Robot Overlords

Plot synopsis:
Not long after the invasion and occupation of Earth by a race of powerful robots wanting human knowledge and ingenuity, humans are confined to their homes. Leaving without permission would be to risk their lives. Monitored by the electronic implants in their necks, the robot sentries are able to track the movements of humans in order to control them. If any person comes out of their home, they are given warnings by the robot sentries to get inside their home. If the person does not comply, they are immediately incinerated.
In what starts out as a bit of fun, a bunch of clever kids in a British town manage to tamper with the implants in their necks and stay out after their curfew. Having discovered the capabilities of the electronic implants, they quickly realise how important this information could be to save the imprisoned human race.
Led by the talented Sean (Callan McAuliffe), who discovers he has the mental ability to interface with and control the robots, the kids band together and recruit other people who want to stand up against the robots’ rule. Standing in their way are human collaborators, led by Smythe (Ben Kingsley, using a northern English accent), and the kids must summon all their emotional and physical strength in order to battle against their control. After a run-in with the collaborators, clues eventually lead them to a hideaway community in an abandoned mine where Sean is reunited with his father, but the robots soon descend on the community seeking Sean, offering an amnesty in exchange for him. Sean mentally controls a robot craft that rams and destroys the cube, the local robot mothership, halting this invasion. He narrowly escapes the impact. He interfaces with a damaged Mediator, a robot in human form, and mentally sends commands to end the invasion of the Earth, destroying the robots and their craft. The film ends with jubilation as the local population celebrate in town. In the closing scene, Sean looks up at the stars.

Tags: good versus evil, revenge, romantic

Review:
I've never posted a review before.I'm sick to death of reading reviews from nobodies full of self-aggrandising rubbish of the look-at-me-I'm-so-knowledgeable kind.When I read IMDb reviews I want to know the answer to one question: is this film worth watching.Answer: Yes.Extra comment for people who need more: It is not blade runner nor star wars nor aliens nor any other visually stunning or game changing movie.
With that film being a complete disaster, it saddens me that it gets just about a lower score than Robot Overlords, because the latter is far superior.What to expect: Good but not incredible CGI (again, far more believable than FF'S The Thing...or anything else in it for that matter...) Good acting: Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson are great, and the kids are surprisingly good too.
The teenager Sean Flynn (Callan McAuliffe) misses his father Danny (Steven Mackintosh), who is a pilot, and his mother Kate (Gillian Anderson) is constantly harassed by the collaborator Robin Smythe (Ben Kingsley).
The film entertains but despite the names of Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, it is only reasonable.
How can someone spend so much time, money and effort (Significant amounts by the look of things), get names such as Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley to join his project and end up with this sad excuse for a sci-fi blockbuster wannabe?The storyline is stupid beyond anyone (above 3 year old) belief.
IT'S GOT KILLER ROBOTS, the vfx are creditable for such a relatively small film and look solid.Probably the least believable thing in the entire film is Gillian Anderson's English accent, and it's got robots flying around English suburbia for goodness sake.
Many holes in the plot and the cinematography is as bad as hell.If your time has a value don't watch this movie.
Robot Overlords does sum up with that standard, it's formulaic about its own plot: an evil force, unlikely heroes, a protagonist who has something special inside him which becomes the only hope to save the day.
There's nothing novel about it in the end, but this is a film that intentionally gives you the pleasure to turn off your brain.Aside of its title, the movie seems totally committed to be this cheesy, but that doesn't let the negativity get in the way.
When the robots start clashing, it gets too loud, the effects look good enough for a B-movie, bringing a sense of scale for these typically designed machines.
but the shining moments are basically when the heroes are finding new discoveries in this world, it's basically just embracing what this should be an adventurous ride.And just like any generic action film, the hero is the good-looking white guy.
