Circuitry Man
| Circuitry Man | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Steven Lovy |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jamie Thompson |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Deborah Holland |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Skouras Pictures[1] |
Release dates |
October 31, 1990 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Circuitry Man is a 1990 American post apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Steven Lovy and starring Jim Metzler, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Vernon Wells. It was followed by a sequel, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II, in 1994.
Synopsis
In post-apocalyptic 2020, pollution has killed off the natural world and the population is forced to live underground. A woman attempts to smuggle a suitcase of contraband drug/chips from Los Angeles to the underground remnants of New York City, while eluding both police and gangsters. Along the way, she is aided by a romantic bio-mechanical pony-tailed android and pursued by Plughead, a villain with the ability to tap into people's minds.
Cast
- Jim Metzler as Danner
- Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Lori
- Lu Leonard as Juice
- Vernon Wells as Plughead
- Barbara Alyn Woods as Yoyo
- Dennis Christopher as Leech
- Steven Bottomley as Bartender
- Barney Burman as Cheater
- Andy Goldberg as Squid
- Garry Goodrow as Jugs
- Darren Lott as Jackie
Production
Circuitry Man was adapted from a student film Steven Lovy made while attending UCLA. Shooting began in July 1989 and took place in Los Angeles and Antelope Valley, California.[1]
Reception
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "nothing if not derivative" but "consistently distinctive and funny".[2] In The Psychotronic Video Guide, Michael Weldon described it as "a clever, sometimes funny, well-made science fiction adventure" that is more fun than Hardware or Total Recall, two science fiction films that were also released in 1990.[3] Tech Noir author Paul Meehan, discussing film noir in science fiction, wrote that the film attempts to overcome its low budget with gratuitous violence but called Wells "memorably nasty".[4]
References
- ^ a b c d "Circuitry Man (1990)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1990-10-31). "MOVIE REVIEW : Pollution Apocalypse in 'Circuitry Man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
- ^ Weldon, Michael (1996). The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film. Macmillan Publishers. p. 108. ISBN 9780312131494.
- ^ Meehan, Paul (2017). Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir. McFarland & Company. p. 197. ISBN 9781476609737.