Short Circuit

1986 "Something wonderful has happened... No. 5 is alive!"
6.6| 1h38m| PG| en
Details

After a lightning bolt zaps a robot named Number 5, the lovable machine starts to think he's human and escapes the lab. Hot on his trail is his designer, Newton, who hopes to get to Number 5 before the military does. In the meantime, a spunky animal lover mistakes the robot for an alien and takes him in, teaching her new guest about life on Earth.

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Reviews

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Sean Lamberger A freak lightning storm causes a war automaton to spontaneously go sentient during a military demonstration. If you were sentient yourself in '86, no doubt you remember this one. It's the epitome of an eighties movie in all the wrong ways: bad comedy, forced plot developments, a big dose of cold war overtones, a valley girl accent, Steve Guttenberg... the list is awfully lengthy. We've even got a white man in brown face, though he does nothing terribly egregious or offensive beyond the (surprisingly convincing) makeup.Short Circuit manages to get by on the power of spirit and enthusiasm alone, which is itself another '80s stereotype. It's got energy to spare, plus absolutely no shame over its shortcomings, which makes it awkwardly endearing. Having said that, and appreciated it, the flick is often eye-roll bad, much worse than I'd remembered. Subtle like a bull on the warpath and cheesier than a Kraft dinner, I felt a little embarrassed for being such a fan back when I could still count my age on two hands. My sons, though, only a few years removed from that age themselves, adored it, so maybe there's something innocent and beautiful about that. I guess some films are best viewed in the memory banks.
utgard14 A robot made self-aware after being struck by lightning runs away from the military weapons testing facility where it is set to be disassembled. The robot, called Number 5, meets a woman (Ally Sheedy), who befriends it and tries to help it. As the military hunt for the escaped robot, two scientists (Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens) try to find it first.A heartfelt sci-fi comedy that's funny, positive, and extremely entertaining. How cool was that robot? Old school effects are remarkable. People built these things by hand, you know? There's just something so much more effective and impressive about that than CGI effects. The cast is really good. Sheedy and Guttenberg are both likable leads. Fisher Steven is a lot of fun. Guttenberg's Police Academy co-star G.W. Bailey plays to type as he did so often in the '80s. Such a fun movie. I had a big goofy grin on my face the whole time I was watching this.I recently read a review of this movie that trashed it. The reviewer's main reasons for doing so were based on how unrealistic it was. He went on and on about how robots aren't capable of this and that. It made me very sad for him because I know he must not have any friends. If you are reading this and you view Short Circuit the same way that reviewer does, please do yourself a favor -- go out, meet some people, have some adventures, enjoy life. Then come back and watch Short Circuit and see if the stick up your ass is gone yet.
d_m_s Easy to confuse the first with the second if you haven't seen either in a while, the second is the more fun of the two and the one set in New York. The first is the totally boring one, half set in the military base with Steve Guttenberg and half set in Ally Sheedy's house.J-5 is accidentally carted off from the base and winds up at Sheedy's home searching for "input!", wherein he learns the meaning of "disassemble!" (death) and tries to hide from the military who are trying to destroy him for being a malfunctioning war weapon. Lots of to-ing and fro-ing, very repetitive and disappointingly dull.
FilmBuff1994 Short Circuit is a good movie with a good storyline and a decent but not fantastic cast.I watched the movie because my mom always talked about it as a fond movie she remembers as a child,but it definitely wouldn't hold up today,the effects and especially the acting is very cheesy,but its almost impossible not to fall in love with Number 5,he's a very funny and lovable character.I wasn't impressed with the cast,however,I did enjoy G.W. Bailey's performance,I really enjoyed his asshole that he proved from Police Academy that he can pull it off very well.Short Circuit is a very fun movie that the whole family can enjoy.After the fifth member of a group of robots is electrocuted,he forms human feelings and emotions,and escapes his organisation with no intention of returning.