Unlike many dumb B-movies out there that doesn't accept its absurdity by glossing it over with gravity that makes no sense until it stops being watchable, this film at least has the joy over its preposterous nature; the hero kids do impossible things, the villain sneers his plans, and they're against giant robots.
But again, there's nothing brilliant about it, it never gave us anything meaningful in the end, but it sure is amazing seeing a movie like Robot Overlords that is confident enough to be released in today's blockbuster cinema..
For some reason this movie reminded me of a Famous Five story - possible because when I started watching it I didn't know it was aimed at a pre-teen to teen audience, however that soon became clear...Group of kids on an adventure to save humanity from robots that have overrun the Earth and made everyone prisoners in their own homes.Low budget, but surprisingly good effects and acting, story line that flows well, but not much to it and most of the situations the are not realistic.I don't really think this one is for the Sci-Fi fans - there's just not enough Sci and too much Fi!Would appeal to ages 10 to 16 or so, not much of a target audience which is why this film is getting low scores.I give it 6 because it is good for a low budget movie and deserves more credit than it is getting..
They only have one strict rule for the earthlings to follow during their occupation: "Stay indoors!" The story follows a group of teenagers led by Sean Flynn (Callan McAuliffe) who defy the robots, venturing out of the safety to his home to search for his lost father.
But Smythe is distracted by his attraction to Sean's mother Kate, (and I do not blame him as Kate was played by Gillian Anderson).When we first saw the trailer for this film, I had no plans to watch it because it looked like a low-budget B-action flick with robots and unknown young actors.
The film lacks the warmth and heart of Doctor Who. A more apt comparison was a cheesy 1980s serial, Tripods.The setting is a planet occupied by Robot invaders who wish to study humans.
Chasing them is a robot collaborator Mr Smythe (Ben Kingsley) who has the hots for one of the kids mom (Gillian Anderson.)The film was shot in the Isle of Man and Northern Island.
There are some great mountain scenes, the special effects are very good and Kingsley and Anderson lend the film some class.The story was thin, even cheesy.
can/t understand why this film has a low score its got everything a good film needs a good storyline (most importantly the characters are believe able you can understand the plot )it goes along at a steady pace its not too slow, its aimed at the longer generation but grown ups will enjoy it too, its got some funny moments that make you chuckle and the special effects don't overshadow the scenes.
I mean, it is not today's kids movie, it does not seek to be mild or comedic or innocent, and it does not aim consciously at a specific target audience - it is just out there for whoever feels like watching it and it does not categorize or underestimate its audience.
You cannot actually tell if it's made for teens, kids, young adults, family film, sci-fi fans...
If you have watched any British or Australian sci-fi TV series for younger audience, things like "Aquilla", "Escape from Jupiter", "Return to Jupiter", The acting is good, I really enjoyed all the characters, and by the way, is Gillian Anderson actually getting younger and hotter with time?!
It's it's clearly done on a budget, it does not look like a 200-million-dollar picture, but I am so tired of shallow "all style and no substance" hyped up blockbusters that I even enjoy this indie feel of the film.
The film is by no means gloomy and at the same time delivers a feeling of tension and peril with a pinch distopian atmosphere.For me, "Robot Overlords" has all the elements of a modern sci-fi cult classic!
The story may seem a little thin but the actors and the special effects is not bad for independent film.
I found it entertaining with a good mix of action and humor and not relying too much on special effects but it does feel a bit short at times.
I had extremely low expectations because It looked like a kids movie.
do yourselves a favor, watch Red Dawn or any number of better films with the same plot, you know, the old "kids vs oppressors" troupe..
All the Transformers had to do was watch TV and hack the net!The robot overlords are obviously not that good at Overlording as they need a pantomime human villain to do the more mundane stuff, like kidnapping and using the mind probe machine and other admin duties.
I'm not really sure how he fitted into the plot as the whole premise seemed so ludicrous and un-apocalyptic that I got bored at the point where Gillian Anderson escaped from the castle and stole the horse!I understand this was low budget but then so were the original episodes of Dr Who. The cybermen made for much better, and scarier adversaries.
