Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Short Circuit Blu-ray Movie Review

Does the nostalgia of 'Short Circuit' make this disc worth picking up?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 9, 2008

No offense, but is that really you, or is that like a spacesuit and you're inside someplace maybe just your brain in a little jar or something like that?

One thing that Hollywood seems to do consistently well is to create interesting and entertaining robotic characters. We've seen plenty of excellent robotic characters grace both the silver and television screen: Robbie the Robot (Forbidden Planet); the Robot from Lost In Space ("Danger Will Robinson, danger!"); R2-D2 and C-3PO (the Star Wars saga); Maximillian and V.I.N.CENT in The Black Hole; and Sonny in I, Robot. Among the most treasured of these characters, especially to those filmgoers who lived the 1980s, is "Number 5" (or "Johnny 5") from the 1986 hit Short Circuit. The movie also brought back memories of several of my favorite miserable yet highly entertaining B-grade robot movies, including Chopping Mall, Evolver, and Death Machine. Obviously, Short Circuit is a superior film, but for pound-for-pound entertainment value, they are nearly equals.

Do you smell what #5 is cooking?

Meet the latest in military-grade killer robots, affectionately known as S.A.I.N.Ts (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport). They are the most advanced robots on Earth, adaptable and impervious to any environment. Not only are these robots hardcore military killing machines, but they are excellent bartenders as well. The military's outdoor debut of these advanced weapons is cut short due to an impending thunderstorm, and as chance would have it, one of the robots, robot #5, is struck by lightning and suddenly develops a burgeoning personality as a result fleeing the military compound. In pursuit is both the military and the robot's creator and pacifist Dr. Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg, The Poseidon Adventure) who doesn't want his creations used for war. #5 eventually meets up with animal caretaker Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy, Only the Lonely). Speck believes the robot to be an alien, takes him in, and teaches him, or provides him "input," as #5 puts it. Eventually, he becomes completely self-aware and learns about the wrongs of killing other beings, eschewing his initial programing that made him into a sophisticated killing machine.

I don't know which 1980s technology-driven movie has held up worse over the past two decades, Short Circuit or War Games (both directed by John Badham, coincidentally), but I'd have to go with Short Circuit by a gnat's eyelash. Right from the style and typeface seen accompanying the opening credits, we know we're in for a healthy dose of cheesy 80's goodness. The electronic, synthesized music heard throughout the movie, the oversized tan-colored computer keyboard keys, and highly dated, large pixel graphics are simply laughable in 2008, but then again, if it wasn't for all of that dated technology, we probably wouldn't have this wonderfully nostalgic film on the amazing Blu-ray disc technology of today (which, I'm sure, will be laughably outdated in its own right a quarter-of-a-century from now as well).

Speaking of that decade, few actors scream "80s" more than Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg. Unfortunately, their performances and the movie itself have held up about as well as the then-cutting edge technology seen (and heard!) in Short Circuit. There are certainly some "cute" moments scattered throughout, but the movie itself is only marginally entertaining. I can see why I enjoyed this as a child: it features talking robots, guns, and some funny moments, all of which tailor-made it for a boy like me, but some 20 years later, it's definitely not the movie I remember. Short Circuit is without question worth watching and has a certain nostalgic factor. However, the charm and excitement of the film that had me engrossed every time it came on television back when I was younger has worn off. The acting in Short Circuit is mediocre-to-bad throughout the film, but this isn't the kind of movie where we'd expect to see someone nominated for an Oscar, anyway. For a trip down memory lane, Short Circuit certainly provides a hearty blast-from-the-past, but some viewers might find themselves less-than entertained now as they were when Short Circuit was first released.

