Director: Aaron LipstadtStarring: Klaus Kinski, Don Keith Opper, Brie Howard, Norbert Weisser
More info: IMDb
Tagline: On a remote space laboratory, Android Model MAX 404 has learnt how to live...and learnt how to kill!
Plot: Eccentric scientist Dr.Daniel and his shy, clumsy assistant Max, lead a quiet life on their space station where they carry out illegal research into androids, until they receive an unwelcome visit from three fugitives from justice, one of whom is female. Dr.Daniel and Max are both interested in her, but one of them has rather more sinister intentions than just romance...
My rating: 8/10
Will I watch it again? Yup.
Damn fine low budget sci-fi! Damn fine. Opper's the force behind this one. He co-wrote it as well as starred as the titular character. Kinski turns in a very good, restrained for a nice change, performance as well as the rest of the cast. The special effects are good despite the budget limitations but it's the sets, performances, direction and, most of all, the solid script that elevate this beyond most sci-fi of the decade. It straddles that line of feeling like a 70s sci-fi but looking like 80s.
One thing that makes this picture work is that you care for the characters you're supposed to. They're very inviting. This is also a film that knows just how long it needs to be - 78 minutes. To stretch it out another 10-15 would bog it down. And the ending is perfect! ANDROID is the very definition of a hidden gem. It's not widely known and it's fortunately easily obtainable. Netflix has it to rent or stream. You've got no excuse now. ANDROID should be required viewing for anyone who loves the genre.
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Great film. Very under-appreciated, too. Being a pretty big Klaus Kinski fan, I rented it with pretty low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Who says you need millions of dollars to make a good, smart sci-fi flick? The guys who made this certainly didn't.
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