The Machine review

Scientists regret developing killer robots...

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

In the near future, British scientist Vincent (Toby Stephens) is squirrelled away in an MOD bunker trying to make super-soldiers of injured marines, with predictably catastrophic results.

When new colleague Ava ( The Pact ’s Caity Lotz) suffers a convenient misfortune, he quickly turns her into a kick-ass killbot faster than you can say, “Frankenstein”.

Despite some striking imagery and sterling FX work, Welsh writer/director Caradog W James’ expert use of limited resources doesn’t stretch as far as the subtlety-averse script.

Channelling everything from RoboCop to Soldier , the result is a spirited effort that, like Vincent, can’t quite repurpose its recycled parts.

Freelance Writer

Matt Glasby is a freelance film and TV journalist. You can find his work on Total Film - in print and online - as well as at publications like the Radio Times, Channel 4, DVD REview, Flicks, GQ, Hotdog, Little White Lies, and SFX, among others. He is also the author of several novels, including The Book of Horror: The Anatomy of Fear in Film and Britpop Cinema: From Trainspotting To This Is England.