Youth films can also be entertaining, with a subtle story and surprisingly good looking special effects.
But just as "Big Game" this film fails on several levels and even sounding names like Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley can't change that.First, there are the pitiful-looking special effects.
But are you a "Dr. Who "fan and you're hooked on old-fashioned-looking Lego-blocks-like robots, this adventure film for kids might be able to entertain you.
There doesn't seem to be much hope left for the human race, apart from those who have decided to cooperate with the robots, like uber-smug collaborator Robin Smythe (Ben Kingsley).
Sean's predicament also contains quite a few good sci-fi ideas, as he realises how he might be able to take down these apparently invincible machines.But Robot Overlords never really fulfils its potential.
Turn your brains off, lower you expectations to a minimum, and if you love sci-fi genre no matter movies budget, you can enjoy it as well.I won't go into details of this movie plot, in short it would be : big transformer-type (can transform only to a box actually) alien robots overtake the earth and after some major battles (which due to budget issues were left off screen of course) makes a curfew - all human must stay inside of their houses.
Ben Kingsley - i have no idea what he thought when reading this script - probably as an Englisman tried to help his countrymen in giving his name in this movie - there are no other explanation here, he couldn't do it for money, even N.Cages has more self respect.Overall, turn you brains out, lower your expectations, and skip 4.6 rating at IMDb - this movie is fun if you are willing to go with the plot and premise.
The current rating when I'm writing this is 4.6/10, which is pretty ridiculous cause it's a perfectly watchable.It's sort of like a British Red Dawn meets Transformers teen movie but with a lot smaller budget, it manages to do well with the budget it has tho I mean compared to like Asylum or SyFy movies the CGI in it is great.Sure it has quite a bit of plot-holes but overall it didn't take me out from the movie and managed to sustain my interest.Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley have important roles but it's primarily the unknown younger cast who's the main focus in the movie and they do just fine.Overall is it a movie that will blow you away?
Like watching an actual bad movie, because this is not..
A decent British scifi that feels like a not so insane an episode of Doctor Who. This is a low budget movie.
The robot mediator is also done very interestingly, apparently trying to maximize the uncanny valley effect and succeeding quite well.Bottom line: I feel this is the British version of a summer blockbuster: medium to low budget, a simple story that appeals to teens, but filled with interesting ideas in the way they use the special effects and the direction of the movie.
I would say this : If you are a fan of Doctor Who you might enjoy it as it feels like a feature long episode of something from the same universe as the good old Doctor.If you are after a fun family romp with adventure and comedy , you might be disappointed.It's pure British Sci Fy and it definitely not to try to be something else.
Released in 2014, Robot Overlords starred Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson.
The humans fight against these invaders and in this not bad film exploring this premise.Since the release of this film, a TV series based on it is now in the works.What prompted me to watch this movie was coming across reviews comparing it to Doctor Who.Television drama producer Tony Wood described Robot Overlords as "a great British sci-fi brand in the tradition of classics such as 'Quatermass' and 'Doctor Who' - packed with special effects and rebellious excitement."The Guardian says it "plays like a slightly-more sweary episode of Doctor Who" and The Telegraph branded it quintessentially British, with its many "plucky" characters, but found the plot to be thin and the robot overlords clumsy and harking back to earlier sci-fi movies: like a "rusty Dr Who episode" with Dalek invasions of Bedfordshire quarries.Matthew See
Oh and i had to laugh at one of the comments on here saying the least believable thing in the whole film was Gillian Anderson's British accent, don't listen to them, they clearly have no idea what they're talking about and need to get their facts straight!
i don't know what they thinking about making Sci-Fi movie with really really limited budget (it's like 21 millions) which makes the CG terrible i mean CG is really bad it's laughable and the design of these robot itself is like a super cheap children toy , so the reason of seeing some cool CG like in Transformers is just out of the window.Even the script itself is terrible i mean at first it's fells super cliché and repetitive but after a while you will like "what the hell is going on ?" there's so much plot hole and a lot of question left unanswered and don't even ask about the logic in this movie because there's none.One other thing that really confused me is how in the hell Ben Kingsley actually in this movie i mean why did he do that , is it because on the paper it look so cool ?
