'Ex Machina' Trailer: A Robotic Love Triangle

There are a number of interesting things going on in the first 'Ex Machina' trailer, but let's get the weird one out of the way first: this is a 2015 science fiction film starring Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac that is not called 'Star Wars: Episode 7.' The fact that these two very interesting actors are starring in next year's biggest sci-fi adventure as well as this small, cerebral sci-fi indie only deepens our appreciation for both of them.

The set-up for 'Ex Machina' feels like a science fiction novel plucked straight out of the '60s. A mysterious and innovative scientist invites one of his programmers to his isolated estate, where he is asked to help test Ava, a new artificial intelligence who has the appearance of a gorgeous woman. Either by accident or design, Ava turns out to be one seductive piece of programming, which leads to an awkward love triangle of sorts for everyone involved.

'Ex Machina' is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the talented screenwriter of '28 Days Later,' 'Sunshine,' 'Never Let Me Go' and 'Dredd.' With a resume like that, we can't think of anyone better suited to helming a small and (seemingly) smart science-fiction drama like this. Color us intrigued.

Here's the official synopsis:

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company’s brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac). Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test – charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness, of Nathan’s latest experiment in artificial intelligence. That experiment is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a breathtaking A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves more sophisticated, seductive––and more deceptive––than the two men could have imagined.

'Ex Machina' is set to open on April 10, 2015.