Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Jacomedi A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

sol- Soldiers stationed on a distant planet come to realise that the weaponised machines that they have built to protect themselves are starting to evolve by themselves in this Philip K. Dick adaptation. The machines are fascinating to view, especially with some of animalistic forms that they have adopted in evolution, though the juice of the story comes from the soldiers soon discovering that some of the 'screamers' have discovered how to add flesh to their bodies. The result of this is an intense midsection of the film in which one is unsure who is and is not a 'screamer' and there is a lot of interest in their evolution and the cunning ways they have adopted to dupe human beings, all of whom they have come to see as prey. This solid middle section is, however, bookended by a weak opening and closing act. The film opens with so much verbal exposition that it is difficult to keep track of the politics and war scenarios that the characters find themselves in (apparently this is far more complex than in Dick's story, simply set on the moon). The final half-hour of the movie is also rather mushy and sentimental and comes topped off with a character reveal that is obvious from much earlier on. The vast majority of 'Screamers' is relatively engaging though and the special effects are top notch. The planetary settings look incredible realistic too for a movie shot entirely in Québec.

AMar_rom Good science-fiction movie. Based on the short story 'The Second Variety' by Philip Dick. Years in the future Earth and the colonized outer planets are shaken by a decade of civil war. The war brought destruction and even nuclear arms were tried against major civilian centers. Colonel Hendrickson (Peter Weller in the role) commands a military base of the Alliance on the planet SIRIUS 6B. The enemy, however, is also present there. Both sides are entrenched in subterranean bunkers leaving an uninhabited land in between of destroyed cities and desolate landscapes. It appears also that a specific model of robotic killers operates in these areas keeping either side inside the bunkers for safety. Suddenly news arrive that a peace treaty is signed and the war should be over. Nonetheless, soon thereafter an Alliance plane crushes and a surviving man tells a different story. Hendrickson decides that he 'd better check with the other side and attempts to make the dangerous trip to reach the enemy bunkers and negotiate. He will soon have to face a different reality from what he expected.I liked this sci-fi flick from the 90's. With no major special effects but with such a good story that keeps it interesting. Peter Weller reprises another role in the sci-fi genre (after the more known film 'Robocop') and brings a lot to the credibility of the film. Jennifer Rubin also has the second role as one of the enemy soldiers. If you like sci-fi movies you will not be disappointed. A 7.5 from me.

jmillerdp This film sounds really cool in concept. But, it is permeated by lots of yelling and (yes!) screaming. The film follows acclaimed Science Fiction writer Philip K. Dick's original short story fairly closely, except for its difference in tone and ending.The direction is fairly routine, as is the script. The showdown upon showdown upon showdown gets tiring at the end, and undoes the paranoia of what came before. The acting gets pretty hammy, adding to the melodrama.The visual and practical effects are very good for a lower-budget film. The film score is fairly routine. Philip K. Dick was one of the most visionary Science-Fiction writers. And, few of his stories have been made into good films, which is too bad. "Screamers" is one of those misses.***** (5 Out of 10 Stars)

Dragonsouls I decided to watch Screamers because I'm a big Phillip K. Dick fan, and this was a film based on one of his stories I never read yet. I had realized I overlooked the movie for way too long. I originally thought the movie was outdated, since I have experienced the human/robot social films for a while now, mostly with Battle Star Galactica, Blade Runner, i, Robot, and even Terminator. However, this is one of the first and original stories to convey the human/robot social conflicts and was glad to find the film on my video on demand lists.Worth mentioning first is the fine acting by Peter Weller, and I can't help but wonder why he never became more than a cult film actor, he truly could have been a big time action star on par with the other heavyweights of the 90s. And he really is convincing in this film, as a man who was on the brink of madness from desolation and hardship. As for the supporting cast, excellent performances for a low budget film. It reminded me of a time when all Science Fiction films were B-movies, before the Star Wars and Star Trek's came along.Come to think of it, the film had a decent sized budget for a 90s film. Nothing like other adapted Phillip K. Dick novels had gotten, such as Blade Runner, Minority Report, or Total Recall, but still, Screamers is a story that needed a bigger budget and if it had gotten one, this film would be a classic to be mentioned in the same breath as Dick's other masterpieces. The story reminded me of Blade Runner in some ways, and another short by Dick called "The Defenders" In a sense, Dick re-tells his themes over and over again, but nevertheless, Screamers is well written and unique in its own way. It's just perplexing why this film didn't come out in the 70s, or even early 80s, before the original Battle Star Galactica, and before Terminator, etc. This story would have made for a very pioneering film.