Ex Machina‘s ending reveals the hidden motivations of some key characters while leaving one main character’s fate vague. Directed by Alex Garland in his debut, Ex Machina follows Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a naïve computer programmer selected by his egomaniacal employer, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), to test the intelligence of his latest android creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). Through the tests of Ava’s human-like personality, Caleb grows to develop a connection with Ava, who warns Caleb of Nathan’s sinister ways.

What the ending of Ex Machina reveals is that this was all part of Nathan’s plan and a larger test that he is conducting. Throughout Ex Machina, he hides the truth that Caleb is, in fact, the test: Ava is a rat in a maze, and Caleb’s emotions are the maze. If she can manipulate Caleb’s emotions in an effort to escape, she pᴀsses the test. However, the climax of the movie finds Nathan’s pride coming at a price as Ava is able to free herself and confronts her cruel creator, killing him.

What Happened to Caleb In Ex Machina’s Ending?

Caleb Is Not Part Of Ava’s Escape Plan

After Ava murders Nathan with the help of fellow AI captive Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno), Caleb awakens to find her standing over him. She asks him to wait for her while she prepares herself for the outside world. He watches her intently as she carefully dresses herself in the skin of her sister androids who have been switched off, a fate she only narrowly avoided herself.

When she is done getting dressed, she leaves the research facility. Caleb realizes that she is leaving without him and tries to follow her, but his key card doesn’t allow it. He shouts and bangs on the soundproof glᴀss door to get her attention, to no avail. He is locked in and must find another way out. Caleb rushes over to a computer terminal, but when he inserts his key card, the power goes out. He is last seen banging a stool against the glᴀss door.

This might seem as though Ava has left him to die, but it is equally plausible that she got caught up in the moment. Additionally, there is no reason not to expect the power to come back on, and since Caleb was previously able to hack the security system, he may be able to free himself.

The Real Meaning Behind Ex Machina

Did Ava Use Caleb?

If Ava never cared about Caleb and did abandon him once he served his purpose, it would be completely understandable. Nathan was careless with his creations in many ways, nothing short of abuse. Not only did he see them as lab rats, but also as trophy animals to hang on his wall, which he literally did in the film. Therefore, it makes sense that Ava may have become as deceptive, manipulative, and violent as him, as that is what she has come to know as human nature.

However, it makes just as much sense that Ava was able to retain a semblance of compᴀssion despite the abuse. She may have been so absorbed in taking her first steps into the real world as a free soul that she momentarily forgot about Caleb. Furthermore, she knew that he had hacked the security system, thus suggesting he could escape on his own. Perhaps she didn’t trust him to allow her to escape after she killed Nathan and wanted to get a head start.

Either way, developing true artificial intelligence is like raising a child: there are no guarantees. The real meaning behind Ex Machina can be seen as a cautionary tale, much like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: great care must be taken when creating life, because it can emulate and even surpᴀss the human race in its capability for evil as well as good.

How The Ex Machina Ending Was Received

Critics Praised The Bloody Climax

Ex Machina was a critically acclaimed sci-fi movie and also received an Oscar nomination for Alex Garland’s original screenplay. Indeed, it is the sharp and intelligent script that received a lot of praise from critics, specifically how the movie builds to its ending. Many critics pointed to the unpredictability of the final act that was especially thrilling, with the review at RogerEbert.com expressing that there was a feeling of impending dread leading up to the final moments, but the movie still catches you off-guard:

But even as the revelations pile up and the screws тιԍнтen and you start to sense that terror and violence are inevitable, the movie never loses grip on what it’s about; this is a rare commercial film in which every scene, sequence, composition and line deepens the screenplay’s themes—which means that when the bloody ending arrives, it seems less predictable than inevitable and right, as in myths, legends and Bible stories.

Similarly, USA Today‘s review of the movie praises the movie’s propulsive tension that mounts throughout the story until it finally reaches that wild climax:

Even the most ordinary events in this isolated manse feel excruciatingly tense. Garland infuses the film with a Hitchcock-like sense of dread that mounts throughout, but never feels heavy-handed. An intricate, twisty, enigmatic tale, Ex Machina unfolds at just the right pace and raises profound questions about the nature of humanity, both real and fabricated.

The Washington Post‘s review of Ex Machina further praised the ending while pointing out that, while it does eventually succumb to the bloody climax that seemed to be inevitable, it never loses sight of its deeper themes and more interesting ideas:

Here are more than a few dollops of body horror in “Ex Machina,” which winds up veering into pop revenge pulp. But even at its bloodiest, the film succeeds at ratcheting up the mood of quiet unease, provocatively engaging everything from intimacy, idenтιтy and agency to such H๏τ-ʙuттon issues as corporate surveillance, Sєxual orientation and male privilege.