This is an interesting look into the world of unmanned combat. For example, one soldier recounts blowing up a car full of insurgents, then heading down the street to his local Taco Bell for lunch and how surreal it made him feel. It held my attention. The interviews are informative, looking into the inside world of robotics manufacturers. You get to see the Robot conventions, and all the deadly little gadgets up close and personal. It's an eye opening look into the profitable world of war. Robots are here, and they don't seem to be going anywhere soon. Do we as a society accept this and let it go on without protest? How much "collateral damage" is acceptable, if any at all? These are the questions that this documentary raises, the answers are proving to be hard to find. Dwell. Detect. Destroy. NO HUMAN OCCUPANT.
2 Reviews
Raises good questions but they are buried under several problems
akeason123 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary does bring up some important issues of using remote control and autonomous weapons, especially issues of accountability and oversight. However, many of these issues seem to be drowned under rather disjointed arguments and heavy focus on bigger issues that are not unique to drones. For example, much is made over the fear that insurgent fighters get from the buzzing Reaper Drones, though I fail to understand any appreciable difference between being killed from miles above and away by a drone compared to being killed manned helicopter gunship or a cruise missile. Also, the issue of accidental civilian deaths caused by manned war machines and the reduction in accidents that pure machines could bring about is hardly discussed. All of these have great levels of detachment.
As to the faceless victims the documentary initially speaks about or Taliban fighters who claim drone usage is cowardly, one can also argue that booby-traps and tripwire IEDs are just as anonymous and immoral and significantly older, and therefore the issues of faceless warfare they bring up are indeed older than drone warfare. The issue of just or unjust war is important, but not limited to the field of drones.
Had the documentary ended at 45 minutes I still would have given it 6 stars for raising some real issues over how and if drones should be used, but I am docking it 2 stars for the last few minutes. The image of a swarm of drones descending on New York City was frankly ridiculous and looked lifted from a bad scifi movie.
As to the faceless victims the documentary initially speaks about or Taliban fighters who claim drone usage is cowardly, one can also argue that booby-traps and tripwire IEDs are just as anonymous and immoral and significantly older, and therefore the issues of faceless warfare they bring up are indeed older than drone warfare. The issue of just or unjust war is important, but not limited to the field of drones.
Had the documentary ended at 45 minutes I still would have given it 6 stars for raising some real issues over how and if drones should be used, but I am docking it 2 stars for the last few minutes. The image of a swarm of drones descending on New York City was frankly ridiculous and looked lifted from a bad scifi movie.
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