This movie captures exactly what it would be like to have Robot Overlords.
A group of English kids on the run from robots that have overrun the Earth must find a way to defeat them or die.Surprisingly good effects and okay acting.
The story line flows well but there is not much to it and most of the situations the are not realistic.I give it six out of ten because it is good for a low budget movie, kept me interested, made me care about the characters and is well paced..
just normal people.It had Gillian Anderson which is never a bad thing.The story was simple, and the ending obvious, but still...
Robot Overlords...a look at the poster made me expect something along the lines of Sharknado or some Z-level movie.
Oh wait...it's got Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson...in a cheap movie about alien Robots.
We can conclude that this film hardly adds anything to the genre, the acting is okay and the effects aren't bad but it really does not stand out in any way so I find it hard to recommend this flick..
Sir Ben Kingsley appears as a traitor to the human race with a northern accent and Gillian Anderson stars along side the young lead actors who figure out how to defuse their restraining blots that keep them under home arrest.Writers Jon Wright and Mark Stay borrow elements from classic film and TV science fiction shows, Matrix and Terminator-like flying machines, giant century robots, Borg space cubes and Stars Wars droid restraints to name a few.
I expected a dumb fun time but instead I came out wanting to watch Movie 43 again.
ROBOT OVERLORDS is an odd little B-movie from the UK that feels a bit like an Asylum version of a TRANSFORMERS movie.
It's shot in a low budget, on the street way, but it has a number of CGI effects of giant robot oppressors that turn out to be surprisingly good given the limitations.
But upon watching it, I found out why the UK film industry seldom makes movies like this.
I will give this to the movie - for what had to have been a limited budget, some of the special effects aren't that bad.
Not so much as a plaster was needed because the heroes have impenetrable main character armour.This isn't really a spoiler to reveal what happens in the end, because I am in fact saving you the 120 minutes or so of your life you would lose from watching this miserable piece of trash.So, i'm just going to reveal it.One of the boys has unexplained magic that lets him control robots nearby.
I like the directors other movies, as they are tongue in cheek nods to their respective genres, so I was hoping that this would be also semi parody,me specially with the inclusion of Kingsley, who is always good for his ham.But no, it's pretty serious all the way through, despite unintentional laughs, and the film cannot decide what it wants to be, despise 'homaging' almost every known TV series and film that is popular at the moment.It's like a massive melting pot consisting of elements from The Walking Dead, Dr. Who, Transformers, Coronation Street, War of the Worlds, and those children film foundation movies we saw at school in the eighties.But with all the fun and character detail taken away.So we are left with a group of children looking for Steven Mackintosh, while dealing with a sub plot of Kinglsey trying to get it on with Gillian Anderson, which just doesn't seem right in a supposed family film.And if things couldn't get any more incoherent, we then have Geraldine James and Tamer Hassan running some Burlesque type fight club for football supporters.
This all led to the film feeling like a Kids' TV play.
He is just cool as the rather careless bad guy.Gillian Anderson in the role of the former Teacher and Mother was surprising different as known from other movies I remember to have watched with her.
Australian actor Callan McAuliffe was as well very good and the movie had even the one or other comedic moment like when Sean controls the robot and makes him do stupid poses.Verdict: It is surely not the best Science Fiction movie ever created, but that is not the aim anyways.
If you like Science Fiction movies than Robot Overlords is certainly one to watch and be entertained..
Set in the UK (actually filmed mostly in Northern Ireland) we have been invaded by huge robots – who just like politicians 'never lie'.