Netflix users have limited time to watch sci-fi movie dubbed 'scariest movie of the decade'
It's that time of the month when we find out what's coming and going from Netflix, as the streaming giant tries to keep us stumping up that subscription cost.
While sitting as the undisputed king of the streaming services, Netflix's lofty position means it arguably faces even more backlash than rivals like Disney+, Prime Video, and HBO Max.
There was a recent uproar about another price increase, while Netflix fans are known to complain about even the smallest UI change. Then again, with more streaming services than ever, and users being more selective about where they spend their dollars, things are becoming increasingly competitive.
You can't argue with the fact that Netflix has an impressive merry-go-round of content, although we suggest you watch it while you can. 2026 has already seen fan-favorites like the Harry Potter movies and Friends jump ship to HBO Max, while all of the James Bond movies are set to depart for their new home on Prime on April 21.
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It felt like we were spoiled for choice in March 2026, with the likes of Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, the first three Jurassic World movies, and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man being just some of the big hitters.
April 2026 is something of a slaughterhouse as we lose John Krasinski's A Quiet Place, the original Scream trilogy, and Alex Garland's Ex Machina. The latter is leaving the service in the United Kingdom on April 12. In a time of continued fears about where AI is heading, the 2014 sci-fi film is arguably more relevant than ever.
Starring Domhnall Gleeson as a programmer who has to perform a Turing test on an unnerving humanoid AI called Ava (Alicia Vikander), it's all about how she manipulates him into trying to escape from her creator, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
Ex Machina boasts an impressive 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, also being nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and winning Best Visual Effects.
When you tend to think of the scariest movies of the 2010s, the likes of Hereditary, The Witch, and Midsommar continue to do the rounds. Ex Machina isn't traditionally scary in that sense, but there's a definite sense of dread as we realize how feeble mankind really could be against AI.
Over on Reddit, one person previously called it the scariest movie of the decade, with another adding: "I was freaked out after watching this movie."
There were the usual grumbles of hard-to-please film critics saying it's not scary at all, although a third concluded: “It could've been a Black Mirror episode tbh. It's a spooky movie because it's not an impossibility with how many advancements in technology we make every year."
Then again, with fears that AI could wipe out mankind by 2027, and it's proven influential in the Iran war, some might argue it's even scarier 12 years later.
As well as Isaac's Nathan being compared to Elon Musk, the world's richest man applauded Ex Machina but suggested the really threatening AI will present itself as a disembodied voice rather than in the form of a human.
Around the time that Ex Machina released, the tech mogul spoke out at the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department's 2014 Centennial Symposium and warned: "With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon.
“In all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it’s like – yeah, he’s sure he can control the demon. Doesn’t work out."
Ironic that in 2026, Mr. Musk is one of AI's biggest champions thanks to his involvement in xAI and continuing to push Grok.
If you haven't already, or simply want to give Ex Machina a rewatch, let us know if you think we're closer or further away from it becoming a reality.