Ex Machina Poster Analysis Essay

As technology has grown immensely in the past century, we have seen the rise of many movies surrounding this topic. Movies ranging from family friendly flicks about the bond between a fighting machine and boy while others explore the science behind technological advances in educational films. However, the large majority seem to highlight the morbid possibility of what could happen when technology turns against us. These examples are found all throughout the media, but are dramatized to a whole new degree on movie posters. In my case, I am specifically referencing both the 2001: a space odyssey poster as well as the recently released Ex Machina poster. Both posters are meant to pitch the idea of where technology is going to be taking us. Yet, in the 2001: space odyssey the message is lacking and bordering on tangent to the movie in comparison to Ex Machina. On one side we see a poster about an epic adventure through space, but is conveyed in a poor way that takes away from the enjoyment of a topic such as space. Whereas on the other hand, we have the Ex Machina poster conveying a dark and eerie feeling that sells the movie exactly for what it is. Though Ex Machina is a clear winner here, to truly understand such rationale we must deeply analyze the visual rhetoric in both posters.
Starting off by examining Ex Machina, the movie is definitely
Looking at the title, it is inscribed within the red box immediately creating a sense of danger as the color red has been built up to symbolize danger or warning. However, this remains a subtle detail in comparison the rhetorical question posed right beneath the title. This is the final bit of detail, creates foreshadows the danger awaiting to happen. The combination of suspense, mystery, and danger the poster creates thrill in the eyes of the viewer by marketing itself as a stab at the future gone