Flashy science fiction shows off the latest visual achievements in CGI.

Alicia Vikander stars as Ava in “Ex Machina”. (photo courtesy of A24 Films)

Good science fiction challenges contemporary notions about technological advancement, human potential or the changing role of humanity.

Great science fiction does it all.

“Ex Machina” doesn’t change the game, but it’s a refreshing reminder that great stories can still happen amid a sea of stagnation.

Remember “Under the Skin”, that wacky, indie flick in which Scarlet Johansson plays a dude-seducing killer alien?

I loathed that film — it was almost as pretentious and self-serving as Terrance Malick’s “Tree of Life” (I know, shots fired, but I stand by my truth bombs).

Anyway, “Under the Skin” had such potential to be a fascinating exploration.

It wanted to ponder what it’s like to live under the skin of something foreign, literally otherworldly.

“Ex Machina” is everything “Under the Skin” failed to be: visually compelling, subtle and perplexing to the last minute.

You’ve heard this premise before. A Steve Jobs-type innovator, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), creates artificial intelligence, and he invites programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to perform the Turing Test, a way of determining if a machine can pass for being human.

Meet Ava (Alicia Vikander). Only her face, hands and feet have skin, but she’s a remarkably human synthetic.

Caleb is immediately enamored with her.

But let’s not forget the bad blood between Ava and her creator. Creator and creation always seem to share mutual disdain.

It worked well for the titans and the gods, and “Ex Machina” doesn’t mess with the classic formula. Expect tension between maker and made.

“Ex Machina” doesn’t work at all without the vision of Alex Garland.

You might not recognize the name, but his screenwriting credits demand your attention: “The Beach”, “28 Days Later”, “Sunshine” and even, “Dredd” (I initially feigned indifference for this movie, but it actually holds up quite well).

His directorial premiere is modest in scope, but grandiose in execution.

But unlike his small handful of screenplays, his directorial debut is much slower.

Don’t expect a thriller.

This one’s all about the slow burn.

You might even know where it’s all headed, but that’s hardly the point.

Garland presents his take on A.I.

Before him, we had HAL 9000, Skynet, the Sentinels and so many more.

I can’t even fault Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”; I rather enjoyed what it attempted.

“Ex Machina” hardly goes where no one has gone before, but it fruitfully contributes to a fun yet under utilized subgenre and the study of consciousness.

As a film, I’m sure “Ex Machina” will bore most filmgoers.

But as a lecture on philosophy and new media, it might be more effective than your average, elbow pad-donning lecturer.

I normally abhor long, preachy dialogues that over-explain things. Film, after all, is a visual medium more suited to showing not telling.

But the lengthy conversations between Nathan and Caleb prove far more fascinating.

They’re expository without succumbing to condescending.

Ever heard of big data? It’s the reason an ad for your old college might randomly pop up on a website.

It’s not a coincidence.

Search engines create customized algorithms based on your unique browser history.

For Nathan, those searches aren’t just fodder for online marketing companies; they’re the key to consciousness.

We reveal so much to those pesky devices, and Nathan taps into those random ones and zeros to actualize a tin can. Ava isn’t a static program; she’s the accumulated preferences and curiosity or the Internet age.

That’s a new take on A.I. — one worthy of canonization.

And how could I leave out composers Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, who establish such a memorable mood throughout the film.

Akin to “Gravity”, the music accentuates some scenes and completely reevaluates how anyone should approach others.

As technological achievements continue to grow, A.I. films will continue to remain relevant.

Sure, the occasional “Chappie” might appear to insult the good ones, but an “Ex Machina” will always be close behind, watching, waiting, ready to warn us that the future isn’t always bright, but riddled with enigma around every brave new world.