Wolff rating: FAIR
Plot summary: Little Von Neumann machines (robots that breed) are getting minds of their own on a distant, war-torn planet.
Biased, pithy comments: This movie was based on a Philip K. Dick short story written either during the Korean War or the Vietnam War; it's not clear which. However, the theme of distant superpowers turning a colonial area to junk through the use of nuclear, biological, and other technological weapons felt like the disenchantment of the Cold War all over again. Given the date of the movie, however, it's an abstract thought, and thus one must turn to the rest of the film---the acting and the action. Although I've seen much worse shoestring-budget foreign sci-fi films, this isn't one to remember; Weller and Rubin are OK, but they have nothing to work with. Except for one big twist in the middle (which is then beaten to death later on), the story was by-the-numbers, with little robots and big robots jumping out of the ground and shouting ``Boo!'' The movie has long sequences of wandering around over dry, snowy terrain (ahh, Canadian scenery). Then, just in case you missed it, they walk back across it. Sigh. Although there are flashes of quality (some of the atmosphere really works), the whole thing made my viewing companion say, ``You know, it's movies like this that make you think `*I* could have done *that* better.' ''
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Peter Weller, Roy Dupuis, Jennifer Rubin, Andrew Lauer.
Directed by: Christian Duguay