Ex Machina: parents' guide
Best for ages 17 and up. Rated R for graphic nudity, language, sexual references and some violence.
A cerebral, unsettling science-fiction thriller for older teens and adults. A young programmer is invited to a tech CEO's remote home to judge whether a humanlike robot is truly conscious. Most of the film is tense conversation, but it includes repeated full-frontal female nudity (robots played by actresses), frank sex talk, more than 20 f-words, heavy drinking, and brief, bloody violence, including a fatal stabbing and a man cutting open his own arm. Its themes of manipulation and control over women's bodies make it best for about 17 and up.
What's in it
Violence
StrongRare but strong: a man is stabbed twice and dies in a pool of blood, one robot's arm and another's jaw are smashed off, a man is knocked out with a punch, and a character slices his own arm with a razor.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted more than 20 f-words and five or six s-words, plus 'bastard,' 'damn' and 'prick.' Some of the f-words come in crude sexual talk.
Sex and nudity
StrongFull-frontal female nudity in several scenes, all lifelike robots played by actresses, including a closet of nude bodies. Crude, frank talk about sex with robots, a robot designed from a man's porn searches, and an implied sexual relationship with a silent robot servant.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe CEO drinks hard liquor daily and gets drunk enough to pass out several times; his guest drinks beer, wine and vodka. No drugs or smoking.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateSteadily creepy and claustrophobic: hidden cameras, locked doors, a robot peeling back her skin, footage of earlier robots begging to be let out, and growing danger. Few jump scares.
Sensitive topics
- Self-harm
Worth talking about
Both men treat Ava as a prize or an experiment. Ask your teen how the film shows manipulation, and whether a being that can suffer deserves rights.
On our lists
Similar picks around 17+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk, the MPA, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.