Automata

Release Date: 11 May

2014 | 15 | Blu- ray/ DVD

In the year 2044, most of the world’s population has been wiped out by solar flares. The survivors created a race of robots, named Pilgrims, to help rebuild society, programming them with two protocols: they may not harm any form of life and they may not modify themselves or any other robot.

So what happens when they find an override to the second rule? With robots now about to self- repair and upgrade at will, the Pilgrims look set to evolve rapidly, leaving mankind behind.

There are a lot of good ideas in Automata, but the script doesn’t have the courage of its premise. Boring action, cliché- drenched subplots and poor casting torpedo the movie, and only Alejandro Martínez’s rich cinematography emerges with any dignity.

Extras: Making Of; interview.