Following up on their previous films, The Killer Robots and the Battle for the Cosmic Potato and The Killer Robots! Crash and Burn, theatrical rock band The Killer Robots! take on a trio of deadly rocker robots in Robotica Destructiva.
In the year 8675309, and in another dimension, the utopian planet of Radia lived in peace thanks to the fearsome and powerful weapon, the Arculon Destroyer. Thanks to the Arculon, no one dares approach Radia for its abundance of rich resources.
On this day, the notorious Killer Robots! Auto (Sam Gaffin), Trog (Charles Harris), Max (Mike McGowan), and Strobo (Samuel Williams) somehow penetrate the planet’s energy defense shield and steal the Arculon Destroyer. The quartet plan to sell it to the pirate Krogarr (John Schumann) but instead plans to use it to obtain time crystals for its nefarious use for time travel.
The leaders of the now defenseless Radia decide to release three ancient android warrior sisters, known as the Destructivas, Mytra (Amber Belko), Azalla (Torie Martin), and Luna (Kristal Theron), from their 10,000-year sleep. Angered that they were released from their dream state of the Doors of Enlightenment, the Destructivas agree to take back the Arculon with the promise to be returned to their former dreamlike stasis.
The Destructivas are now on a race for time to recover the Arculon and prevent The Killer Robots! from attaining the ability to time travel.
I’ll just say while watching Robotica Destructiva, I didn’t exactly understand the whole mythos of the story. But, then again, the fun of this film is not the story but the universe created by the band Killer Robots! that will leave you in awe.
“…the now defenseless Radia decide to release three ancient android warrior sisters, known as the Destructivas…”
Simply put, this sci-fi universe blends CG animation and live-action actors with heavy vibes of the original 1982 Tron. Actors wear “robot” suits accented and accentuated by CG effects. I’d describe the world they live in as urban techno. Everything is run by wires and circuits in order to sustain its Android population. Our heroes and villains navigate through this world through a blending of natural and cartoon movements giving off an authentic anime feel to the action.
Its cadre of spaceships is equally impressive as the worlds where they soar, blending practical model spaceships flying through CG space and planetary landscapes. It’s not just the spaceships but the crew’s robot companions and security droids. I’ll describe the film’s visual style to George Lucas’ prequels, but hip and cool.
Robotica Destructiva also boasts a killer soundtrack with Sam Gaffin’s blending of rock metal and 80s synth music. This soundtrack simply builds upon the violent feast of android action along the way. Though the music is cool, its driving beat that rarely takes a break left me feeling physically exhausted by the end of its 78-minute runtime.
I also mentioned that there’s not much of a story as the film’s foundation. The film takes us from one action piece to the other while introducing us to exciting characters along the way. Though I love this movie’s visual style and animated action, finding a deeply emotional back story of the Destructivas only helps elevate the overall film to the next level and keeps it from feeling like a relentless violent action movie with no soul. Exactly, who are the Destructivas? Why were they put in sleep chambers? What did they leave behind thousands of years ago?
You are most likely going to see Robotica Destructiva somewhere other than theaters. Let me urge you to see it as I did on my giant 4K television—parts of the film feel 3D at times. The art design and model rendering is absolutely gorgeous. The detail and quality of the planets, building,s and spaceships is impressive. This is important…these are not CG matte paintings. They are fully-rendered 3D models, and the design and detail rival anything you’ll see from the big studios. Watch Robotica Destructive and prepare to have your mind blown.
Now playing on Tubi and Amazon Prime! For more information, visit the Robotica Destructiva official website.
