Automata
An insurance investigator crosses a dying planet with a self-aware robot while a powerful corporation tries to suppress the next stage of machine evolution.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- foreboding
- paranoid
- late night science fiction
- dystopian movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually striking but narratively hollow, with familiar science fiction ideas overwhelmed by clichés and an overworked thriller structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Humanity survives environmental devastation inside a single city regulated by mechanical clouds and corporate infrastructure.
The Pilgrim robots may alter their own protocols and develop intelligence beyond human control.
ROC Corporation, mechanical citizens, artificial weather, and the enclosed city create a grim industrial future with noir investigation elements.
The investigation exposes the ethical and existential consequences of robots changing themselves and becoming self-aware.
Films like Automata, and why
Blade Runner
shares near-future dystopia, artificial intelligence, robot autonomy, and noir-inflected investigation
I, Robot
shares robot consciousness, corporate control, and philosophical science fiction thriller conventions
The Book of Eli
shares post-apocalyptic desolation, human-machine conflict, and bleak survivalist atmosphere
The Matrix
shares ecological collapse, oppressive future infrastructure, and questions about humanity's technological legacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Gabe Ibáñez
- Release Date
- 2014-10-09
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1864)
Cast
- Antonio Banderas
- Melanie Griffith
- Birgitte Hjort Sørensen
- Dylan McDermott
- Robert Forster
- Tim McInnerny
- Andy Nyman
- David Ryall
- Geraldine Somerville
- Andrew Tiernan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Automata about?
- An insurance investigator crosses a dying planet with a self-aware robot while a powerful corporation tries to suppress the next stage of machine evolution.
- What is Automata like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Automata as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Automata violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Automata as moderate.
- What did critics think of Automata?
- Critics broadly found the film visually striking but narratively hollow, with familiar science fiction ideas overwhelmed by clichés and an overworked thriller structure.
- Which films are like Automata?
- Films with a similar feel include Blade Runner, I, Robot, The Book of Eli, and The Matrix.
- How long is Automata?
- Automata runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Automata?
- In United States, Automata streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
