Ex Machina Quietly Becomes a Hit on Its New Streaming Home

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A science fiction film from 2014 is becoming popular on streaming services as 2026 begins. The movie, directed and written by Alex Garland—who has been nominated for an Academy Award—was recently added to HBO Max and has quickly become one of the top 10 most-watched films on the platform.

The film Ex Machina centers around Caleb, a programmer portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson, who is chosen to participate in a Turing test. This test involves interacting with an artificial intelligence to determine if a human can distinguish it from a real person. The movie also features Alicia Vikander as Ava and Oscar Isaac as Nathan.

I was totally hooked by this movie about Caleb, who starts falling for Ava, this incredibly lifelike AI. It’s crazy how real their connection feels! But things aren’t what they seem – Ava can actually feel and understand emotions, and she uses that to subtly play on Caleb’s feelings, trying to get him to help her escape the person who created her. It’s a really tense and emotional story!

Though Ex Machina only made $37.3 million worldwide in theaters, despite costing $15 million to produce, it’s become increasingly popular over time. With reviews from over 280 critics, the film currently holds a 92% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also seem to love it, giving it an 86% approval rating on the site.

2 Ex Machina Stars Also Appeared in Star Wars

Since his role in Ex Machina, Oscar Isaac has become well-known for his work in the Star Wars sequels and the Disney+ series. He most recently played Victor Frankenstein in a 2025 film and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for that performance.

Domhnall Gleeson is known for his roles in the Star Wars sequels and the Harry Potter films, where he played Bill Weasley. He recently starred as Ned Sampson, and during an October 2024 interview on The Graham Norton Show, he hinted at what fans can expect in Season 2 of The Paper.

He expressed his excitement about the show being renewed for another season, mentioning that filming is expected to resume in January or February.

Ex Machina is streaming on HBO Max.

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2026-01-05 21:37