Short Circuit Review

Short Circuit

Release Date: 26th June 1986 - Australia

Production Companies

TriStar Pictures (presents)

Producers Sales Organisation 

Turman-Foster Company

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Sci-Fi/Family/

Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 94 minutes

Budget: $9,000,000

Box Office Gross: $40,697,761 (USA)

Plot Summary

One of the series of experimental military robots called Number 5 gains human-like intelligence and consciousness after being struck by lightning and escapes. He finds a home with a young woman named Stephanie Speck, who believes him to be an alien but later befriends him. Now its creator, Newton Crosby and his assistant are hot on the trail of finding him before the military plans to take him apart and permanently scrap the entire project. Can Number 5 evade the army and convince his creator that he is alive?

Cast

Tim Blaney - Number 5 (Voice)

Ally Sheedy - Stephanie Speck

Steve Guttenberg - Newton Crosby

Fisher Stevens - Ben Jabituya

Austin Pendleton - Howard Marner

G.W. Bailey - Skroeder

Brian McNamara - Frank

Marvin J. McIntyre - Duke

John Garber - Otis

Penny Santon - Mrs. Cepeda

Vernon Weddle - General Washburne

Barbara Tarbuck - Senator Mills

Fred Slyter - Norman

Billy Ray Sharkey - Zack

Jack Thompson - Party Guest

John Badham - Cameraman (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Director - John Badham 

Writers - S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock and Jay Tarses (Uncredited)
Associate Producers - Gary Foster and Dana Satler Hankins

Executive Producers - Mark Damon and John Hyde

Supervising Producer/Second Unit

Director - Gregg Champion

Producers - David Foster and Lawrence Turman 

Co-Producer - Dennis Jones
Casting Directors - Jane Feinberg,
Mike Fenton and Judy Taylor

Animal Handlers - Dennis & William Shane Grisco

Art Director - Dianne Wager

Robots Designer/Consultant (Uncredited) -

Syd Mead

Illustrators - Jack Johnson,

Martin A. Kline, Dick Lasely and

Tom Southwell

Set Decorator - Garrett Lewis

Property Master - Gregg H. Bilson

Costumer: Men - Barry Francis Delaney

Costumer: Women - Mary E. Vogt

Director of Photography - Nick McLean

Camera Operators - Stephen E. Bridge

and Michael D. O'Shea

First Assistant Camera - Michael A. Chavez

and Bill Roe

Location Manager - Mark Indig

Unit Production Manager - Steve Perry

First Assistant Director - Jerry Ziesmer

Stunt Coordinator - Walter Scott

Special Effects Supervisor - Chuck Gaspar

Robots Engineer/Robotic Special Effects

Supervisor - Eric Allard

Animatronic Performance Supervisor/Puppeteer

(Uncredited) - Tony Urbano

Special Visual Effects - Chris Casady,

Dennis Dorney, Michael Ferriter,

Rocco Gioffre, Robert Hall, Nina Salerno,

Keith Shartle and Hoyt Yeatman

Visual Effects Consultant - Michael L. Fink

Video and Graphic Displays - Rhonda C. Gunner,

Richard E. Hollander, Gregory L. McMurry

and John C. Wash

Film Editors - Frank Morriss, Jeff Jones

and Dallas Puett

Assistant Film Editor - Kevin Stitt

Robot Voices Synthesizer - Frank Serafine

Supervising Sound Editors - Milton C. Burrow

and William L. Manger

Sound Mixer - Willie D. Burton

Re-Recording Mixers - Wayne Artman,

Tom Beckert and Tom E. Dahl

Music - David Shire

Review

The SHORT CIRCUIT series was a favourite part of my childhood. Unfortunately, I didn't see the first movie when I watched the sequel instead on pay TV. Then, a few years later, it was shown on the Movie Extra channel. In recent years, the robot Number 5 (aka Johnny 5) has inspired another iconic robot character with mannerisms and looks, and his name was WALL-E. SHORT CIRCUIT is a family comedy that keeps the laughter for adults and young children but also pulls your heartstrings, which leads you to believe you're watching a Disney movie. John Badham was an underrated film director who was benevolently clever at helming this picture than he does to his other films like Saturday Night Fever and WarGames. Somehow, he didn't get the credit he deserved for his contribution to the film industry.

Steve Guttenberg was convincing as the scientist who was responsible for getting the machine operational. The other cast members were believable in their roles and created a fun and heartfelt atmospheric movie. I would give an honourable mention to Fisher Stevens for his outstanding role as an Indian character. The mechanical effects were not groundbreaking or revolutionary. However, they were convincingly believable and showed how to create robots.

SHORT CIRCUIT is not your typical family feature. It's unique and different from what people usually expect. It was the attraction for this movie, as it created a new style, a light-hearted sci-fi comedy that suggests the possibility of a living robot who gains a spark of humanity. If you've seen this movie, you will know it has a touching and uplifting story, and many following films have replicated its concept. SHORT CIRCUIT still stands out as one of the best and most nostalgic films.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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