There was no shortage of good sci-fi in 1982: we had "Blade Runner", "The Thing", and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", to name the obvious ones. But we also had this offbeat little item of interest, done for Roger Corman and New World Studios on a typically limited budget. But director Aaron Lipstadt (just one of many Corman alumni) makes the most out of what he's got. Thanks to a talented crew (among them, James Cameron as a design consultant), the results are some pretty damn good sets and production value.
Top billed Klaus Kinski dials down his eccentricity for a low keyed turn as a mad scientist named Dr. Daniel, working on an illegal android program on a space station. His loyal assistant is Max 404 (Don Keith Opper, who also co-wrote the script), a cutting edge android. Shortly after a trio of criminal fugitives are allowed some temporary shelter by Max, he learns that the program will be shut down and that he himself is due to be terminated.
The heart and soul of this charming flick is Oppers' performance. Although he never became a star, he did at least get the recurring role of Charlie in all four "Critters" features. He makes Max an interesting, appealing character. The limited supporting cast is all solid: Brie Howard as the fetching Maggie, Norbert Weisser as the cunning Keller, Crofton Hardester as the brutal, intense Mendes, and Kendra Kirchner as the sexy Cassandra, Dr. Daniels' latest experiment.
Visuals, special effects, and makeup are well done, and the effective electronic score by Don Preston is supplemented by tunes from James Brown and Django Reinhardt.
"Android" is the most sober and least cheesy of the science fiction features cranked out by New World during this time, and really deserves another look.
Seven out of 10.