Short Circuit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Short Circuit electrifies Blu-ray with an inconsistent 1080i high definition, 2.40:1 framed transfer. This transfer is bright, crisp, and pleasing, but only in places. The first shot of the film after the credits are finished rolling is of a lush, green field with roses, and until the flowers get run over by a tank, the image looks excellent with well-defined colors, acceptable detail, and a crispness befitting movies of a more recent vintage. There is quite a bit of film grain present over the entirety of the image from the brightest daylight scenes to the darkest shots. However, there are several instances throughout the movie where the grain, almost inexplicably, disappears. Nevertheless, when it is there, it is there in spades, and if you are a fervently anti-grain Blu-ray fan, you'll be extremely disappointed with the overall look of this release. Black levels are mostly solid. The image generally appears soft, but several instances of a sharp, crisp image are readily apparent. The scenes inside the military base don't hold up particularly well, exhibiting grain so heavy that it dominates the picture, not to mention soft edges, poor flesh tones, less-than-ideal visibility, and a bit of crushing, among other minor anomalies, such as macroblocking, which can be seen here and there throughout the movie. These military command center scenes represent the grainiest, darkest, softest, and infinitely least detailed scenes in the movie, sometimes playing in stark contrast to the bright outdoor scenes scattered throughout the movie (and even some of those don't look all that much better than an upconverted DVD). There are some minor print blemishes, but I doubt they'll take away from your enjoyment of the movie, all things considered. On the whole, I would label the transfer as "inconsistent." Some scenes appear to be mostly clean and free of grain while others offer some of the heaviest grain I've seen on a Blu-ray release and sport a look that, even for an older catalogue release, appears fairly bad in places.

Short Circuit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Short Circuit flashes onto Blu-ray with a surprisingly active DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that is both engaging and entertaining. The opening music sounds great, even for such a silly 80s synthesized beat. The powerful explosions heard afterwards during the S.A.I.N.T. combat demonstration are mighty impressive for a soundtrack of this vintage. Dialogue is clear, precise, and focused in the center. There is a fine surround presence heard almost continually throughout the movie, from the thunderstorm at the beginning of the movie that "livens up" #5, to the robot Crosby is composing music with. One of the drawbacks of this mix is that it can get loud and sometimes sound rather undefined and messy, but if you like your soundtracks loud, this one delivers in many places. There is some nice directionality and panning of sound. Sound placement is solid, as the action we see on-screen, and know is occurring off-screen, has corresponding sounds in just the right spots. Gunfire and explosions have a decidedly 80s tone about them, but for a bit of nostalgia you cannot do much better than this one. I was much more pleased with this soundtrack than I was the wishy-washy video quality.

Short Circuit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Short Circuit rolls into its Blu-ray debut as a nuts-and-bolts-packed special edition. First up is a commentary track with director John Badham and writers S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock. An enjoyable listen but an ultimately standard commentary track, this trio provides some interesting insights into the making of the movie, from filming the opening credits scene to fake flowers used in lieu of real ones, to the reasoning behind making the Ally Sheedy character an animal lover, and to filming in northern Oregon. This track flows effortlessly and I'm sure fans of the movie will be delighted to spend 90 minutes with these participants. A Behind the Scenes Featurette (480p, 3:51) is next. This short piece looks briefly at the filming of several different scenes.

The Creation of Number 5 (480p, 6:46) is a retro feature with interviews with John Badham and some members of the effects crew. There is a look at the advanced robotics seen in the film and the arduous process of making the robots look just as the director wanted. A series of 1980s interviews with Ally Sheedy (480p, 2:18), Steve Guttenberg (480p, 2:24) , John Badham (480p, 2:06), Syd Mead (480p, 17:36), and Eric Allard (480p, 35:02) is next. Isolated Music and Effects allows the viewer to watch the entire movie with only these two components intact. Next up are text-based biographies of Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, John Badham, S.S. Wilson, Bent Maddock, Syd Mead and Eric Allard. Text-based production notes derived from the original 1986 press kit, a still gallery, and the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 1:50) conclude the special features.

Short Circuit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Short Circuit is nostalgic fun. Nevertheless, the movie doesn't hold up as well as I had hoped it would, and it's not because of a too-heavy a dose of 1980s sentimentality. I didn't find the movie all that funny or entertaining, but I love nostalgia, and this movie offers plenty of that. Fans of the movie, Blu-ray bargain hunters, collectors, or completists will want to add this disc to their collections. Even though the transfer is hit-or-miss, there are times where it stands toe-to-toe with some of the better catalogue titles on the market, and at other times looks like one of the worst discs we've seen. The audio quality is decidedly superior to the video, and the supplemental materials are plentiful, retro, and mostly entertaining. This film's legions of fans will be ecstatic to buy this disc, and at the price it's being offered at, it's hard to pass on it, if for nothing more than owning one of the decade-defining films of the 1980s. Cautiously recommended.