Directed by:
Gabe IbáñezCinematography:
Alejandro MartínezComposer:
Zacarías M. de la RivaCast:
Antonio Banderas, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Melanie Griffith, Dylan McDermott, Robert Forster, Dan Cade, Tim McInnerny, Andy Nyman, Andrew Tiernan (more)Plots(1)
After solar flares damaged the Earth and wiped out the majority of the human population those who survived began to use robots, made by the ROC Corporation, to help them rebuild their lives. The robots are programmed to protect human life and are incapable of altering themselves or their fellow machines in any way. However, when police officer Wallace (Dylan McDermott) reports that he shot a robot because it was modifying itself, ROC insurance investigator Jacq Vaucan (Antonio Banderas) comes to believe that there could be a 'clocksmith' who is changing the automata's protocol, allowing them to make alterations. As Jacq investigates further he makes an unlikely ally in the form of altered robot Cleo (voice of Melanie Griffith) and comes to realise who the real enemy is. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (4)
Automata is an inoffensive sci-fi flick that likes good robots and Blade Runner, and wants to make do with a subject that would only be the starting point of a proper movie. But Banderas looks good in the contaminated desert with his shaved head, coat and tie.
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Initially I wondered what about this film could be Bulgarian. After seeing it I realized that such scenes of a post-communist concrete world appropriate for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi would be hard to find in any other country. It is filmed in an interesting, brave and innovative way. The world of 2044 is really believable. However, the storyline is worse, as at times you have no idea what is actually happening. You only know that it has something to do with robots and you are drowning in scenes which at times have no clear connections. Over time the premise sets in and even though the second half is a bit more boring, the ending balances that out with a decent shoot off. Sci-fi in general is a difficult genre to film and a well-filmed flick is worth some respect. This film is one of those.
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A visually impressive sci-fi in Philip K. Dick style, crossed with Asimov. A slightly jerky storyline about an insurance agent who unwittingly comes up against a case of unavoidable evolution of species essentially doesn’t offer anything new, but it’s the crudeness of the movie that grabs the attention. Banderas plays very well, but it’s evidently against the grain for him. An atmosphere somewhere between Blade Runner and Elyse and I would welcome hearing other tales coming from this gloomy, radioactive future. Maybe I’m overrating it a little, but really only a little. P.S.: Great opening credits in Socialist realism style.
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I was quite curious about this, but in the end, it turned out that there wasn't much of a reason for it. This is a poor remake of the film "I, Robot" that lacks action and actually anything new that the movie would bring. The topic, which Asimov developed best, is still being addressed here, and the Spaniards haven't said anything completely new in this regard.
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