Film

Archive

Name: Archive
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2020
Cast: Theo James, Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra, Peter Ferdinando, Lia Williams

AI and robot sci-fi

Archive is a slow-burn sci-fi thriller about a man building an AI in secret, nursing a grief so complete it's become obsession. It's contemplative and claustrophobic, shot in muted greys and blues, more interested in the moral vertigo of its premise than in spectacle. For anyone who finds themselves turning over impossible ethical questions long after the credits roll.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like slow, low-budget science fiction that treats an AI's personhood as a quiet domestic puzzle, with the tension coming from conversation and secrecy rather than explosions.

Skip it if you need brisk pacing and plenty of spectacle, since this is spare, talky and happy to let its unease linger.

What it asks of you: Roughly 109 minutes unfold at a patient, interior pace, cool and grey in mood, with your attention needed on dialogue and small glances.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Arrival2016

A linguist confronts an alien intelligence and must grapple with how communication changes consciousness itself. Like Archive, it treats its high concept with philosophical seriousness and emotional weight.

But Deliberately paced. If you need plot momentum or action, this will feel glacial and oblique.

Ex Machina2015

A tech genius tests his creation—a lifelike AI—in a remote facility. It shares Archive's fascination with what consciousness means and whether we can ever truly know an artificial mind.

But Becomes a bit schematic in its final act, and the gender dynamics haven't aged as thoughtfully as they might.

Blade Runner 20492017

A replicant questions what makes him real in a world where the line between human and artificial has dissolved. Gorgeous, meditative, and as invested in grief and identity as Archive is.

But Three-hour runtime with minimal dialogue. Requires patience and rewards it, but not everyone has either.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Archive

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Goodnight Mommy2015

Both films pivot on a profound deception rooted in grief—a secret so necessary to the protagonist that it hollows them out. Both ask: what are we willing to lie about, and to whom, to stay alive?

Two children suspect their mother—returned from facial surgery, face bandaged—is not who she claims. A visceral Austrian thriller that explores trauma, identity, and the uncanny way grief can warp our sense of reality.

But Genuinely disturbing and not in a fun way. Contains images of bodily horror that linger. Bleak to its marrow.

Passengers2016

A man alone on a ship makes a catastrophic choice out of loneliness. It explores isolation and the ethics of what we do to others when desperation takes hold.

But Veers toward romance in ways that undercut its own moral questions. The third act loses its nerve.

The Invisible Man2020

A woman hunted by an abusive man she can no longer see must prove her torment is real. Like Archive, it's tense and introspective, fixated on control and what it means to be believed.

But The social commentary can feel heavy-handed, and if you're looking for genre thrills, the pacing is deliberately constrained.

Her2013

A lonely man falls in love with an AI. It's searching and melancholic, exploring whether connection with an artificial consciousness can be real, even if it's ultimately hollow.

But Relies on a wistfulness that can feel indulgent, and the ending might frustrate anyone wanting a more concrete resolution.

Annihilation2018

A woman enters an anomalous zone where the rules of nature bend. Like Archive, it's visually unsettling and builds dread through mystery rather than action, asking what we're willing to risk for answers.

But Ambiguous and abstract. If you need clarity about what's happening, you'll leave baffled and irritated.

Under the Skin2014

An alien moves through Scotland in human form, observing us. Hypnotic and estranging, it watches humanity from the outside the way Archive watches consciousness from the inside.

But Barely a plot. Long stretches of minimal dialogue and mood over incident. It demands you surrender to its pace or resent it.

Chappie2015

A robot gains consciousness and must navigate a world hostile to his existence. It shares Archive's interest in what it means to be alive and whether a created being can ever escape the intentions of its creator.

But Tonally messy and narratively muddled. Tries to balance too many ideas and executes none of them with real precision.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind2004

Both are films about trying to restore what's dead through technology—Archive literally, Eternal Sunshine through regression. Both understand that some obsessions are beautiful precisely because they're impossible.

A man erases memories of his ex-lover, only to realise mid-procedure that he wants them back. It's dreamlike, heartbreaking, and obsessed with whether we can undo loss or whether loss is all we have.

But Structurally fractured and emotionally heavy. If you need plot clarity or lightness, it will exhaust you.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind poster

Cléo from 5 to 71962

Both are films about confinement—Archive's physical compound mirrors the psychological confinement of Cleo's afternoon. Both understand that stillness and repetition can express emotions that motion cannot.

A woman spends an afternoon waiting for test results, and as Paris moves around her, her certainty fractures. A completely different era and mood, but shares Archive's close attention to how grief and fear colonise a single space.

But Very French, very 1962. Minimal plot, maximum attention to mood and the interior life. If you're expecting narrative momentum, you will be disappointed.