Robot Overlords has a fascinating premise. The opening text informs the audience that it only took a matter of days for an alien force to take over the Earth. The film takes place some time after the invasion. Robots have confined humans to their homes, and disintegrate anyone who dares venture into the outdoors. Teenager Sean (Callan McAuliffe) accidentally discover a way to disable the implant on their necks that allow the robots to track their movements. Given the freedom to walk in the sunlight, Sean decides to try and track down his long-missing father.
Life during an alien occupation is an idea that hasn’t really been done all that often. Robot Overlords had the potential for all sorts of interesting and unique narrative possibilities. But as it turns out, it’s a kids’ adventure movie. At best the film somewhat resembles a longer episode of Doctor Who, with its lengthy foot chases and generally cheerful tone. But having said that, it wouldn’t be a particularly good episode of that TV show. It just all feels too shaggy, the characters rarely acknowledging the reality of their situation.
There’s a certain charm to the film. It’s a plucky little sci-fi adventure that happily eschews the cynicism that has invaded the genre as it largely became a staging ground for large VFX-driven action blockbusters. But the film might go a little too far in the other direction. It embraces formula a little too much, and paints its characters too broadly. Among the four main friends, there is the main character, the comedy relief, the girl, and the little kid. There isn’t really much that defines any one of them beyond those stated roles.
The film follows formula to a fault. It even shoehorns a wholly unnecessary romance, because it apparently isn’t possible to have two characters of opposite genders exist on screen without having them kiss at some point. There are intriguing concepts hidden in all this, but they are ultimately obscured by a plot that tries entirely too hard to be conventional. The film’s best moments ignore plot completely, and go about exploring the new status quo of this robot-controlled Earth.
It especially feels wearying as the film nears the resolution. The film’s lack of resources really comes into fore as it tries to stage a traditional big action sequence. While there is clearly a lot of ingenuity on display, the cracks are really showing. And maybe if the film wasn’t so dead set on being on clinging to convention, it could have staged a more interesting climax. It certainly had the talent to sell a confrontation that isn’t so action-based. The four main kids are charming, if a little overly precious in their delivery. Ben Kingsley hams it delightfully in a villainous role. Gillian Anderson is underused, but she performs well with every line she’s given. Geraldine James steals the show in a very small but crucial part.
Robot Overlords almost seems refreshing in this age of dystopian young adult action movies. Here the kids aren’t all tortured iconoclasts who bemoan their fate and pretty hate everything. The film is notable for letting kids be kids for once. But while that’s a worthy idea, the film constant need to cling to convention makes the film more boring and corny than it ought to be. A balance needed to be struck, but the film goes too far in the other direction.
My Rating:
