Jurassic World, the fourth in the Jurassic Park series, is a resort located on an island off the coast of Costa Rica that provides a habitat for an abundant array of dinosaurs to delight the resort’s visitors. After 10 years in operation, and with visitor rates declining, a new attraction is needed. Claire (Howard) is one of a team of scientists who have created a new type of genetically modified dinosaur – the vicious and intelligent Indominus Rex. When the massive creature (predictably enough) escapes, the island is plunged into chaos. Enter the hero Owen (Pratt), velociraptor trainer and researcher, who has to now evacuate the island before thousands of visitors are hurt or killed.

Jurassic World is more violent and terrifying than the original Jurassic Park. Since the theme park is in full operation and filled with visitors, the ensuing body count when the dinosaurs run amok is much higher than in the previous films and there are many more intense scenes of sustained terror, suspense, and peril. People are eaten, torn to shreds, trampled, and severely injured.

This is one for the diehard fans. There are a satisfying number of in-jokes and references to the previous films in the series. You will be thrilled and there are plenty of truly jump-worthy scares. And who doesn’t want to see Chris Pratt lead a pack of trained Velociraptors off to the hunt on a motor bike???

Ex Machina is a spellbinding, spine-tingling, sci-fi thriller from first-time director Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine. Caleb Smith (Gleeson), programmer at an internet-search company, wins a competition to spend a week at the private estate of brilliant but reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Isaac). On arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test to evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of Nathan’s experiment in artificial intelligence (A.I.). That experiment is Ava (Vikander), an A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves to be more sophisticated than either man could have imagined was possible.

When Ava first appears, the workings of her machinery are clearly visible. As the relationship between Ava and Caleb develops she takes on a more humanoid appearance. Through these visual cues we are led down a twisting, dark path of emotional responses to the A.I. – as is Caleb. Nathan is a charismatically aggressive genius who operates at a fever pitch of paranoia about his A.I. developments being leaked. Through the use of cleverly sparse dialogue, and the tension between them, the three characters are hard to like and empathise with – that is until the final moments of the drama unfold.

This is a stunningly beautiful film. The main location is the Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway, which merges modern architecture with the natural environment. These surroundings echo the premise of merging man with machine. The limited set creates a claustrophobic atmosphere which aids the sense of suspense and impending danger.

Ex Machina is not just a sci-fi thriller, it is a philosophical riddler with an erotically charged romance story thrown in. The viewer is left wondering who the real monsters are – men or machines.