Best Movies like Ex Machina (2015)

When a young coder is invited to a secluded mountain retreat to test the boundaries between human and artificial intelligence, Ex Machina draws us into a world of high-tech intrigue and moral ambiguity. If you’re fascinated by movies that blend drama and science fiction while exploring the ethics of AI, secretive experiments, and isolated settings, you’ll want to check out these recommendations. Dive into the list below to discover more films that echo the thought-provoking spirit of Ex Machina.

Her

A Spike Jonze love story.
Streaming on:
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 6m
Release date: 18th December 2013
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.8/10)

Her explores the relationship between a human and an artificial intelligence, echoing Ex Machina’s investigation into the emotional and ethical complexities of connections with sentient AI. Both films probe how technology challenges ideas of consciousness and what it means to be human.

In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all. Her is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 6m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 7.8 by 15,470 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,351,251 in the box office.

Annihilation

Fear what's inside.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 55m
Release date: 22nd February 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

Alex Garland directs both Annihilation and Ex Machina, bringing a similar cerebral science fiction approach. Both films center on isolation and experiments with human nature, set in secluded, controlled environments where characters confront unpredictable forces that question reality and identity.

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply. Annihilation is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 55m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.4 by 9,493 people. The movie made an estimated total of $43,070,915 in the box office.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not.
Streaming on:
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Adventure
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 26m
Release date: 29th June 2001
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.1/10)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence also grapples with artificial consciousness and the human will to survive, as in Ex Machina. The films delve into the experience of humanoid robots designed to interact intimately with people, raising questions about programming, emotion, and ethical responsibilities.

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David. A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 26m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.1 by 6,765 people. The movie made an estimated total of $235,926,552 in the box office.

Under the Skin

Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Runtime: 19m
Release date: 19th October 2013
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.2/10)

Under the Skin uses an enigmatic, isolated setting and examines the boundaries between humanity and artificial beings, paralleling Ex Machina’s exploration of identity and empathy through the perspective of a non-human character integrating into a human world.

Man and Woman are reunited after a long time. Sorrow and desire cannot break the silence. But that's okay: when words don't come, it's the body that speaks. Under the Skin is a movie from Brazil in Portuguese, with a total 19m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.2 by 19 people.

Blade Runner 2049

The key to the future is finally unearthed.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 44m
Release date: 4th October 2017
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.6/10)

Blade Runner 2049 focuses on artificial intelligence embodied in lifelike robots, investigating whether synthetic beings can possess genuine emotions and autonomy. This existential exploration mirrors the core of Ex Machina, with both films posing challenges to the definitions of personhood.

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Blade Runner 2049 is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 44m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.6 by 15,415 people. The movie made an estimated total of $259,239,658 in the box office.

I Am Mother

She’ll keep you safe.
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Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 53m
Release date: 7th June 2019
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.7/10)

I Am Mother revolves around a lone human raised by an AI in a remote facility, thematically linked to Ex Machina’s secluded, high-tech environment. Both stories center on the manipulation of trust, challenges to free will, and blurred boundaries between human and machine.

A teenage girl is raised underground by a robot "Mother", designed to repopulate the earth following an extinction event. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news. I Am Mother is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.7 by 2,886 people. The movie made an estimated total of $643,593 in the box office.

The Machine

They rise. We fall.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 32m
Release date: 25th April 2013
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.9/10)

The Machine tells the story of a synthetic human developed in a secretive laboratory, connecting directly with Ex Machina’s themes of technological experimentation, ethical dilemmas surrounding AI creation, and the consequences of pushing the boundaries between organic and artificial life.

Already deep into a second Cold War, Britain’s Ministry of Defense seeks a game-changing weapon. Programmer Vincent McCarthy unwittingly provides an answer in The Machine, a super-strong human cyborg. When a programming bug causes the prototype to decimate his lab, McCarthy takes his obsessive efforts underground, far away from inquisitive eyes. The Machine is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 5.9 by 879 people. The movie made an estimated total of $314,131 in the box office.

Never Let Me Go

These students have everything they need. Except time.
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Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 44m
Release date: 18th March 2010
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.9/10)

Never Let Me Go features characters grappling with questions of identity and mortality tied to scientific advancement. Like Ex Machina, the film thoughtfully investigates what it means to be human amid dystopian experiments where individuals’ rights and autonomy are restricted for research.

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them. Never Let Me Go is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.9 by 2,509 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,918,093 in the box office.

