Short Circuit (1986)

 Pick the best of the bunch, Number 5!
When at loss for a movie, pick a comedy I say. It always cheers you up, unless it's a particularly bad comedy. But starting to watch Short Circuit, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know anything apart from what the blurb said on the back. I knew Ally Sheedy from some of the 80s high school movies, and Fisher Stevens was apparently playing Apu from The Simpsons. OK then.

Short Circuit is one of those sweet little movies, where the blurb just simply does not do it justice. Reading the blurb, I was not thrilled about watching it - it totally gives the wrong idea about the movie. Rather than a movie about robots (zzzzzz), it's a movie about a robot, who gets human feelings after being struck by lightning. Number 5, or Johnny 5 as he (it?) becomes later known at the end of the movie, is a hilarious little robot, who can mimic anything, and do anything, not believing he's a robot. He's alive!

The plot's not THAT terrific. A previously killer robot gets struck by lightning, somehow gets human feelings, learns to drive, reads everything in sight for "input", watches TV for input, and even gets a female friend in Ally Sheedy. There are two guys chasing him, the only two who seemingly know how to reprogram him to become a killing machine again, when they originally designed him as a marital aid. (How?) There are several funny scenes, one of the stand out scenes for me being dancing to Saturday Night Fever (still a god awful film but never mind), and saying "input" constantly.

Ally Sheedy, Fisher Stevens and the rest of the cast do brilliantly with what little they have to work with - what you'll normally find when an actor has to work opposite something CGI/puppet/animal, and the money's gone on the special effects rather than the script. The special effects were good, considering if Short Circuit was ever remade (heaven forbid) it would be full of CGI and not realistic at all. The way it has been done is good, and believable. Who says robots don't have feelings?

Short Circuit was amazing, although having never heard of it before, I was happy to watch it and surprised when it was quite good. Johnny 5 is one of the sweetest robots you will watch in this time, when it has not been touched by CGI or any celebrity voice behind the robot. Genius. April 11, 2008

 "NUMBER FIVE ALIVE!"
GREAT, KID-FRIENDLY MOVIE! -FUNNY ADVENTURES OF AN ENDEARING LITTLE ROBOT. WE WATCHED IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN WHEN MY KIDS WERE SMALL.I RECENTLY BOUGHT IT FOR MY GRANDSON SINCE HE LOVES ROBOTS, AND I DIDN'T CARE FOR THE CONTENT OF OTHER MOVIES/CARTOONS AVAILABLE TODAY.
P.S. HE LOVES SHORT CIRCUIT AS WELL! March 28, 2008

 Great movie, lousy dvd
This movie deserves much more than a non-anamorphic transfer. C'mon 10 year old quality on a new dvd. A rip off for those of us who care about Johnny Five March 18, 2008

 Cute
While demonstrating the latest in automated warriors, one of them (number 5), gets arbitrarily struck by lightning, hence "Short Circuit."

He escapes the compound and is befriended by a ditzy mobile caterer (Ally Sheedy.)

Here is how it goes:
She mistakes the robot for an alien.
He learns what it is to be alive.
Security wants it dismantled before it takes their place.
However we know "it just runs programs" (yah right)

Will Ally discover her mistake?
Will the robot survive or be disassembled?
Can they recover it before it blows something up?

Careful you may find yourself rooting for Johnny Five.

War Games February 10, 2008

 Short Circuit
Great movie to view with your Grand kids enough action to keep them intrested and enough subtile humor to keep you from snoring. If your kids are sensitive to violence then I would skip the opening scene as it does simulate a combat scene. December 15, 2007

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