Archive, the new British sci-fi thriller from co-creator of the cult classic Moon and debut director Gavin Rothery, looks at the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on the universal human experience. With its all-star British cast including Theo James, Stacy Martin and Toby Jones, Archive is the latest in a strong tradition of unique and absorbing futuristic dramas from the UK. Take a look back at some of our favourites:
Children Of Men (Alfonso Cuarón) – 2006
Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Chiwetel Ejiofor, with a supporting cast that includes Michael Caine and Charlie Hunnam, Children of Men imagined the world in 2027 where global depression and human infertility have brought society to the brink of collapse and humanity faces extinction. Directed and co-written by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, the action takes place in the UK – depicted as one of the few nations with a functioning government and therefore deluged by asylum seekers. In response the UK has become a police state. When one woman miraculously gets pregnant, Theo (Owen) agrees to help her to reach sanctuary. Nominated for three Academy Awards and three BAFTA Awards, the film went on to win the BAFTA Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. A sci-fi action thriller, sophisticated human drama and warning from the future, Children of Men was 13th in the BBC’s 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century poll, voted for by film critics from around the world in 2016.
Moon (Duncan Jones) – 2009
Archive’s director Gavin Rothery collaborated with Duncan Jones on his first feature film as director – Moon. Starring Sam Rockwell, Moon explores ideas of isolation and self in this story of an astronaut (Rockwell) who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three-year stint, alone on a mining station, on the far side of the moon. Sam begins to suffer painful headaches and hallucinations and meets a younger version of himself, possibly a clone. On its release in 2009, Moon received overwhelming critical praise, won many film festival awards, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best British Film.
Under The Skin (Jonathan Glazer) – 2013
Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) loosely adapted the novel by Michael Faber for his Sci-Fi/Art film Under The Skin. Starring Scarlett Johansson, the film follows an extra-terrestrial disguised as a mysterious human female who preys on unsuspecting men in Scotland and lures them to their deaths. Eschewing elaborate special effects and action for a sparse story that focuses on an alien perspective of the human world and human relationships, Under The Skin is visually stunning, deeply disturbing and a British sci-fi drama that stands out as entirely unique and unforgettable.
Ex Machina (Alex Garland) – 2014
Writer/Director Alex Garland, writer of Danny Boyle’s Brit sci-fi features 28 Days Later and Sunshine, made his debut as director with Ex Machina. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Issac, the film explored the themes of Artificial Intelligence in a story that follows a programmer (Gleeson) who is invited to apply the Turing test to a humanoid robot Ava (Vikander) to judge whether she is genuinely capable of human thought and consciousness. Also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best British Film, Ex Machina won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and Garland was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Alicia Vikander’s performance was recognised with Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award-nominations for Best Supporting Actress.
Archive (Gavin Rothery) – 2020
Gavin Rothery, for his debut as a director, has created a slick sci-fi thriller that looks at the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on the universal human experience. With an all-star British cast including Theo James (Divergent Series, Sanditon, Downton Abbey), Stacy Martin (Nymphomaniac, Vox Lux,High Rise) and Toby Jones (Detectorists, The Hunger Games, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Archive explores existential themes of humanity within the framework of a sci-fi thriller. Rothery, with his high-calibre creative and VFX film, has created a thought-provoking and compelling drama that will certainly have its place amongst the best of the British Sci-fi genre.
