Short CircuitA soul is not exclusive to flesh and blood beings. Short Circuit is a sci-fi comedy about an experimental robot--dubbed Number 5 (voiced by Tim Blaney)--that gradually becomes self-aware after being bombarded with an electrical surge, going rogue in the process. After Number 5 stumbles into the care of animal enthusiast, Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy), "Nova", the military organization that created Number 5, sends their forces to destroy Number 5 rather than let it to pose a risk to the public. The robot's designer, Dr. Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg), tries to reclaim Number 5 and to discover why his creation has started malfunctioning.
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The most endearing element in Short Circuit is the ironic humanity which Number 5 shows in his quest to absorb "input"--his odyssey of sentience. The unit that depicts Number 5 is a sophisticated piece of puppetry, designed by Syd Mead and manipulated via a "telemetry suit" worn by a puppeteer. The multitude of moving parts give Number 5 human-like behavior--quite a challenge for a skeletal machine with tank treads, like something out of The Terminator. The covers for the optic sensors on Number 5 can be furrowed to give the robot the look of serious thought, and other minute mannerisms and movements really sell the idea that Number 5--as he memorably puts it--is alive. Number 5 is mistaken by Stephanie for an alien at first; but when he is invited into her animal-infested home to pour through all of her encyclopedias, he begins to adopt some of his most memorable idiosyncrasies. For example, he takes to describing something as though reciting an entry from the dictionary with predictable comic results. Although a fast learner, Number 5 has only just been "reborn" as a being with thoughts and feelings, so he often comes across as naive. Most of the social behaviors he has picked up have come from staying up all night (can robots sleep?) and watching infomercials and episodes of "The Three Stooges". Number 5 still has a long way to go where the subtleties of social interaction are concerned. Number 5 is in good company; both Stephanie and his designer, Newton, also have their own "social glitches". While most of Short Circuit is about the advent of Number 5's consciousness and his flight from Captain Skroeder (G. W. Bailey), the trigger happy head of security at Nova, he also bonds with Stephanie, his unlikely guardian. It's clear that Stephanie tends to attract the wrong kind of guy, like her recent ex-boyfriend, who is so detestable that he tries to kidnap her dog and sell it for research when she isn't home to finance his Trans Am. Stephanie is fairly defensive about men, more so with Newton, accusing him of being just another unfeeling "warmonger" and incapable of sympathizing with Number 5. It's clear that Stephanie's been hurt a lot in her life; she retreats into her love for the stray animals she has taken in as an alternative to human interaction. Similarly, Newton is completely absorbed in his work, and has no inkling of what it means to even go out on a date with a woman, or even how to express his attraction to Stephanie. This is a trait he shares with his colleague, Ben Jabituya (Fisher Stevens), whose prone to constant malapropisms with hilarious implications. These social inhibitions in Stephanie and Newton are, like with the former Number 5, a kind of "programming"--how they've been conditioned. And like with Number 5, they begin to reverse engineer that programming as they find themselves mutually drawn to defend Number 5 from Nova.
Although it is a comedy, Short Circuit touches on deep philosophical issues as well. The moment where it becomes evident that Number 5 understands that he is a "living" being comes after an unfortunate accident with a squashed grasshopper. Before this, it was casually mentioned that when Nova comes to pick up Number 5, in order to diagnose the "problem" with him, he will be "disassembled". When Number 5 considers trying to "reassemble" the grasshopper, Stephanie points out that it's too late, and the disassembled grasshopper is dead. The logical revelation Number 5 has is one of the most illuminating moments in Short Circuit--Number 5 fears death, perhaps the most intrinsic and instinctive response of any living creature. Number 5 adopts more personality traits as he and Stephanie go on the lamb from Nova, once they realize that the big, bad military corporation is indifferent to having created actual artificial intelligence. Number 5 enjoys very human activities, like making breakfast for Stephanie, dancing, and listening to music on the radio. Number 5 ultimately dubs himself "Johnny 5", after taking a liking to "Who's Johnny (Theme from Short Circuit)", performed by El DeBarge. There is also an inside joke in Short Circuit when Number 5 is dancing with Stephanie to the Bee Gees while watching Saturday Night Fever--both films were directed by John Badham. (Badham also directed WarGames, in which a sophisticated computer poses a threat to an ignorant military compound, and the day is saved by an unlikely genius and, well, Ally Sheedy.) An early cutaway in Short Circuit compares the treads Number 5 and his brothers are equipped with and those of a tank, as they blast targets with their shoulder-mounted lasers for a press conference display, headed up by the President of Nova, Dr. Howard Marner (Austin Pendleton). This juxtaposition underscores that the "S.A.I.N.T." (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) prototypes like Number 5 were clearly built for warfare. It makes it all the funnier when Number 5 successfully reprograms his metal brethren after a failed ambush to emulate "The Three Stooges", comically underscoring that no matter the preconditioning and doubts about your worth, you have a choice to live the life you want...you just need the right kind of input.
Recommended for: Fans of a cheery yet philosophical sci-fi comedy about a quirky robot who goes from nuclear killing machine to slapstick enthusiast...all from a single bolt of lightning. Watching Number 5 come into his own is what gives Short Circuit its lasting appeal.
Although it is a comedy, Short Circuit touches on deep philosophical issues as well. The moment where it becomes evident that Number 5 understands that he is a "living" being comes after an unfortunate accident with a squashed grasshopper. Before this, it was casually mentioned that when Nova comes to pick up Number 5, in order to diagnose the "problem" with him, he will be "disassembled". When Number 5 considers trying to "reassemble" the grasshopper, Stephanie points out that it's too late, and the disassembled grasshopper is dead. The logical revelation Number 5 has is one of the most illuminating moments in Short Circuit--Number 5 fears death, perhaps the most intrinsic and instinctive response of any living creature. Number 5 adopts more personality traits as he and Stephanie go on the lamb from Nova, once they realize that the big, bad military corporation is indifferent to having created actual artificial intelligence. Number 5 enjoys very human activities, like making breakfast for Stephanie, dancing, and listening to music on the radio. Number 5 ultimately dubs himself "Johnny 5", after taking a liking to "Who's Johnny (Theme from Short Circuit)", performed by El DeBarge. There is also an inside joke in Short Circuit when Number 5 is dancing with Stephanie to the Bee Gees while watching Saturday Night Fever--both films were directed by John Badham. (Badham also directed WarGames, in which a sophisticated computer poses a threat to an ignorant military compound, and the day is saved by an unlikely genius and, well, Ally Sheedy.) An early cutaway in Short Circuit compares the treads Number 5 and his brothers are equipped with and those of a tank, as they blast targets with their shoulder-mounted lasers for a press conference display, headed up by the President of Nova, Dr. Howard Marner (Austin Pendleton). This juxtaposition underscores that the "S.A.I.N.T." (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) prototypes like Number 5 were clearly built for warfare. It makes it all the funnier when Number 5 successfully reprograms his metal brethren after a failed ambush to emulate "The Three Stooges", comically underscoring that no matter the preconditioning and doubts about your worth, you have a choice to live the life you want...you just need the right kind of input.
Recommended for: Fans of a cheery yet philosophical sci-fi comedy about a quirky robot who goes from nuclear killing machine to slapstick enthusiast...all from a single bolt of lightning. Watching Number 5 come into his own is what gives Short Circuit its lasting appeal.