Automata (2014)

Human race is at edge of the end. Robot race is at edge of the beginning.

Director:

Gabe Ibáñez

Writers:

Gabe Ibáñez, Igor Legarreta

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Dylan McDermott

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Jacq Vaucan
Dylan McDermott	...	Sean Wallace
Melanie Griffith	...	Duprè
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen	...	Rachel Vaucan
Robert Forster	...	Robert Bold
Tim McInnerny	...	Vernon Conway
David Ryall	...	Dominic Hawk
Javier Bardem	...	Blue Robot (voice)
Boris Kabakchiev	...	Boy #3
Lyubomir Neikov	...	Poot
Krasimir Kutsurapov	...	Palance
Anton Lamrev	...	Unknown Boy
Geraldine Somerville	...	Samantha
Harry Anichkin	...	Clift
Stanislav Pishtalov	...	Lance

Storyline

2044. The climate change and a series of solar storms have turned in a desert the surface of the planet and annihilated to the 99.7 % of Earth's population, leaving alive 21 million people across the world in a single city covered by mechanical clouds (zeppelins anchored to the city) to make rain. Trying to rebuild the world again, a robot company named ROC Corporation create Automata Pilgrim 7000 with two security protocols: 1st, a robot cannot harm human beings, and 2nd, a robot cannot alter himself or another robot. But this situation changes when police officer Sean Wallace shoots and destroys a robot claiming that it was altering himself. With the company worried by the possible implications if the case were known by the people, insurance agent Jacq Vaucan is chosen to investigate the happened, while Vaucan tries to convince his boss, friend and brother-in-law Robert Bold to transfer him and his pregnant wife Rachel to the coast, with Bold accepting the request if Vaucan solves ...

---

Plot Keywords:

robot | future | dystopia | child hitman | self repair | 

---

Taglines:

Your time is coming to an end. Ours is now beginning.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the credits there is a rendition of Daisy Bell, a nod to the first song ever performed with speech synthesis on a computer.

---

Goofs

The setting is 2044AD. Jacq submits a report after visiting Doctor Dupre and the possible suppression of the 2nd protocol and receives a response from Vernon Conway with the time stamp "Transmitted Time: 04=23AM 06/06/25"

---

Quotes

Muniesa the Technician: The Pilgrims were born to help us in our heroic quest for survival. Now they build our homes, drive our cars, and wipe our asses when we get old. I have no idea what we're going to do next.

---

Crazy Credits

Under 'special thanks' in the credits, "power-horse" energy drink is listed

---

Soundtracks

Daisy Bell
Written by Harry Dacre (1892)
Public domain

User Reviews

Beautiful attention to the atmosphere, sadly not the story

Careful marketing goes into the release of a movie, and the descriptions given of the story carry an obvious air of Blade Runner, creating an interest in people like myself. Credit should be given where it is due, and the visual effects and production design in this film are excellent. There is even a persistent plausibility to the world as it is presented, until, that is, it falls to pieces.

For example; the world as it appears, is burning up, its oceans evaporating and people retreating into shelters of man-made walls and weather. Strangely, there is an abundance of paper as businesses are portrayed as operating close to the standards of the mid nineteen- nineties, complete with communicators similar to the original blackberry.

The plot becomes caught between telling the story of the protagonist, and telling the story behind what he has discovered. In this case, despite the believable acting of Antonio Banderas, characters and dialogue often fight to tell differing stories. Whole scenes are concocted to further the plot, while sacrificing any sense of plausibility. People take completely nonsensical actions, in order to stage a circumstance that ultimately loses any credibility as a result. The end picture is that the viewer can see the twists coming far before they are revealed, stripping them of any significant impact. Other characters are so demonstratively shallow that the viewer is likely to cringe whenever they are on film. Other characters will leave you mourning the fact they didn't get more screen time.

Final Verdict: A somewhat passable story, beautifully illustrated, but poorly assembled makes this a less than memorable experience.

Details

Country:

Spain Bulgaria

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2014 (Bulgaria)

Also Known As:

Automata

Filming Locations:

New Boyana Film Studios, Sofia, Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,237,990

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green Moon, Nu Boyana Viburno

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1