In the late 2030s, solar flares irradiate the Earth, killing over 99% of the world's population. The survivors gather in a network of safe cities and build primitive humanoid robots, called Pilgrims, to help rebuild and operate in the harsh environment. These robots have two unalterable protocols: they can not harm any form of life, and they may not modify any robot. Initially seen as mankind's salvation, they are relegated to manual labor when they fail to stop the advance of desertification. Society has regressed due to lack of technology besides the Pilgrims (lack of functional planes or other transport prevents travel and cars are a rare commodity) and humanity is on the brink of collapsing.
In 2044, Jacq Vaucan – an insurance investigator for ROC, the company that manufactures Pilgrims – investigates a report from Wallace, a police officer who shot a robot he claims was modifying itself. Jacq discovers the robot hid a rare nuclear battery that could power a robot indefinitely. The next day, Jacq follows a robot who was stealing parts. When he corners it, it self-immolates. Jacq salvages the remains and speculates to his boss Robert that there may be a "clocksmith", someone who illegally modifies robots, who is overriding the second protocol. Incredulous, Robert rejects this possibility but offers Jacq a transfer out of the city if he can find evidence. Jacq's pregnant wife initially rejects his plans but she eventually relents.
Jacq and Wallace investigate a brothel, where they find Cleo, a modified robot that Wallace subsequently shoots in the leg. When Jacq objects, Wallace says that Cleo's owner will lead them to the clocksmith; Wallace also threatens to kill Jacq if he does not split the proceeds of the battery on the black market. Jacq follows Cleo's owner to a clocksmith named Dr. Dupré, who claims not to know who altered Cleo, an action that should destroy Cleo's CPU. Jacq leaves the burned robot's CPU with her and offers to give her the battery if she can locate information on the clocksmith. When Dupré installs the modified CPU in Cleo, Cleo begins self-repairing. Dupré contacts Jacq, who alerts Robert; however, ROC intercepts Jacq's message and sends a team of assassins to Dupré's lab.
Dupré is killed, but Jacq escapes in a car driven by Cleo. When Cleo takes them into a maze of stanchions, both cars crash; the assassins are killed, and Jacq is severely injured. Cleo takes Jacq with her into an irradiated desert, where they are joined by three other robots, none of whom will obey Jacq's orders. However, the first protocol forces them to prevent his death. Desperate to return to the city to be with his pregnant wife, Jacq makes contact with Robert, who sends Wallace to recover him. Wallace threatens Jacq's life and destroys two of the robots, who have objected to his actions; Jacq kills Wallace with a flare gun before he can also destroy Cleo. Wallace's partner flees after taking a battery from one of the robots.
Robert's boss reveals that the first built Pilgrim, unburdened by the second principle, designed the subsequent models. As no human could understand the programming, it was thought to be impossible to subvert. ROC forces Robert to accompany a team sent to kill Jacq and the unknown clocksmith before the robots can evolve further beyond human understanding. When Robert objects to their kidnapping Jacq's wife and baby daughter, Conway, the leader, shoots him and leaves him for dead. Meanwhile, Jacq meets the robot responsible for modifying the others. Initially skeptical, Jacq eventually accepts that the robot naturally evolved, like humanity. After a series of philosophical discussions, Jacq gives them his battery, which they use to complete a new design. The robots repair a vehicle for Jacq, and he leaves for the city.
When Conway reaches the robot outpost, he destroys two of the four robots. Jacq finds the dying Robert and returns to the outpost as Conway wounds Cleo. Jacq kills all ROC assassins but Conway, though he is further wounded in the battle. As Conway prepares to kill Jacq, the new robot saves his life by pushing Conway off a cliff. Jacq overcomes his distrust of the uninhibited robot when reunited with his family, and he leaves for the coast with them, as Cleo and the new robot venture further into the irradiated desert, where no humans can follow them.
CastAntonio Banderas as Jacq Vaucan
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Rachel Vaucan
Melanie Griffith as Dr. Susan Dupré and voice of Cleo
Dylan McDermott as Wallace
Robert Forster as Robert Bold
Tim McInnerny as Vernon Conway
Andy Nyman as Ellis
David Ryall as Dominic Hawk
Andrew Tiernan as Manager
Christa Campbell as Tech
Bashar Rahal as Doctor
Javier Bardem as Blue Robot
ProductionBanderas expressed an early interest in the film after reading the script. Banderas, as producer, brought on his then-wife, Griffith, and Bardem, who was cast in a minor role and as the voice of Cleo. The film was shot at Nu Boyana Film Studiosin Sofia, Bulgaria.
ReceptionRotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 33% of 27 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 5.2/10. The site's summary states of the film: "beautiful to look at but narratively hollow, Autómata short-circuits its handful of intriguing ideas with an overload of sci-fi clichés." Metacritic rated it 37/100 based on 13 reviews. Jay Weissberg of Variety called it "a dystopic mess" that borrows from numerous science fiction films. Jonathan Holland ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The overwrought, uncontrolled sci-fi thriller Automata is a disappointing example of a film that lacks the imagination to follow persuasively through on its engaging initial premise."
Stan Schröder remarked an influence of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (which served as the basis for the popular Blade Runner film) and Isaac Asimov's Runaround which introduced Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" which are close to the film's "robot protocols".
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