Five out of ten stars is generous because this movie doesn't deliver on what it offers- a suspenseful fight for survival against a murderous monster fashioned from our own technology. The movie is set the better part of a century into our future. It is a future where humanity has nearly rendered the Earth uninhabitable by war and pollution. Life goes on, though. Huddling in their fortified and environmentally controlled shelters, pockets of humanity hang grimly onto life. Some occasionally go forth into the desert wasteland to scavenge what they can. One such scavenger unwittingly brings back a dangerous relic of the wars- a combat robot. Within the human compound- rather implausibly- the robot comes to life....
Thus ends the promising description on the VHS cassette case. And most viewers will be saving a good hour and a half of their lives if they stop right now and contemplate what a cool, suspenseful, and, yes, poignantly ironic story this movie could have been because, chances are, their imagination will be far more entertaining than what they'll get out of this movie. The acting was unconvincing, the plot ragged and badly tempoed, the special effects were not that effective. Worst of all, perhaps, what was supposed to be artistry and novel ingenuity came off as just plain weirdness for the sake of weirdness.
On the other hand, the film's music and scenery both did their parts to give the movie a definite "feel". As I watched it, I felt that the world in the movie was real, consistent, and believable. While hardly superb, these two aspects of the movie were, by far, the movie's high points and something cyberpunk aficionados could probably appreciate- so long as plot, acting, and dramatic tension aren't essential to enjoyment. Judging by the reviews of 9 and 10 out of ten, they were not needed hardly at all by plenty of viewers.
I give this movie eight out of ten for ambiance, music, and premise, and two out of five for acting, plot and story- they really were pretty abysmal. The quality of photography, editing, nor sound were not remarkable to me so don't influence my 5 out of 10. Only devoted future-punk or cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic sci-fi fans should give this film any consideration. I think just about everyone else will find the film pretty silly and boring.
