
The Machine
Seen it?2013 | 92 min | Science Fiction, Thriller
Why it’s a Weeknight Watch
With a lukewarm 5.9 out of 10 from audiences and a box office loss, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing and sci-fi fans. If you loved Terminator 2: Judgment Day or Upgrade, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense, mind-bending.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 32 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Already deep into a second Cold War, Britain’s Ministry of Defense seeks a game-changing weapon. Programmer Vincent McCarthy unwittingly provides an answer in The Machine, a super-strong human cyborg. When a programming bug causes the prototype to decimate his lab, McCarthy takes his obsessive efforts underground, far away from inquisitive eyes.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
79% on Rotten Tomatoes, 52 on Metacritic
- AudiencesBelow par
5.9 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$314K worldwide on a $2 million budget; spent 1 week in Netflix's global Top 10; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 43K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
Terminator 2: Judgment DayFriday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed dystopian sci-fi thriller.
UpgradeSaturday SpecialAnother dystopian sci-fi thriller, and a Saturday Special.
ArchiveSunday Safe BetAnother AI sci-fi film, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
ChappieWeeknight WatchAnother dystopian sci-fi film, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
SimulantWeeknight WatchAnother AI sci-fi film, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Caradog W. James
- Caity LotzAva
- Toby StephensVincent McCarthy
- Denis LawsonThomson
- Sam HazeldineJames
- Pooneh HajimohammadiSuri
- Jonathan ByrneTim
- Jade CrootMary
- John-Paul MacleodPaul Dawson (as John Paul Macleod)
- Helen GriffinPaul Dawson's Mother
- Siwan MorrisLucy