ALL SCI-FI

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"Star Kid" November 13, 1997.

Written & directed by Manny Coto (The Outer Limits reboot, Odyssey 5, Enterprise, neXt).

Spencer Griffith is a shy seventh grader.

One night, an apparent meteorite crashes into the junkyard nearby his home. Spencer sneaks out to investigate the event.

He discovers that it is actually a "Cyborsuit."

It is a prototype exoskeletal-suit with A.I. capability that was created by an unknown alien civilization from another galaxy.

Spencer steps into the cyborsuit with comic results as he attempts to master its phenomenal abilities. Helping & guiding him is the A.I. that Spencer has named "Cy."

In time, Spencer is able to operate the alien cyborsuit and he begins a journey of trying different things with it.

A member of the Bloodwarrior race arrives on Earth and is searching for the Cyborsuit. This race is at war with the creators of the Cyborsuit. They want to capture it in order to analyze it for their own evil purpose.

Will a seventh grader have learned enough about how the Cyborsuit functions---and be brave enough---to take on the fearsome & ruthless alien that wants it at any cost?

This was a fun and entertaining SF film with decent FX for '97.

It was the kind of movie you could have imagined Walt Disney producing once upon a time.

Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park) does a splendid job of conveying a shy kid who needs some confidence in himself.

The Cyborsuit & Cy assists him in discovering he is more than he thinks he is, and when tested is a courageous young boy. A feelgood movie.

[Bud Brewster]

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In 1997 my daughter was 17 and my son was 14. We enjoyed it very much.

And from the looks of the trailer, it's even better than I remembered!

____________________ Star Kid Trailer 1997


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

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IMDB:

During an interview with lead actor Joseph Mazzello, the interviewer asked him if he had fun doing the film and playing "Star Kid," fully expecting a resounding yes from the young actor.

Mazzello honestly replied that it wasn't much fun. He said that a stuntman was inside the alien Cyborsuit for all the exterior shots. All Mazzello did was shoot reaction shots for his character when he was inside Cy while sitting on a stool in front of a screen.

Spencer Griffith attends Waverly Street Elementary School. This is an homage to actor Leo G. Carroll who played Alexander Waverly on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV spy series.

The science class's pet tarantula is called "Leo G," which is another salute to Carroll who played Professor Gerald Deemer in the 1955 science fiction movie "Tarantula."

Star Kid writer & director, Manny Coto wrote a prequel for his movie published as a Dark Horse Comic Book.

[Bud Brewster]

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Young actors don't have as much fun being in movies as young movie goers go when they watch them . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

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Roger Ebert gave Star Kid 3 out of 4 stars.

"Star Kid has a sweet heart & a lot of sly wit and the symbiosis between boy and cyborg is handled cleverly. For kids of a certain age, it pushes the right buttons." Roger Ebert, the Chicago Sun-Times.