Robot Overlords movie review
If you've ever wondered what happened to Gillian Anderson of X Files fame, look no further.
Picture: Supplied
You can find her in this British sci-fi action flick. Anderson hasn’t featured much on the big screen, though she enhanced her acting reputation on the London stage recently in A Streetcar Named Desire,
which was filmed as part of the National Theatre Live programme. She stars alongside veteran British actor Ben Kingsley, who plays a traitor to his country when he aligns himself with robots from another world which have invaded the British Isles.
The menacing army of robots is in control of Earth and a strict worldwide curfew has been enforced. Residents are compelled to remain indoors at all times and get rations to survive. Those who defy the curfew are vaporised in a blinding flash. A tracking device is implanted in everyone’s head, so the robots know which inhabitants have broken curfew.
The story revolves around a group of characters who defy the overlords. There is young Connor (Milo Parker), a 10-year-old, who lost his father soon after the invasion. He is being looked after by teenager Sean (Aussie McAuliffe of The Great Gatsby) and Sean’s mother Kate (Anderson), a former highschool English teacher.
Sean’s father Danny (Steven Mackintosh) is an MIA operative who is presumed dead after joining the resistance.
In its favour, Jon Wright’s production comes across as an amiable enough offering – even though predictable. There is enthusiastic chemistry between the four young, capable stars who take on the robotic invaders at a seaside town. The jaunty banter among the teens and a palpable sense of fun, despite the dystopian trappings, add to the proceedings.
Robot Overlords does not boast expensive Hollywood-type special effects and, because of its low budget, the robot sequences are unimpressive and remind one of the British TV series Dr Who.
Still, the film may appeal to younger viewers who can cheer their heroes along.
