- SHORT CIRCUIT
- Film (1986). Turman-Foster/Tri-Star. Dir John BADHAM, starring Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Brian McNamara. Screenplay S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock. 98 mins. Colour.Military ROBOT Number Five, a prototype killing machine, is struck by lightning which endows it with sentience. It escapes from evil Nova Robotics, finding refuge with nice animal-lover Stephanie (Sheedy), who assumes it to be an ALIEN. It educates itself and is winsome. When she finds it is a robot she turns it in, but has second thoughts and helps save it from deactivation. SC's assumption that, with a bit of divine aid, even a weapon will turn to peace and love is pleasantly silly. SC is amusing but formulaic, and the robot is nauseatingly cute; the film is much weaker than Badham's BLUE THUNDER and WARGAMES. The displeasing sequel is Short Circuit 2 (1988),dir Kenneth Johnson, who normally directs tv (The BIONIC WOMAN , The INCREDIBLE HULK), and stars Fisher Stevens again as the Indianco-inventor of the robot, played in an offensively patronising Peter Sellers Indian accent. This is a caper movie in which Number Five (nowJohnny Five) is duped into helping criminals out with a jewel robbery.PNSee also: CINEMA.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Encyclopedia. Academic. 2011.