I have never seen Ex Machine so I need another movie comparison to see if I'm a dumbass who will like Arrival.
Or you could get off your ass and watch Ex Machina.
Sigh, alright, another comparison.... Inception? Interstellar? Those movies were at least somewhat entertaining (if too long) so not a perfect comparison to the lifeless, dull mediocrity that is EM and Arrival, but you've got the same basic "dumb people think this movie is really profound when it really isn't" vibe to them.