A domestic robot is forced to learn independence and survival skills after discovering it has been replaced by a newer model

Well, after viewing “Ex Machina” I’m not sure I would want to root for a robot. Why would I should I root for this one, a non-human species (which it is)? What makes it so special that I should care about its fate?

Still the concept has potential. It’s a raw gem that needs cutting and polishing. For example, while the robot has a problem– survival as an autonomous entity– it’s rather vague, lacks specificity — and urgency. The story might benefit from a more specific, more compelling hook, a je ne sais quoi, some unique threat to its survival. Like it has 24 hours to decrypt and disable the code segment that will cause its system to crash — a fail-safe mechanism built in by the manufacturer to obviate the problem of ‘free range’ robots. Or it’s being hounded by a bounty hunter. Or both.

fwiw