Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

bmoviep As a huge fan of the works of Philip K. Dick, I was excited to find out that a film adaptation of his story "Second Variety" had been made. I wasn't expecting a completely faithful adaptation to the original story. I had already seen "Blade Runner" which was very different from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", yet it still ended up being a fantastic film. Unfortunately, Screamers plays out like a standard Sci Fi action flick. Doing very little to establish an identity of its own. A group of humans attempt to survive against some kind of hostile, non human force. In this case, the non human force consisted of war machines, which use their built in blades to chop up enemies without mercy. Originally created by the military, these "Screamers", named for a screaming noise they make before attacking, went rogue and began attacking indiscriminately. We soon find out that the Screamers come in various forms. Some of which look like humans. It also turns out that a mysterious third variety of Screamers exist, but the humans can't identify it due to lack of data. This leads to mistrust between the group as they begin accusing each other of being Screamers. From that point on, most of the characters die, either from killing each other or from being killed by the Screamers themselves. It turns out that one of the group members actually was a Screamer the whole time, but by the time we learn who was, it really doesn't matter. The big reveal only serves to create a final conflict before the movie ends and there really wasn't much evidence to suggest that this character was a Screamer It really could have been anyone and not made a difference to the plot. "Screamers" is by no means a bad film. The action and violence is fun and impressive consider the low budget that this movie had to work with. However, there really isn't much that this movie has to offer that you wouldn't find in any other Sci Fi action film. It's not a waste of time, but it's also not the best way to be spending your time either.

david-sarkies This movie is an awesome movie and is one that leaves you wondering what really was the truth. In the end you find out but what seems basic at the beginning of the movie, that is the nature of the screamer, in the end becomes a plot with many twists. This movie is about what you think you know is really what you do not know.Screamers is set a little way in the future (2078) and is on a planet, Sirius 6B, that has been totally ravaged by nuclear war. An energy corporation, the New Economic Block (NEB), has discovered Berynium, a new source of energy. The problem is that mining it is incredibly lethal and the miners want protection. The NEB won't give it to them so they form an alliance and declare war on the NEB. The war turns into a cold war on Earth between the NEB and the Alliance while NEB obliterates Sirius 6B with Nuclear bombing raids. The movie opens at the tail end of this where both sides are holed up in bunkers and want to negotiate peace.This war seems to the something similar to the union disputes occurring today. The workers are being forced to work in harsh conditions and the corporation doesn't want to fund the extra money to protect them. The protests today are of a different matter, namely removing union control, but what we see here is the same sort of thing happening, except the war between the unions and the corporations has resulted in a shooting war.There is also the idea of the arms race. Both sides have struck with destructive weapons. The NEBs used nuclear weapons while the Alliance developed the Autonomous Mobile Sword, or the Screamer. They are called Screamers because they scream when they attack. At first they are just little nasties that burrow under the ground and attack anything with a pulse, but we learn a little way into the movie that the are built in an underground bunker, operated completely by automation, and they upgrade themselves. At first the Alliance believe they know all about the screamers, but when a new guy arrives, ignorant of it, they slowly begin to realise that what they accepted for so long they really don't understand.Then there is the nature of the war. It seems at first that the war is coming to the end and negotiations are nearby so they prepare to travel to the NEB bunker to talk, but then a transport crashes and they learn that the war is nowhere near over, but just moving to another planet. With the nuclear wasteland and the screamers, Sirius 6B has become uninhabitable. It is also interesting to note that Hendricksson says a number of times, "We were all NEBs once." The whole nature of war is that we are the same and in the end the whole reason of the war becomes moot and we just fight because we can.

