Looking like a cross between a mechanical ET and a prototype WallE, Johnny 5, the robotic hero of John Badham's Short Circuit, is a top-secret, multi million dollar piece of army hardware that comes 'alive' when he is accidentally zapped by a bolt of lightning. After escaping the high-tech facility where he was designed and built (by Steve Guttenberg, of all people!!!), Number 5 meets animal-lover Stephanie (Ally Sheedy), absorbs huge amounts of information from her books and television, and learns that life is preciousespecially his own.
Oozing 80s style from every frame, Short Circuit might be an extremely dated movie (check out the computers that feature in the filma Mac classic is seen being unpacked!) but it still manages to be a whole load of fun thanks to its likable characters and a pretty funny script. I just finished watching the DVD with my kids (aged 7 and 5), and we all had a great time: I particularly enjoyed the sense of nostalgia I got from watching a 'pre-internet, pre-mobile phone era' piece of cheesy sci-fi from my youth, whilst the children just lapped up the silly antics of Johnny 5.
Badham might not be the most stylish of directors, but he can always be relied upon to deliver a solidly entertaining film, and although this one isn't packed with state of the art special effects (even for the time), sometimes the action is rather weak (the 'high speed' chase scenes look rather slow to me), and Fisher Stevens' portrayal of an Asian is rather dubious, it's still worth a try. Even if Guttenberg is in it.
Oozing 80s style from every frame, Short Circuit might be an extremely dated movie (check out the computers that feature in the filma Mac classic is seen being unpacked!) but it still manages to be a whole load of fun thanks to its likable characters and a pretty funny script. I just finished watching the DVD with my kids (aged 7 and 5), and we all had a great time: I particularly enjoyed the sense of nostalgia I got from watching a 'pre-internet, pre-mobile phone era' piece of cheesy sci-fi from my youth, whilst the children just lapped up the silly antics of Johnny 5.
Badham might not be the most stylish of directors, but he can always be relied upon to deliver a solidly entertaining film, and although this one isn't packed with state of the art special effects (even for the time), sometimes the action is rather weak (the 'high speed' chase scenes look rather slow to me), and Fisher Stevens' portrayal of an Asian is rather dubious, it's still worth a try. Even if Guttenberg is in it.