Short Circuit

Short Circuit is a delightful warm-hearted science fiction comedy of 1986, directed by John Badham. This engaging film stars Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg and Fisher Stevens in pivotal roles.

The story revolves around two robotics engineers—Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg) and Ben Jahrvi (Fisher Stevens), who work for the giant conglomerate Nova Robotic Corporation. Crosby, a prodigal inventor, has designed a series of robots known as S.A.I.N.T (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport). Initially, these robots are conceived for military use and are designed to replace humans on the battlefield. In the demonstration concluded for the military, these robots display an impressive array of skills and weapons.

The plot takes a colorful twist when Zac Davis, the media spokesperson introduces Number 5, an altered version of the S.A.I.N.T model, as a positive PR gesture to soften the military image of the robots. Unfortunately, due to a lightning storm, Number 5 is caught up in an electrical mishap. It brings about an unforeseen alteration in Number 5's programming – it starts exhibiting signs of sentience, resulting in a series of interesting, and amusing events.

After frying its circuits during the mishap, Number 5 brings havoc in the military base and then escapes into the open world, wandering and exploring around, hidden from the rest of the military. It roams around with an innocent curiosity, equipped now with the ability to learn and understand human emotion and the world around it.

Parallelly, Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy) enters the narrative. She's an animal lover residing in Astoria, Oregon, whose life takes a strange turn when she encounters Number 5. Mistaking the robot for an extra-terrestrial life, Stephanie open-heartedly receives the runaway machine. She grows attached to Number 5 and helps him understand humanity, language, humor, and friendship, playing a major role in the robot's development of a personality.

As Number 5 begins to experience life from a unique, non-programmed perspective, it culminates a sincere desire to remain 'alive,' a word he learns from Stephanie in reference to his own existence. This intense desire to remain functioning fuels Number 5's quest for freedom as the Nova Corporation tries its level best to track and deactivate its experiment gone awry.

Back at Nova, Crosby soon realizes that Number 5 is not behaving like a normal robot, but rather showing signs of intelligence and consciousness, which seem absurdly impossible. He, along with Ben, try to unravel the mystery behind Number 5's peculiar behavior while Stephanie defends the newfound self-awareness and humanity of Number 5, creating a beautiful bond with the robot.

The beautifully balanced blend of comedy, action, and touching moments makes Short Circuit a treat for the viewers. The narrative cleverly uses humor while raising subtle questions exploring the thin line between artificial intelligence and consciousness, machinery and life, and the possibility of their co-existence.

Director John Badham masterfully steers this unique story, bringing just enough levity and humor to mix with the more serious undertones of human-machine relationships, lending depth to the narrative, and making the audience think, albeit in a quite light-hearted manner. Moreover, the brilliant performance by the endearing robot, Number 5, also known as Johnny 5, keeps the audience invested in its journey of self-discovery and freedom.

On the performance front, Ally Sheedy excels in her role as Stephanie, a kind-hearted woman who provides emotional grounding to the otherwise tech-filled narrative. Steve Guttenberg compliments her well, bringing a perfect blend of earnestness and wit to his character, Newton. Fisher Stevens, playing the lead engineer, Ben Jahrvi, leaves a notable impression.

In conclusion, Short Circuit provides an entertaining exploration of a robot's journey to self-consciousness. It packs elements of comedy, drama, action, and sci-fi in a charmingly balanced way. Its underlying themes pertaining to consciousness and artificial life make it thematically rich, at the same time being a perfect film to enjoy for a light, jovial movie night.