Autómata (2014) Review
Directed by Gabe Ibáñez
Starring:
Antonio Banderas
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen
Dylan McDermott
Robert Forster
Tim McInnerny
Melanie Griffith
Running time: 110 minutes
Plot Synopsis: (via IMDB)
Jacq Vaucan is an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation who investigates cases of robots violating their primary protocols against altering themselves. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity.
My Opinion:
So I’m on a bit of an “artificial intelligence” movie kick lately having just watched Ex Machina & Electroma. Like I said in those reviews, sci-fi is my favorite genre & I’m fascinated by artificial intelligence and the singularity occurring and Skynet killing us all and blah blah blah. So, anyway, as it’s a concept that appeals to me I really wanted to see Autómata despite negative reviews. It certainly has its flaws but it’s not the worst sci-fi movie I’ve ever seen. It’s worth a watch if you’re a fan of the genre.
First of all, I’ll say you need to go into this one expecting a B movie. I suppose that’ll make some of you instantly uninterested but, well, it’s not something that bothers me as long as there’s something I appreciate about the film. I apologize to my regulars who already know of my love for Hardware but I have to mention it here (as both are low budget sci-fi & especially as Dylan McDermott is in both films – it was so weird seeing him in Autómata!). No, Autómata is no Hardware (Hardware is much better) but it’ll get the same level of people loving it or hating it, I think. Hardware was made on a very low budget (and it’s obvious) but it has such a great feel & characters & simple but fun story. Autómata is also low budget but it looks much prettier while the acting & script feel low budget. Antonio Banderas is fine but the rest of the acting is a little dodgy. I think it also tries too hard to be intelligent but doesn’t ever get very deep so ends up feeling a little pointless. Hardware says “fuck it” and just entertains you with a killer robot, which makes it a far more enjoyable movie than Autómata.
So what did I like about Autómata? The story was a bit of a mess & the acting was iffy but I still liked the concept of “robots violating their primary protocols against altering themselves”. Also, the look of the robots was quite effective for the budget & the filmmakers managed to create a decent looking dystopian world. And… You know what? It’s late & I really want to watch Game Of Thrones. Only four more episodes & then I’ll be all caught up so I can watch the new ones when they start! Woohoo! So, anyway, I liked Autómata okay but it’s a genre I really go for so I’m likely to enjoy it more than some would. It’s NOT a “good” film but, hey – at least they tried! I’ve seen better & I’ve seen far worse. Maybe give it a watch if you love sci-fi (but first watch Ex Machina, Electroma & HARDWARE). 😉
My Rating: 6/10
Cinema Parrot Disco 
NO I WON’T WATCH HARDWARE
😦 *pout*
*gout*
*SHOUT!*
Well, Cinema Parrot Disco, I think you should be proud – you’ve now gone an entire month watching and writing about movies I will probably never see. How’s that for a good run??
: )
I am so sorry for the hardship I have caused you.
: )
The pain! My eyes!
Another fan of HARDWARE, too. So, your review has me curious to watch this. Thanks.
Oh! Oh! A fan of Hardware! My blog buddies get SO sick of me mentioning Hardware!! Lol. I love it! Glad to find another fan. 🙂
i was very disappointed as i really hoped it was going to be good because like you i am a fan of the genre and of AI films. I thought it was shit. Dylan MacDermott looked and behaved as if he’d just wandered in from a different film. There was nothing here I hadn’t seen before, including the cliche bit where Banderas drunkenly dances with the female robot. Woeful. I chose it s one of my worst films of 2014.
Did I never reply to this?! Sorry! I’ve missed a lot of comments recently so am digging through my blog for what I missed. Well, I guess I enjoyed this a little more than you but agree that, yeah… It was pretty shit. The trailer had made it look like it was going to be pretty damn good!
I just know there are A LOT of really shitty movies in the sci-fi genre so, compared to those, I didn’t think this was the worst.
well, true, it wasn’t the worst. i hear very very good things about Ex Machina
I loved Ex Machina! You need to see it. 🙂
There was a time I would have watched Hardware but now I refuse to out of principle. Same goes for D.A.R.Y.L. can’t believe I even typed that shit out properly
Awww! You’re all so MEAN to me about Hardware!!!! It’s awesome, dammit. 😉
I love that you’re giving points for trying basically.
Bwahaha! I’m trying to be less bitchy…. 😉
Good review, Mutant! Sounds pretty meh, huh?
…I want to talk about this more, but I can’t because I’m SO EXCITED THAT YOU’RE CAUGHT UP ON GAME OF THRONES!!!!! Are you pumped for season five???
Yes, it was meh. Unlike Game Of Thrones, which rules!!!! 😉 I can’t wait for the next season. I’m not sure but I THINK they’re gonna show that here at the exact same time. Which would be like 2am, so… I may not manage to watch every one at the same time but I might for the 1st episode & definitely the final one. Screw being coherent for work! Lol
HA! Totally worth a couple zombie days at work. 😀
do u think I’d like this? (DONT GO THERE DAMMIT)
(this is a serious question not related to my thoughts on any other movie you recommended to me what-so-ever)
Lol. No, I don’t think you’d be crazy about this one. 🙂
So ill skip it. Thanks. Do u think u’ll be able to take oart in my blogathon next month?
I’m not going to do any blogathons for a little while as I’m just too busy & struggling to do stuff on my own blog at the moment. 😦 Hoping to have more time later in the year. Looking forward to reading the reviews – he has more movies in my top ten than any other director. 🙂
Not even as a favor to me??? 🙂
I understand….seriously. your input will be missed 😦 (feel free to change your mind anytime)
That’s one of the reasons I chose him 🙂 He made some great movies and there really is something for everyone
Which reminds me, though – your review is up in two hours! 🙂
I know. 🙂
My shitfest entry goes up at the same time too 🙂
~dont worry, It’s not Hardware 🙂
Quite good. Interesting concept at very least 😀
Yeah – the concept was better than the execution. But I’ve certainly seen worse sci-fi films! I had fun with it. 🙂
Well we’ve all seen worse sci fi films 😀
Yep! Interstellar. Lol 😉
Damn I had completely forgotten about this. Did it come out early in ’14? I’m actually attracted to this film b/c of Banderas’ interesting look. Oh, does that make me sound gay for him? Well that’s okay. I may as well be.
No, but seriously. . . .
Lol! He’s a good looking guy. 😉 I actually liked his shaved head look in this! This never actually showed in cinemas here – I’m not sure when it actually came out but I first heard about it late last year. I liked it okay but I really love sci-fi. I’ve seen better but I’ve seen worse. 🙂
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I’ve quiet enjoyed it. The atmosphere was good. The soundtrack. Many say it’s cliched… but I appreciate that a Spanish director tried to do a sci-fi movie like that, these days there aren’t many foreign movies on that.
Yeah, I thought this film wasn’t too bad. It has some issues but, heck, it’s a lot better than some of the mainstream Hollywood sci-fi crap that gets widely released. I appreciate the effort that was put into it. : )
Yes… It’s like punk music sometimes – it may be badly performed, but that’s not the only thing that counts. And I felt Automata was a pretty sincere homage to the genre. It was good to see Banderas in something not typical for him too and trying low budget stuff. 🙂