This science fiction film is set in the year 2038; protagonist George Almore is working alone on a humanoid artificial intelligence at a remote facility in Japan. He has three prototypes each more advanced than the previous; J1 has a childlike intelligence and an armless boxy appearance; J2 is more capable, has arms but is still fairly boxlike... J3 however has a far more human appearance; it is just waiting for its legs to be attached. J3 also bears a noticeable resemblance to Jules, George's late wife. Before the fatal accident George had Jules's conscience copied to a commercial computer system; this enables him to continue conversing with her even though he knows it won't work forever; the signal gets gradually weaker. As George works to complete J3 he encounters some problems; jot least the fact that J2 appears to be jealous.

When I started watching this I had no idea what to expect and early only I suspected it may develop in similar ways to 'Ex Machina', which I really enjoyed... it didn't but I still enjoyed it more so for being original. The story develops in interesting ways and ultimately delivers an ending that was a complete surprise. I liked how the film is ostensibly about robots but in reality is more about the human condition and coping with the death of a loved one. The cast is solid; most obviously Theo James as George and Stacy Martin as J3/Jules... in most scenes these are the only two characters. The effects used are impressive without being distracting. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of science fiction looking for something that makes you think.

Archive is one of the cleverest, well thought out Sci-film films I've seen in a very long time .

It's hard to explain why I really liked the story because it would give away the plot , which is is all about twists and turns that you don't see coming .

2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs.

I love the interaction between George and his three robots . No 1 is loyal but limited in what it can two .

No 2 is super intelligent and can think and talk almost like a human but looks very basic and isn't very mobile .

3 is the ultimate AI .

The trouble is that because they have human emotions , no 2 and no 3 get incredibly jealous but does it really matter in the scheme of things ?

The film is really about hanging on to a loved one once they have died and eventually having to let go.

. This is one of those films that stick in the mind days after . Written and Directed by Gavin Rothery , he is someone to definitely look out for in the future.

"Archive" was a very good but frustrating watch for me. I happen to be watching it with my daughter who is relatively fluent in Japanese...and she quickly recognized the Chinese character for 'Dream' and mentioned this....and this made the ending seem inevitable instead of a surprise. I think having these clues did not help the film and it would have been better without them.

The story is mostly a one-person tale about George, a genius at robotics who is desperately trying to make more and more real and sentient robots in order to eventually implant his dead wife's consciousness within it.

The story is very slow and somber....and the music and pacing of the film only accentuate this. Because of this, while I enjoyed the story, I also realize that it's NOT a film for everyone and won't hold up as well as some other films which are essentially monologues (such as the ultra-brilliant film "Moon"). Well worth seeing but certainly not for all tastes.