Lightning transformation gives robot a soul

Press, 1 September 1986, Page 18

Lightning transformation gives robot a soul

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SHORT CIRCUIT Directed by John Badham Written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock

“Short Circuit” (Savoy) does the almost impossible by turning a cold, calculating, ■ hardware robot into a seemingly soft, cute creature for whose survival the audi-

ence cares as much as the machine itself.

Known only as Number Five, he was created by an American military-in-dustrial complex as the ultimate weapon, capable of using its intelligence, manoeuvrability and laser beam to demolish the enemy behind their own lines.

But something funny happens when it is struck by lightning during a storm. Somehow, its circuits are scrambled, and it is given a free-thinking, independent life — much as Frankenstein’s monster was brought to life under similar circumstances. Number Five manages to escape from its creators and rewires its circuits to its own liking. This manages to make the robot seem so human that it will be referred to from here on as “he.” Ironically, what was originally a fighting machine has reprogrammed himself into an espouser of liberal, prolife, anti-war sympathies. The military, of course, does not know this and sets out to destroy Number Five before their sup-

posed monster wreaks too much havoc.

To aid him in his flight for life, Number Five manages to enlist the help of two very likeable humans: "Steve Guttenberg, his actual creator who must now fight to save him; and Ally Sheedy, a girl with a soft spot for homeless animals, who takes the robot under her wing. With these Ingredients, “Short Circuit” cannot go wrong, and makes ideal holiday entertainment. Guttenberg has already shown his ability to handle comedy in “Police Academy 2” and “Bad Medicine,” and has also touched the light fantastic in “Cocoon.”

Sheedy has distinguished herself in teenage soap operas such as “The Breakfast Club” and “St Elmo’s Fire,” and is gaining in confidence and beauty as she grows older. She and Guttenberg certainly make a very presentable couple, while her menagerie of strays (racoon, skunk, owl, kittens, etc.) is designed to delight.

Number Five is a mechanical muppet with the soulful eyes of Oscar the Grouch, but who looks more like the contents of a garbage can than a creature living in one. He has an insatiable hunger for knowledge, devouring the contents of encyclopaedias in minutes, and watching commercials and old movies on TV, from which he picks up the mannerisms of the likes of John Wayne and George Raft. He also does a good imitation of John Travolta’s style of dancing in “Saturday Night Fever." This is no coincidence as that film was . also directed by John Badham, who has managed to produce some very popular films in recent years. - . Badham’s fascination with fighting machines, computers and gadgetry in general was in evidence in “Blue Thunder” and “War Games” (also with Sheedy). He has now

taken that one step further, turning it into lighthearted entertainment that can be enjoyed by the whole fmaily. If some of the beautiful scenery looks familiar, it is because much of the filming was done around Astoria, Oregon, where Steven Spielberg had gone earlier to make “The Goonies.”