Happy Holidays from Alert Insulation, you’re all fired!
Now just why is Alert giving everyone their staff the heave-ho? Well, that is all thanks to mega-efficient robot Auto (Jeff J. Knight in the suit with voice by Jim Tasker) who can handle an entire shift practically by himself… and there’s a better version of Auto itself ready to roll out.
Small problem there… Auto gets wind of his eminent early retirement, blows a fuse, and becomes a full fledged murder machine that threatens the existence of the remaining staff. Maybe they shouldn’t use former military hardware to save a buck…
With it’s pointed satire taking aim at corporate America and robot lead, you can bet demons to fuckin’ donuts that Automation brings to mind Verhoeven’s all-time classic flick Robocop, but that’s just surface level cats n’ creeps. The flick also has some stuff to say on office politics, what it means to be human and sentient, and just how much reliance we place on machinery.
Now that is all well and good, but what we really came here for is to see a robot rip some folks a brand-new asshole with it’s soul-affirming blend of horrific violence and complete apathy towards the human race. You know, real Christmas spirit type of shit…
Well we do get that, but Automation gets a bit too wrapped up in the details before it gives us the good stuff… but the narrative is in no way boring or ineffective; I just wanted more robot action in this baby.
Where the film really shines however is in the acting department, as the film features notable turns from genre mainstays Graham Skipper (Bliss), Sadie Katz (Mayday), and Parry Shen, but for me the real breakout is Elissa Dowling as Jenny, one of the few remaining humans still toiling away at Alert.
Along with all you see above, the Blu-ray release of Automation, courtesy of Epic Picture,s comes with a nice selection of bonus content including: two audio commentaries; one featuring co-writer writer/director Garo Setian and Writer Rolfe Kanefsky, the other featuring Setian, producer Anahit Setian, and producer Dan Bowen, a selection of deleted and alternate scenes, bloopers, featurettes focusing on the action behind-the-scenes, the film’s screenplay, and the creation of the Auto suit, and interviews with Garo Setian, Anahit Setian, suit designer “Evil” Ted Smith, producers Esther Goodstein, Dan Bowen, actress Sarah French, Kanefsky, writer Matthew L. Schaffer, and composer Joel Christian Goffin.
Bottom line; as long as you don’t mind social commentary and dark humor taking center stage above robotic mayhem, then Automation is well worth a wicked watch!
