around an Artificial Intelligence that may have achieved true sentience. What a far-out concept! Ex Machina was a modest success, grossing $37.3 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. Over the last 11 years, its reputation has only [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ex-machina-gleeson.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}