Product Description: When a laser-armed Department of Defense robot named Number 5 gets zapped by a lightning bolt, he "malfunctions" and starts spouting peace slogans and developing a human-like consciousness. Naturally, the newly pacifist machine wants out of the military and escapes. As a frantic search for the creature begins, Number 5 settles down in his new home, with a gentle young woman named Stephanie (Ally Sheedy), who has every intention of holding on to her find, teaching Number 5 about popular culture and other mysteries of life. Thoroughly convinced that the robot is alive, she develops a strong bond with the creature. In order to prevent his capture by the military--who view Number 5 as an armed-and-dangerous weapon--the pair must convince his inventor, a reclusive scientist named Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg), that he is truly alive and more than just a metal machine. The highly innovative robot created for director John Badham's film brings to mind other lovable science fiction icons such as E.T. and R2D2 from STAR WARS.
Amazon.com: John Badham's family-oriented adventure comedy, though obviously hatched in the wake of E.T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a consciousness, curiosity, a wacky sense of humor, and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with 5's hyperactive antics and E.T.-ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. --Sean Axmaker
Great movie on bad DVD ^ I have always loved this movie. No discussion possible. But... this DVD is about as bad as it gets: it is a FAKE wide-screen reproduction, meaning that on a wide-screen TV you get black bars all around the image. Yes, you can zoom in, using your TV's zoom function bad that means that are blowing up the pixels even further (already pixels are expanded to show regular DVDs on high-res screens, zooming makes it even worse. Anamorphic wide-screen has been available in the DVD definition from the get go. This technique gives best wide-screen reproduction on full-screen AND wide-screen TV sets.
I have seen this movie many times and each time it is more enjoyable. I highly recommend that all those who are young at heart buy and see this movie. Each time you see it, is like seeing it for the first time.
Item Great - Shipping Not So Great ^ I love this movie and was pleased of the description and it matched what I recieved but the wait and not knowing was not worth it.. The seller sis NOT provide me with a tracking number. I will not be buying from this seller againg just because I paid for the express shipping and it took almost two weeks! I tried to email them and never recived a response, and not recieving a tracking number!
"NEW HI-DEF TRANSFER" ^ ...as the sticker states on the outer cellophane of this BluRay. Well,,,,, AWESOME! But unfortunately awesome isn't enough to describe the superior quality of this BluRay. It looks better than it ever did on the big screen, when the movie first came out! LOL While I realize that there can be so many variances for each individual film (including DURING INITIAL PRODUCTION), if there is a current benchmark to measure BluRay quality, this has to be near, or at the top! This transfer also looks better than many other movies on BluRay, many of which have also come out long after Short Circuit! Anyway, I hope that as many as possible older movies can be transfered to BluRay with the end-result being a level of quality at least equal to, or near, this! :)
Short Circuit ^ Number 5, one of a group of experimental military robots, undergoes a sudden transformation after being struck by lightning. He develops self-awareness, consciousness, and a fear of the reprogramming that awaits him back at the factory. With the help of a young woman, Number 5 tries to evade capture and convince his creator that he has truly become alive. A cute robot, a good cast, great comedy. Great fun for kids and adults.
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