IMDb user comments for
Android (1982)

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24 comments in total

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly good fun!, 15 April 2001

Author: JazB

This may be low budget... but so was Dark Star!

I have to say that I strangely enjoyed this low budget attempt at a sci-fi movie. Despite its constraints it had plenty of great ideas and one thing I like: A weird atmosphere!

If you don't mind low budgetness and like weird movies (like me) then I strongly suggest this... It could easily be a cult movie!

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
underrated cross-genre effort, 1 August 2001

Author: bobc-5 from Annandale, VA

Take a predictable android sci-fi plot, a coming of age story, some cops & robbers, and a pinch of "Bride of Frankenstein". Put it all in a low-budget ensemble film and stir vigorously. What you end up with is interesting, engaging, and unique in spite of its obvious flaws.

Android Max and his scientist master are living in a remote space station when they are joined by a trio of fugitives - a beauty, a beast, and a brain. The brain figures that they've stumbled onto something valuable seeing as how androids have been outlawed on Earth ever since the uprising. It turns out that at a certain age, the androids become disrespectful, insubordinate, and obsessed with sex. In other words, they turn into adolescents, so we can all sympathize with what Max is going through when he sees a female for the very first time. