Screamers

I think you’re being too hard on Screamers, SFAM. The visuals may not be expensive, but I wouldn’t say it has low cp visuals… from the run-down feel of human habitats, holograms, AI… it really showcases a great ammount of true cp elements - on a budget. The stop-motion was particularly bad.
I wouldn’t argue on themes, but I wanted to comment on the “plot hole” you mentioned - the screamers the humans first created weren’t AI in the strictest sense - they were designed to learn, but the evolution, IIRC, happened on its own, and the robots developed intelligence themselves. Although, I haven’t seen it in a while.

Hi ETM, I was borderline on both the themes and the visuals being between medium and low. I decided one medium and one low. Perhaps it would be best reversed (visuals at medium, themes low). But yeah, the stop motion was pretty bad. The holograms weren’t that great either, but I agree with you that the visuals, especially with the dominating color choice, fit the cyberpunk mold.

BTW, the overall plot point (making killer robots versus mining robots) was only one of the issues (although to me it is a pretty massive one - even if they couldn’t “learn” back then, they could still be made to mine). Also strange was the dramatic speed in evolution, or some and some of the decisions of some of the robots.

Hmm…in thinking about it, perhaps I should put both at medium and bring the rating down to a 5 stars. This is really my issue I think - not that it doesn’t have visuals or themes, but that there are some significant problems.

EDIT: Done. Changed accordingly - medium/medium with 5 stars.

Makes sense. Still, one could argue that the mining process required constant human attention. Who knows?

Yeah, but really, these screamers are contantly able to engage in sensemaking of their environment, while, um, mining underground.

I don’t want to make too big an issue out of it though. I’m guessing the film makers were far more interested in the dynamics that took place once the screamers were in place. This, I think, still holds its relevance. If others aren’t bugged about the upfront stuff, that’s cool too. For them I’d guess the movie easily rates 6 stars then.

The original PK Dick short story, called Third Variety, is awesome. I highly recommend it SFAM if you haven’t read it it yet. The movie doesn’t do it justice, but then, Blade Runner is the only adaptation so far that has even come close to dealing with the themes that Dick did….

Hi Tim, I haven’t read that PK Dick story, although I hear it takes place on Earth in a completely different setting. I’ll definitely give it a go.

It’s actually called “Second Variety”, but it really is a great story. You definitely have to read it, although the ending now probably can’t surprise you any longer. Yes, it takes place on a destroyed earth in the future, but besides that the setting is more or less the same. It is, of course, far better than the movie. Nevertheless I’d rate “Screamers” higher, 6 stars probably.
But that’s just my opinion, I liked the style and you cannot expect the best special effects from a B-movie.

Hi Muad’dib, as I mention, I was torn with giving this either a 5 or 6 star review. I almost want to figure a way to increase my ratings to allow half-stars. Some of the story issues dropped this in my mind to 5 stars, not so much the FX. As a token, I did include this in the “good low budget movies” list instead of the “B-cyberpunk cinema.” But if a few more tell me they feel this should be 6 stars, I’ll raise it up.

I was wondering you were saying that a plot hole was; that why the humans didn’t make robots mine the Berynium for them because of the radiation. If I remember correctly (I haven’t watched it in about a year) I thought that the mines were putting off the radiation into the atmosphere, and that this made the entire planet inhabitable hence why they had to smoke those cigs. I could be wrong but that’s kind of what I thought. I shall have to watch this again.

Just got back from Dragon-con, I went to a really awesome panel on Cyberpunk made me look through your website for some movies to watch hehe.

Hi Natakuaya, I’d be VERY interested in hearing more about the cyberpunk panel. Do tell!

In my opinion this is one of the best SF movies ever made. And I would give a 1 to the 5th Element and other soft-sweet-junk “SF” blockbusters.

The short story is so much better. The final sentence (I won’t spoil it) is such a great jab at human nature and war.

Mmm. Tim said:

“The movie doesn’t do it justice, but then, Blade Runner is the only adaptation so far that has even come close to dealing with the themes that Dick did….”

Well, as a huge PKD fan, I beg to disagree. Blade Runner is probably the less faithful Dick adaptation ever. A fantastic movie on its own, but a betrayal of the author’s ideas. faithful dicks adaptation would be:

A Scanner Darkly (Perfect adaptation), Screamers & Total Recall (really captures the B-grade style of Dick early novels and shorts) and Confession of a Crap Artist (but that is not even SF guys, so it isn’t really interesting here).

Come on, Roy Baty ends up being more human that Deckard. That is the opposite point of view of ALL pkd position! The Android is not human, and cannot be. Read Dick’s conference (you can even find them on the net now, like in ).

Blade Runner is a hugely great film, but is definitely a bad adaptation of Dick’s themes.

Thats a serious bullshit review!! Screamers is the best movie.
For what it is and in the mid 90´s.. its an amaaaaazing movie!!!!
Im still waiting for the sequel!!!

10/10!!!!

Although I really like Screamers I would say that objectively it’s only worth giving 6 stars. Technically it’s not that great but it is an effective b-movie that I managed to enjoy on several viewings.

Screamers is a good adaption with a not so dark ending. Dick loved pure bleakness & betraying woman. As always the Chiodo Brothers did great work with the budget given. The Matte work is above average. Again this flic had some very early cgi and kept most of the books dialog. Dan Obannon wrote this right after her finished “Alien”. The sequel is in pre-production. Sci-fi is propably the hardest type of film to pull off it diserves a 6 or better.

I remember enjoying this film when I watched it years ago, even though it could be considered a b-movie. It was fun nevertheless. More than Natural City anyway

good movie..good script…good work…

I think it’s a great movie considering it’s low budget. I haven’t read the book
so I cannot agree or disagree. I like it because I like these older sci fi’s.
They are making a sequel!
There aren’t many new sci fi’s around these days. I also like Natural City,
it has some strange things, but I love that style and the costumes were great.

TBH i kinda liked it, i didnt expect Alien or Terminator level, and i was quiet pleased, for me its like 6 or even 7 if u consider that this movie is not so no-brainer like most B movies.

I just finished watching this, and was pleasantly surprised. I felt sorry for the only other human in the NEB base.

I just watched screamers 2 and I got to say its poor compared to this, how they got that actor(Bishop) from the alien movies in it I dont know, even though he was only in it for five mintues, It looks like by the ending that their making more, I can only hope its better if so, after seeing it, this first movie goes up in its rankings considering what the pulled off almost 15 years ago! it puts the new movie to shame.

not bad for a b-movie.

Check out Moontrap from 1989, it has some similarities with Screamers!
(IIRC)

I liked the comment. Anthough I have to admit, that I too would give more than 5 stars.

The actors did a really good Job here and the movie was real fun.

The sequel was IMO just the same plot all over again. And if you watched the old one several times, you just know, what is going to happen .. I had this feeling about 10 times during the film and every single time I was right ….
Even the end was very similar. .. well apart from the scene back at earth’s orbit.

Greetings from Berlin
Q

SCREAMERS isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it is a solid film, and a pretty good adaptation of “Second Variety”. In fact, I actually sought out the story when I read about the film back in the 1990s.

Yes, there are changes made from the original story, but according to Dan O’Bannon they were done because of the differences between the two mediums–books and film. Some things that work on the printed page will not translate well–or at all–to the movie screen. It’s a tghtrope that screenwriters walk, and I wish that more people would understand that.

On a whole, I liked the movie–it is a B-movie, but Weller’s performance and the opening minutes are dynamite. Is is as good as the story? No, but it isn’t a piece of crap, either.

I must’ve missed the part where humans intentionally built them to learn. I also missed the part where it explains that computers are inefficient in the future and their rate of evolution must therefore be exceptionally slow once they reach self-awareness on a planet that they build themselves on.