This is a comic spin of the E.T., principle, wielded here in the service of a “cute” robot, Number 5, who develops a “mind” after an accident and escapes the nasty scientists who want to experiment on him. Steve Guttenberg is on hand, threatening some kind of gravitas but never delivering more than a schmaltzy appropriation of being slightly concerned about the predicament he finds himself in. Still, he can’t be blamed for looking lost in a film that demands emotional connections with a robot whose voice is one of the most annoying ever produced. Give us Hal, R2-D2 or a barber shop quartet of Daleks any day.
Short Circuit Review
Number 5, a rogue robot on the run from the law and various scientists, finds sanctuary with the angelic Stephanie Speck (Sheedy) and the goodie-goodie Newton Crosby (Guttenberg). The threesome flee Number 5's captors, trade life stories and two of them fall in love...
Release Date:
01 Jan 1986
Running Time:
98 minutes
Certificate:
PG
Original Title:
Short Circuit
Safe, sentimental, and loved by kids, Short Circuit never tries to dissect it's predecessor (E.T.) nor outdo it in any way. Would have been nice to see a human-robot love triangle.
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