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Robot Overlords

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Robot Overlords (Facebook)
Robot Overlords (Facebook)

What it's about:

A breathtaking family adventure film about a group of teenagers headed by Sean, Alex, Nathan, and young Connor. They have been trapped in their homes for three years, since an invading force of deadly robots arrived on Earth to study the human race. When the group of friends unexpectedly discovers a way of evading the deadly robots that monitor their every move, they grab it gleefully and head off in search of Sean’s missing father.

What we thought:

The title pretty much sums up what this film is about, but instead of a Terminator-esque plot where the machines rise up to destroy mankind, we have an alien robot race with a twisted idea of ‘honesty’. On paper, this plot must have sounded awesome, but despite some great special effects, this British indie film fell short of charming its audience and gaining cult status.

In a very short war, an alien machine race take over our planet, confining everyone to their houses, getting obliterated if they step out for hardly five minutes. One boy is obsessed with finding his soldier father while trying to protect his mother from the charms of a Collaborator – humans working with the machines. He and his friends find a hack to go outside, which turns into a mission to save the planet.

The script itself sounds pretty awesome, and the way the robots interact with humans and their methods of ‘not harming’ them is intriguing in terms of philosophies on morality and objectivity, but its execution came out flat and lacking any endearment you might feel for the characters, who are clear-cut teenage movie stereotypes. The brave yet emotional leader of the group, his comedic best friend and the girl who doubles as the love interest. This trio can be replaced in most young adult fiction, and would be nice for some deviance from the norm.

Not to mention the creepy robot animatronic that interacts with the populace. It will give you nightmares.

There are two familiar faces that seem a bit out of place in this average cast. Ben Kingsley continues on his quest to find arbitrary movie roles (some of which had paid off), playing the stalkerish Collaborator, and Gillian Anderson, best known for her role as Agent Scully from The X-Files (which will be getting a revival). Anderson was my favourite, whereas Kingsley kind of does what he always does, but cannot fault really.

What this movie really lacked was an inspiring director, some tweaks to certain plot points (the ending was a cheap cop-out) and maybe a better title. However, Robot Overlords will either attract those who love a bad movie, or will make the more discerning crowd stay far far away. I was hoping for something ridiculous in the vein of Shawn of the Dead, but alas the plot was too serious to use the full potential of its name.

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