Critic Reviews

This is a film of philosophical rumination as its hopeful characters find themselves living in an imperfect world of their own creation.

Relying more on existential and philosophical issues than action or cheesy special effects, Realife represents the kind of movie I want to see more of.

Well-acted, it lacks the standout performances or star presences which propelled the tonally-similar Ex Machina to more than cult success. While it will play to fans of cerebral science fiction, it may be less grabby for general audiences.

Like a “Black Mirror” episode combined with a philosophy seminar, Realive has plenty of brains. Yet it has a heart, too, and that adds a surprising amount of emotion to this above-average science-fiction film.

Realive’s greatest strength is that it takes its premise so seriously, engaging with its moral and spiritual questions.

Technically spare and smart, fascinating in the dilemma it wrestles with, Realive is, in the end, too chilly to warm up to.

This stylish chamber piece plays like a cross between Ex Machina and The Tree of Life, mixing a cleverly conceived biotechnical fable with sun-dappled sentimentalism that doesn’t always resonate like it should.

Though undeniably watchable...Mateo Gil’s film fails to rise above the well-trodden genre film language nor does it meaningfully contribute to its central existential questions on mortality .

Realive ultimately aims to be all about matters of the heart, and in that realm Gil’s imagination proves disappointingly limited.

Unfortunately, the movie’s over-dependence on voice-over and its overwritten script interfere with the audience being able to fully engage.