Automation

Firstly, I am biased. I grew up on B-movies. And this one takes me back with a nostalgic smile. The movie has so much bad to it that it's almost laughable, but when adjusting your lenses to "B", then it kinda pulls it off. Yes, the acting is stinted. But still enjoyable. The script? What script? Some of the snippets are choice inputs for memes! Yet, with everything going against it, I could still watch it to the end. This is a sci-fi movie for B-movie fans. If you cannot deal with the "B", it's not for you. For me, out of all the rubbish out there, this was recyclable. It didn't need to be unique. It just needed to be honest. And it will get you to rate other movies more honestly too. When you see bad, you appreciate good all the more.

I'm sure we have all looked at the famous actors and thought that acting is easy and we could all do it. Well, the totally atrocious 'acting' by every cast member puts paid to that idea. Watching somebody really bad at something makes one realise how difficult it really is. To add insult to injury, the script is naff as well as the story. This has no redeaming features and really deserves no stars.

As soon as I saw the robot I almost turned it off, but I'm glad I didn't. It's clear that this movie is low budget, but the humour and the basis of the movie which is the AI takes over kind of terminator vibe is pretty funny and enjoyable. If you don't mind bad special effects and cheesy jokes you'll enjoy it, just try not to take it too seriously!

The only review you need to read is the 8/10 by Insprivet, I second everything he said above my own review.

Automation was certainly budget but low experience actors aside it was also thoughtful and well paced. The film rounded out nicely at the end and was thematically consistent and well balanced. I had a couple of niggles with the Sci-Fi technical aspects but I was happy to put those aside because even if the script wasn't 1st class, thematically it was intelligent and gave rounded perspective of the complex subject of sentient AI and how such a scenario may play out.

Above all and most importantly I did not feel robbed of time and I did feel moved to comment here. Take that for what it is, watch it yourself and make your own mind up.

This is a really fun B-movie that knows exactly what it wants to be. The cast and crew were obviously having a great time making it, and it's easy to join them. Are there a few logic gaps and some cheesy effects? Sure, but it also features a number of cool moments and a very satisfying ending, which puts it way ahead of most films made on this kind of budget.

I saw Rise of Skywalker in IMAX on the same day that I watched Automation at home, and I enjoyed both. One took hundreds of people several years to make on a nine-figure budget, and the other was shot in 12 days with a cast of about a dozen and a budget that wouldn't buy a decent used car. It seems like some people are dissing this movie because it isn't a major Hollywood feature. If you don't like this kind of thing, that's fine, but as far as low-budget indie flicks go, Automation is really well done. And, frankly, I've seen plenty of movies that did a lot less with a lot more money.