Short Circuit (1986)

How sad is this?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This is a fun, typical 80's movie. The robot is cute and entertaining. I can't help but be reminded of E.T. This movie is silly and obviously not meant to be taken seriously. I definitely laughed out loud at parts. It's very predictable, but I still enjoyed it for what it is. The main negative was the offensive Indian stereotype character. I think they went a little too far with that portrayal, especially since it's played by a white guy. Jeez! Anyway, if you're a fan of fun, goofy 80's movies you'll probably enjoy this one.6/10************SPOILERS************Recommended for those that enjoy robo-whimsy, robo-ET, robo-stooges, robo-disco, robo-cooking, robo-impersonations, robo-joyrides, brown face, offensive stereotypes, unnecessary pigheaded male antagonists, evil corporations, uncompromising military officials, guttenbergs...

May 9, 2016Number 5 is a cute robot and brought to amazing life through special effects, however, I'm a little confused as to how this is a kids film? It's full of foul language, even from the robot and it got a real dark sense of humor that is more likely to scare kids that entertain them. Number 5 is a cute character when he is not shooting at something with his laser and when his eyes are blood shot red.It's about a series of prototype robots called S.A.I.N.T.S. (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) that are built by NOVA Laboratories. Newton Graham (Steve Guttenberg) is the designer of the robots and he disagrees with the companies agenda of using the robots for the Cold War. Number 5 is hit by a lightning storm and has his programming scrambled which gives him a sense of free will and he becomes intelligent. The Robot escapes the facility and ends up on the run with, Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy ) while a team of agents are in hot pursuit to recover the robot as his laser is still armed.Number 5 is a battlefield weapon. He moves and talks like a real person and has a strong intelligence he gathers from reading through books at lightening speed. His metallic body and impressive facial structure make him an interesting character to look at. The picture opens with a demonstration of the robots using lasers to blow up several army jeeps. Steve Guttenberg appears as a slack-type brilliant scientist who doesn't like media or press because of the companies intentions with the robots he has made for them. Guttenberg becomes the lucky hero when he must get the robot back before the company he works for loses all their funding.It's got an impressive story but this is a very dark and violent film. Whenever the robot is going to blast something, his eyes turn red and he looks like something nightmares are made of. He has a friendly heart but the army chases him throughout the whole picture and its a gunshot here and a gunshot there. It never rises above a basic premise to give us anything special. It reminded me of ET in the sense that Number 5 is almost like an alien. He is curious and has no assurance of his surroundings. He doesn't know what's going to happen next but he can sense the danger ahead.None of the characters in the picture is interesting except for Ally Sheedy. She is a third major character. She takes care of animals in her home so we can figure out what her personality is but she never does anything in the picture except try to hide the robot until Steve Guttenberg shows up and finally realizes the robot is alive at the last twenty minutes of the movie. When Number 5 shows up on her doorstep, she adopts him thinking he is an alien when she finds him in her ice cream truck. There are a lot of good ideas here but none of them are presented and we're left with a boring premise that showcases Number 5's robotic abilities and the plot never rise above a "Search & Destroy" movie that is too dark and violent for kids.

This is a great classic comedy. I know, I know, it's not like it's a brilliant work of cinematic history or anything, and Steve Guttenberg is hardly the greatest actor of his generation, but if you are looking for just a fun movie with some cheap laughs that won't make you think too much, this is a great pick. Especially if it's for the whole family, because Short Circuit is definitely family friendly (for the most part).One thing we didn't appreciate was that Fisher Stevens was playing a silly comic-relief character, a nerdy scientist from India who talks with a stereotypical old Indian accent and just doesn't understand things and is super socially awkward. But I guess that was okay in the eighties.Fun times!

OK, So I saw this movie a loong loong time ago , when I was 10 yrs old (im nearing 30 now). At that Age I did not know what "good screenplay /direction/ camera-work etc " were , Nor do I clearly remember the story. All I remember is that This was One movie That I really enjoyed watching with my whole family . Now that I see the clips, The Robot Johnny-5 seems really well made for a 1986 film special effects. (Bollywood still cannot come up with a decent one in 2013! ) . This movie has been surprisingly Underrated and under recognized. btw...Wall-e Reminded me of Johnny -5!(resemblance is uncanny) There was another movie which I liked a Lot at that time , I think it was "short circuit" .