Welcome back to our ever evolving 'Big Screen Scaremongering' feature, were we attempt to cynically rip apart media that shines a bad light on advanced technology for entertainments sakes.See part 1 and part 2 if you want to catch up.
Today our focus is on a corker called Deadly Friend (1986) by Wes Craven, yes the guy who did 'a nightmare on elm street', so its got to be good right!
The plot...
In this unusual tale of the dead returning to the world of the living, a teenage girl is killed by her abusive father. Her grief-stricken friend implants his robot's brain into her body. This proves unscientifically sound as the undead girl begins murdering people, and the junior inventor has to stop her.
10 out of 10 for creative use of a robots here, and cleverly they didn't have to spend lots on expensive animatronics, and models because the offending character Samantha played by Kirsty Swanson, looks no different to an average human despite her armature brain transplant op.
Coincidentally, when Samantha is sent flying down the stairs to her death, a paranoid shotgun wielding neighbour destroys 'BB' the robot. This does two things, 1) this double KO puts Paul in a panicked and irrational state 2) Gives 'BBs' new sexy host body a motive for revenge!
Now this one is guilty on many levels of careless scaremongering, im going to point out some lazy flaws to emphasise its distance from reality. From the start, i find it unbelievable that a babe like Swanson shows genuine interest in a guy who has posters of Einstein on his bedroom wall and walks around with a pac-man yellow tin can as a 'bezzy'. Also, the story really looses grip when Laboteaux manages to “sneak” into an under-populated hospital to steal a freshly expired patient from her bed, fleeing the scene unnoticed in a domestic vehicle the size of the average bus. (He then amazingly hides Swanson in his house from his mom for the rest of the film).
The next clip is a tribute to Cravens creative use of gore and violence no matter how ridiculous, the silly special effects make it laughable, so gladly, this should have left no real negative impression about robotics on the minds of a generation.
Yes that was sloths mum from the goonies.
This is the final scene in Deadly Friend, contrary to the above, i feel this was a very damaging piece of cinema for robots in general. The graphic rebirth of 'BB' through the flesh of Samantha will be scorched on the mind of impressionable youngsters worldwide. Be warned, this WILL give your kids nightmares!
So, i hoped you enjoyed this alternative review. There is no wonder advances in technology are constantly up against fearful resistance, be strong. If we are one day faced with a race of robots demanding their independence WE will be prepared!
No comments:
Post a Comment