ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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I freely admit that if I hadn't enjoyed this one with my two adorable kids (ages 6 and 3) I might not have acquired such fond feelings for it. But once you love somethin', unlovin' it is just too damn much work, so I still like Short Circuit.

The sequel isn't nearly as good, but I bought it anyway.

Today watched this movie after enjoyng Real Steal — a dynamic film which dazzles the audience with dramatic situations that involves admirable characters, and which combines CGI and practical FX . . . seamlessly!

However, Short Circuit excels by offering actual robots designed by Syd Mead, which are manipulated by remote control. And even tough the story is humorous, the technology used to present it is deadly serious!

Knowing that we're watching an actual robot — not a man in a suit or a stop motion miniature — gives this movie an element of realism which no previous sci-fi movie has as offered!

Add to this the fact that the robot, who calls himself Number Five, is the undisputed main character of the story.

At the very start of the movie, the audience is rooting for the survival of this wackadoodle, totally likable, childlike artificial life form the moment he becomes sentient.

And when he wins the heart of the adorable Ally Sheedy. we can't help envying him — especially in the scene when Number Five shares a romantic dance with the lovely young girl!

If you're a straight guy and you aren't turned on by that scene . . . well, we obviously have different tastes in that area.

_ Johnny Five with Stephenie - More than a Woman


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

[Krel]

I remember reading an interview with the writer when the movie came out. He didn't really care for the movie. He wrote it as a more serious piece, and he really didn't like how they made the head of security into a buffoon. He wrote the character as worried, caring man, that was frantically searching for the robot because there was an escaped death machine on the loose that he wanted to stop before it killed someone. He saw the character as a hero.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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Now that you mention it, Krel, some of the characters in this movie were either miscast or not played as well as they should have been.

I agree with the writer's opinion of Security Chief Skroeder (G.W. Bailey), who is presented as a stereotypical military loudmouth bonehead. Maybe if he'd been funnier (somehow) he could have added more to the movie, but just strutting around barking orders while he shows us how much smart Number 5 is than him was not what the movie needed.

Austin Pendleton isn't very convincing as the head of a large company that created those amazing robots. He was sort of funny and likable, but certainly none too bright.

Even less convincing is Steve Guttenberg as an engineering genius who's been secluded in a lab most of his life and has no social skills.

Ally Sheedy and Fisher Stevens were just fine, however, both providing funny moments that worked well with Number 5. I even like Fisher's goofy dialog.



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

[Bud Brewster]

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I watched my DVD of Short Circuit 2 today and was reminded that the miniature "toy" versions of Johnny Five are almost as amazing as the full sided version!

The opening scene follows one of the little guys as he wanders through a crowded department store, and we get to see close-ups of the details, as well as examples of how articulate and maneuverable he is!

Here's a photo of one surviving prop which is now own by the grown-own fan who loved the movie as a child. He obtained it from a member of the film crew who loaned it to him and was grateful when the man restored it out of love for the prop.


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The video below offers info about the props used in the movie. I wonder if the designer, Syd Mead, had a replica made of his design, or if he acquired any of the five full-sized versions used in the original movie.

___ "Short Circuit 2" | Screen-used Toy Robot Prop


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