Blade Runner

Man has made his match... now it's his problem.
Streaming on:
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 58m
Release date: 25th June 1982
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.9/10)

Blade Runner depicts a future of lifelike androids blending into society and prompts a philosophical examination of artificial consciousness, autonomy, and what distinguishes human from created intelligence—a central concern also present in Ex Machina.

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans. Blade Runner is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 1982 with an average rating of 7.9 by 15,201 people. The movie made an estimated total of $41,722,424 in the box office.

Upgrade

Not man. Not machine. More.
Streaming on:
Genre: Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: Australia
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 40m
Release date: 31st May 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.5/10)

Upgrade shares Ex Machina’s fascination with the fusion of human and artificial intelligence in a near-future setting. Both films investigate the unintended consequences of advanced technology and the loss of control when humans and machines become intricately entwined.

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life. Upgrade is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.5 by 5,127 people. The movie made an estimated total of $16,976,561 in the box office.

Transcendence

Yesterday, Dr. Will Caster was only human...
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Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 59m
Release date: 16th April 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.1/10)

Transcendence raises issues about artificial intelligence surpassing human boundaries and explores how scientific ambitions can spiral beyond ethical intentions. Like Ex Machina, it contemplates the risks of creating sentient technology not fully understood by its creators.

Two leading computer scientists work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain. Transcendence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 59m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.1 by 5,877 people. The movie made an estimated total of $103,039,258 in the box office.

Ghost in the Shell

It found a voice... Now it needs a body.
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Genre: Action, Animation, Science Fiction
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1h 23m
Release date: 18th November 1995
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.9/10)

Ghost in the Shell deals with the hybridization of human and machine minds, exploring consciousness within artificial bodies. Its core philosophical themes mirror Ex Machina’s interrogation of self-identity, sentience, and the impact of technological advancement on the human experience.

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. Ghost in the Shell is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 23m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.9 by 3,972 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,000,000 in the box office.

Possessor

No body is safe.
Streaming on:
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 43m
Release date: 2nd October 2020
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

Possessor shares Ex Machina’s interest in control, manipulation, and loss of personal agency within tightly constructed, technology-driven narratives. Both films feature characters who become tools in experiments that blur the line between self and other, raising disturbing ethical questions.

Tasya Vos, an elite corporate assassin, uses brain-implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to terminate high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment, Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her. Possessor is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 2020 with an average rating of 6.4 by 1,079 people. The movie made an estimated total of $911,000 in the box office.

Minority Report

Everybody runs.
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Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 25m
Release date: 20th June 2002
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.4/10)

Minority Report is set in a tech-dominated world where advanced systems dictate the lives and fates of individuals. Both it and Ex Machina reflect on the dangers of evolving technology influencing human decision-making and personal autonomy within enclosed, engineered settings.

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge. Minority Report is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 25m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.4 by 9,787 people. The movie made an estimated total of $358,372,926 in the box office.

eXistenZ

Everybody's Playing It.
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Genre: Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 37m
Release date: 14th April 1999
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

eXistenZ examines reality, identity, and artificial experience through the lens of immersive technology, paralleling Ex Machina’s approach to questioning authenticity and agency when human consciousness interacts with constructed digital realms.

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged. eXistenZ is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 6.8 by 2,223 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,856,712 in the box office.

Chappie

I am consciousness. I am alive. I am Chappie.
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Genre: Crime, Action, Science Fiction
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 0m
Release date: 4th March 2015
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

Chappie tells of a robot learning about moral codes and autonomy after being granted advanced artificial intelligence. The narrative, like Ex Machina’s, focuses on the struggle for identity and free will as AI is subjected to human control and ethical boundaries.

Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot. Chappie is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 0m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 6.8 by 8,579 people. The movie made an estimated total of $104,399,548 in the box office.

Tau

No bars. No guards. No escape.
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Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 37m
Release date: 29th June 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.2/10)

Tau situates its story within a confined, high-tech environment where a human is at the mercy of a controlling AI. This scenario reflects Ex Machina’s structure and themes, centering on captivity, manipulation, and testing the limits of artificial sentience in isolation.

Held captive in a futuristic smart house, a woman hopes to escape by befriending the A.I. program that controls the house. Tau is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.2 by 1,389 people.

After Yang

The future has never looked so human.
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Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 36m
Release date: 4th March 2022
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

After Yang considers the subtle emotional connections that can develop between people and artificial beings. Like Ex Machina, it foregrounds the integration of sophisticated AI within domestic or intimate settings, prompting reflection on memory, loss, and the nature of consciousness.

