A robot brought into the workplace to assist becomes a killer once he finds out he’s set for termination.
Written by Rolfe Kanefsky, Matthew L. Schaffer, and Garo Setian with Setian directing, Automation is a film that is surprisingly still very on point half a decade after release as a robot meant to help humans turned out to be training his replacement and theirs. The fact that this came out half a decade ago feels odd as it’s very much of its time in 2024 as people are being replaced left and right by AI. The 2026 setting is not entirely unforeseeable at this point. The film here takes an action, horror, and humoristic approach to things while giving its central theme a better setting to evolve and become their own sentient selves of sorts. The film is a lower budget one, but here, the story makes up for any lack that might have been on the special effects side or any of the more expensive departments. The writing and directing here work, giving the film a sort of dark whimsical feel as it starts fun, takes an expected turn, and develops into something more than what might have been expected from the film.
The cast here is filled with familiar horror faces, some of them seen in other Garo Setian films and a few new ones. The cast is led here by Elissa Dowling as Jenny, an office worker who has befriended the robot at the center of it all. She is fun to watch here and makes the most of her part. Joining her are Sadie Katz, Parry Shen, Graham Skipper, and Sarah French to name but a few. This ensemble cast really works here and makes the most of their parts, show they can all work together, and have a certain sense of humor when needed. These folks are regular to most horror fans, so it’s also fun to see them in a more sci-fi/action/horror film with a specific sort of humor.
The film’s look here is good, the cinematography by Michael Su fits with his current work in terms of evolution and works well for the film. Su has become sort of the go-to cinematographer for many horror low to mid-range budget films. His work here is good, clear, and gives the viewer the chance to see everything they might want to see in the scenes and sequences. The editing by Garo Setian complements this of course.
Automation is a lower budget film that is filled with people who want to do their work as best they can, no matter the money. The film shows a love for the genre and an interest in creating something entertaining. The film works and the setting in 2026 still works as we are getting closer and closer to being replaced by robots in just about every single field of work. There is something here that is eerily prophetic. As it is, the film is fun to watch if a bit scarier than expected as we get closer to the year it’s set in while remaining a fun and enjoyable watch thanks to the talent involved.