hellraiser7 Trust has always been a fundamental problem throughout the years because by it's nature it's never been a solid foundation to begin with. Despite the length of time we spend with a person we never truly know them, from his/her past to even what they do when were not around them. This film is an under the radar sci-fi gem which is based on a short story by my favorite sci-fi author Philp K. Dick.I like the production value despite a low budget they were able to use it well. We see a post apocalyptic world that is just dirty, grimy, and desolate. There is no vegetation, it is always cold, there is hardly any sun, and the worst part is the radioactive winds that blow every once in a while. It really adds to the suspense because it gives it a feeling of isolation, the fact there is hardly any life stirring means there is no help that will come when you need it the most.I also like the effects, most to all are practical so there's no CGI, at least none I know about, though some effects are a tad dated but not bad in my book. I really like the designs of the Moble Sword/Screamer robots, whom are menacing from their capabilities not just in killing but in learning and the different types they were able to produce which unfortunately give them an edge.The music is good, action is decent liked the hill battle, but most importantly I really like the suspense where you are on constant edge and has a steady build because you're never sure of what you'll discover, and when you do it might be too late. Like one sequence which is my favorite is when Hendrickson is using a computer in the bunker to discover all the different types of Screamers, it was suspenseful on two counts; one the fact that he has only a limited amount of time to use it and second what information is left in the dark afterward which puts us a step behind and makes the stakes of survival even higher.The story is very good, I wouldn't say the concepts are entirely new but everything done right. I like how despite post apocalyptic conditions they still have high technology that still works. And certain aspects of the story somewhat acknowledges or are even prolific on our war for oil as well as terrorism. Characters are solid, Joe Hendrickson played by one of my favorite actors Peter Weller. I like that Joe is a person whom is layed back, has a sense of humor, tired of the war and just wants to go home. Same with Jessica Hansen play well by Jennifer Rubin whom despite someone on the shady end of things, is capable of being selfless, doesn't give her trust to just anyone. I like that both have a decent dynamic together, I bought it.I really like how the film gets at the issue of paranoia as well as the philosophical issue on what is a human. One of the best things about Philp's stories is how our perception of humanity can be blurred. We discover how far the robots come not just in replicating human's physically but even in feelings and thoughts, which makes you wonder if that constitutes them as human and not just machines.The only problems I really have are the pacing can be slow at some points. And also there isn't enough action, but then again this is more of a suspense thriller so I can't complain much.Overall, I think is a very good sci-fi that I think is worth checking out. Be careful of who you trust, it could be the last person you give it to.Rating: 3 and a half stars.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com It's hard for filmmakers to adapt stories to the screen, especially when they resemble stories that have been previously told. Turns out though director Christian Duguay evens out the story and though it still recalls other movies before its time, it still has elements in it that make it have a quality worth watching.The story of Screamers is loosely based off of Second Variety, a short story written by Philip K. Dick, the novelist of Blade Runner (1982) and Total Recall (1990). Dick is a very prestigious science fiction writer. His work has multiple twists and it always was a pleasant read. I also read Second Variety and much of it was fairly close to this movie. I actually enjoyed the film adaptation more than the story itself.Peter Weller is Joseph A. Hendricksson, an eccentric commander of an alliance bunker located on a planet known as Sirius 6B. Years before on Earth, there was nuclear fallout between two major groups; the N.E.B. (New Economic Block) and alliance workers over a special mineral that could change energy usage for transportation. So the fighting was moved to Sirius 6B where there has been a "Cold War" ever since. For the alliance to defend themselves, they created the Autonomous Mobile Sword or better known as, the screamer. The screamer is a mechanical life form that was equipped with a razor sharp blade so it could kill its enemy. But like all man made robots, they become self-aware and are now deciding for themselves who they should kill. Strangely enough, they are always updating their software, even making screamers that look like humans. So from there, audiences might make the connection of these traits between Skynet from The Terminator (1984), and characters not knowing who's real and who isn't from the novel Who Goes There, by John W. Campbell Jr.But for those few relations, Screamers can hold it's own as an entertaining sci-fi horror movie. It does not contain a lot of blood but it can be very suspenseful. Weller's performances are always a welcome to the screen. His ability to make his character sarcastic as is serious is a great touch. Andrew Lauer plays a innocent rookie named Ace Jefferson who tags along Hendricksson to meet with the N.E.B. command. The N.E.B. group these two visit is lead by the lovely Jennifer Ruben as Jessica Hanson. And with her is Roy Dupuis, who looks like Matthew McConaughey's distant cousin, who likes bugging another soldier who has some serious patience issues. The special effects are definitely dated. And it's really obvious when the camera is focused on the screamer itself but hey, the creature looks cool enough to look at. I think the most baffling part is how the machine keep upgrading their models. It makes you wonder, "What's going on down there". The set design is also something to see. A lot of does have the same color like from the movie Soldier (1998) but it at least looks real. The backgrounds actually resemble Chernobyl; which is eerie. Normand Corbeil composed the soundtrack and it also another strong point. When Hedricksson runs into a homeless child, the music makes the scene so heartbreaking. It's emotional and soft on the ears.The film variation of Second Variety does borough ideas from previous movies, but it's put together in such a way that it won't matter to the audience. The music is good and so is Weller's performance as a tired out war veteran.