1997 Howdy. Krish says that he can't be the only one entertaining folks with drivel, so here's my review of Screamers. -Sue B. ------- Screamers --------- Being a Dick fan (Philip K. Dick, that is), I eagerly awaited the crankage-out of this film based on the short story 'Second Variety'. However, on the bone-o-rama movie scale, I give this film a solid, but not raging, woody. A minor problem that I have with this movie is the title. In the story, the machines of destruction are known as 'claws', which is cooler than 'screamers'. And 'Second Variety' would be a fine name for the film, since people who are reading the story have it in the back of their mind, and are wondering, what 'Variety 2' is as our heroes come across Varieties I, III, and IV. The same concept would work for the movie as well; build up some mystery and suspense. At any rate, the main problem with this movie (and this is pure speculation on my part) is that the director tried to make it into a serious drama, which is why he cut out all of the kickass special effects gore. There are two problems with that: 1) the film does not explore the human issues enough to qualify as a serious drama, 2) the film was marketed as a scifi action film. So, you could take the film and explore the human issues more in-depth and have a serious drama that happens to be set in the future (like Fahrenheit 451) or you could put the kickass special effects back in and have a scifi action film (like Terminator). Marketing the film as a scifi action film is what caused its death at the box office. Scifi action/gore hounds like myself were disappointed to _not_ see a Screamer split a dude's cranium in half with its whirring blade arm, especially when we saw previews of such kickass effects in the Fangoria ragmags (yes, I freely admit to being a pud). There were minimal specific cool effects in the film that scifi action geeks could talk about, such as 'that cool part in Terminator II where the metallic cyborg gets shot and has a huge hole in its chest that closes up, blah, etc.' Other problems with the film ---------------------------- Since we never really get to see a lot of the Screamer damage, the scene with the 'David' variety streaming out of the barracks wasn't as compelling as it could have been. Previously, all we got to see of the David in attack mode was a 5 second animation where its face gets scary and it starts "screaming"- then it is immediately blown away. Essentially, the Davids aren't moving quickly and don't look very dangerous- they're just sort of sitting ducks. The Davids could at least look like they could do some damage if not stopped. For example, their faces could morph into screamer mode when they get 200 feet from the barracks, i.e., closer to their intended victims. Also, the film could have done more to get the idea across that the killer machines were not only repairing themselves, but were getting bigger, stronger, and faster _on their own_. I hate it when characters verbally explain pivotal plot points or major events of the past- I want to see those things happening (ok, maybe not a fuzzy flashback montage), but if someone is going to verbally explain cool events, there is just no point- I would rather just read the book. I watch scifi action movies to be visually stimulated. It's like being horny and reading a Forum article instead of just doing the nasty. Ok, you get the idea. For example, instead of blathering on about the claws, show a claw spying on the humans and relaying data back to the hive. Or show a claw kill a soldier, drag the body under the sand, and carry the parts back to the hive for testing. Maybe show some of the latest claw prototypes back at the hive lab. Lastly, some people might say that the director copped out on the central themes in the story, but I'll cut him slack on that since Phil Dick is a little bleak for general audiences: Phil Dick's themes: Machines are becoming more human. This is manifested in the fact that, as soon as they were able to, they created weapons to use against each other. One stupid fucker can destroy an entire planet. Screamers themes: Machines are becoming more human. This is manifested in the fact that a machine did not want to destroy a planet. One person/entity can make a difference in saving a planet. So, the central themes are there, but aren't as bleak. Though, if the director wanted to make a serious dramatic film, he should have explored those issues in greater depth. Good points ----------- In spite of all its bad points, the movie did resolve one problem that I had with the story, namely that the commander did not suspect all individuals of being 'varieties'. Good foreshadowing next to the campfire when a 'rock' suddenly sprouts legs and scuttles away: "If you're going to be a rock, be a rock". Good scene where the commander crushes the private's sex-video glasses. Totally meaningless to the film, but a good cyber effect. One good thing for the people who read the story is the suspense in trying to figure out which of the soldiers is a variety. A good scene when we find out. The best thing about the movie is its trueness to the story. If you're a Dick fan, you should check out this movie. Recommendation -------------- Pick the gore clips off the cutting room floor, insert, and market it as the 'producer's cut'. Coming soon again: Starship Troopers (production pushed back)