Trailer for 'The Prototype'

From the Bandito Brothers, who brought us 'Act of Valor' on a shoestring budget. That was very nice work and did well at the box office but this is an odd looking product.

'Act of Valor' was shot for $12m and looks great. This, though, cost $40m and I'm not sure where that money went. There's nothing in the trailer that looks that expensive.

Story/logic-wise 'The Prototype' doesn't click. What this robot is able to do is just too far out of range of current technology and the flick doesn't look to be set in the distant future (possibly because that would cost a fortune). A robot that could possibly exist hundreds of years from now running around what's clearly downtown LA spruced up to look a bit futuristic won't sit well with audiences. This is like 'Terminator' except the robot is a product of current-day tech. Nobody wants to pay full price to see that.

The bio-mech element could make this gel, but that kind of thing isn't a mainstream draw. Besides, that technology couldn't get rolling for, what? -- 100 years minimum? -- so, again, it's a tough sell for anybody other than fans of sci-fi fantasy.

Online reaction to the trailer has been mixed/cool. Could be BB are a tad out of their depth with this product. If there's something plotwise that supports the existence of an advanced robot, say ten or twenty years from now, 'The Prototype' could work. If not, movie could play flat in theaters and on digital platforms though it may become a cult fave slash low-end rental down the road. Love to be wrong... Waiting.

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