Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Sensory-recording device sends a company and the development team into a frenzy of experimentation and paranoia.
Biased, pithy comments: Science in the movies is always shown to be either good scientists worried that their invention will be used for evil military purposes or as bad scientists doing evil military things with their invention. This manages to have both, but it also deals with more complex issues including what sensory and memory copies will do to human relations. It's a clever gadget movie, but I was disappointed it decended into the ''Don't use my project for military'' frenzy. The sets and costumes are pretty accurate, including labs with pull-up floors, cluttered workspaces, hard-to-read notes, scientists working too late and being too eccentric, and card keys. The robot stuff is painfully stupid, though. Also, terrifying relationships between the male and female scientists---gender relations in the U.S. have gone a long way since 1983.
Other Notes: Effects best seen in Super-Panavision, meaning small-screen viewing will be a little disappointing.
How many times I have seen it: x2
Starring: Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood (her last appearance)