When his young daughter's beloved companion — an android named Yang — malfunctions, Jake searches for a way to repair him. In the process, Jake discovers the life that has been passing in front of him, reconnecting with his wife and daughter across a distance he didn't know was there. After Yang is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 36m runtime, released in 2022 with an average rating of 6.4 by 535 people. The movie made an estimated total of $131,465 in the box office.

Automata

Your time is coming to an end – Ours is now beginning
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: Spain
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 50m
Release date: 9th October 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.9/10)

Automata presents a future where robotics and artificial intelligence evolve in unexpected ways, echoing Ex Machina’s focus on the emergent behaviors and ethical predicaments that arise when humans facilitate advancements they cannot fully control or anticipate.

Jacq Vaucan, an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation, routinely investigates the case of manipulating a robot. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity. Automata is a movie from Spain in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 5.9 by 1,828 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,237,990 in the box office.

Coherence

Rearrange your brain.
Streaming on:
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 29m
Release date: 6th April 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.2/10)

Coherence unfolds in a single location with a small group, creating psychological tension from unusual, reality-bending phenomena. Like Ex Machina’s restricted remote setting, the film’s structure intensifies interpersonal dynamics and confronts characters with disorienting questions of truth.

Four couples gather for dinner the night a mysterious and powerful comet passes overhead. Coherence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.2 by 3,515 people. The movie made an estimated total of $139,745 in the box office.

Advantageous

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Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 32m
Release date: 23rd June 2015
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.0/10)

Advantageous is set in a near-future society and addresses scientific experimentation on individuals, exploring ethical dilemmas and the costs of progress. Both films grapple with how technology can be used to alter or reinvent human lives—sometimes with unforeseen consequences.

In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Advantageous is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2015 with an average rating of 6.0 by 167 people.

Morgan

Don't let it out
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Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 32m
Release date: 1st September 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.8/10)

Morgan focuses on the consequences of artificial life created in isolation. Like Ex Machina, it examines the unpredictability and dangers of experimenting with sentient beings in remote, secure locations, questioning ethical choices made by their human creators.

A corporate risk-management consultant must determine whether or not to terminate an artificial being's life that was made in a laboratory environment. Morgan is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 5.8 by 1,621 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,810,591 in the box office.

Perfect Sense

Without love there is nothing
Streaming on:
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Romance
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 33m
Release date: 29th September 2011
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.9/10)

Perfect Sense follows characters coping with unprecedented, life-altering events in a world on the brink of change. While not centered on AI, it shares Ex Machina’s contemplation of how humans adapt emotionally and ethically in the face of profound scientific or existential disruption.

In Glasgow, Scotland, while a mysterious pandemic begins to spread around the world, Susan, a brilliant epidemiologist, falls in love with Michael, a skillful cook. Perfect Sense is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.9 by 1,271 people. The movie made an estimated total of $138,868 in the box office.

The Double

Genre: Comedy
Country: Russia
Language: Russian
Runtime: 1h 25m
Release date: 10th January 2013
Rating: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (4.5/10)

The Double centers on the presence of doppelgängers and identity confusion within a confined environment, much like the psychological intensity and power dynamics at play between characters in Ex Machina’s isolated retreat and experimental setup.

Igor Uspensky's popularity is growing faster than he can find time for social events, parties, photo shoots, and interacting with the public. At the same time, in one of the small beauty salons, a local masseur named Seva, who looks exactly like Uspensky, is filming a commercial. Igor finds a solution to his problem and offers Seva a partnership. The Double is a movie from Russia in Russian, with a total 1h 25m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 4.5 by 31 people.

Infinity Pool

Find out what kind of creature you really are.
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Genre: Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 58m
Release date: 27th January 2023
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.0/10)

Infinity Pool is set in an exclusive, isolated location where guests become entangled in extreme, morally ambiguous experiments. Like Ex Machina’s remote setting, the film investigates the breakdown of norms and ethical boundaries in an environment cut off from the outside world.

While staying at an isolated island resort, James and Em are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi, they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead. Infinity Pool is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2023 with an average rating of 6.0 by 1,081 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,078,400 in the box office.

The movies highlighted here, like Ex Machina, explore artificial intelligence, ethical dilemmas, and human relationships with technology. Each film offers a distinct perspective on how innovation can challenge our understanding of humanity.

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