By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Gavin Rothery
Starring: Lia Williams | Peter Ferdinando | Rhona Mitra | Stacy Martin | Theo James
Country: hungary, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 109
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6882604/reference
Diane says: “ARCHIVE had its digital release this summer, after losing a debut slot at the cancelled SXSW. It’s the first feature of Gavin Rothery, whose previous credits emphasize art direction and sfx. So ARCHIVE has a *great* look, in both set design and cinematography. It takes place in the near future, in the mountains of Japan, but was shot in Hungary. The aerial views are gorgeous! Kind of a SNOWPIERCER look in some scenes.
“I realized in the first ten minutes that this film is not my cup of tea.. George is a robot engineer/Dr. Frankenstein working solo at a remote site for a nasty corporation. Lots of showcasing futuristic technology (except that some is already available thru Alexa) and random-seeming villains. But didn’t I watch it all the way through coz I heard there was a twist?
“The title comes from the ability to scan people’s minds so that they can be accessed after they die. (See also Cory Doctorow’s 2017 novel, Walkaway.)
“A good coronavirus movie, as George is isolated from family and coworkers–only sees them on the screen.
“For me, 2 cats. If you like techno-SF, you might give it 4.”
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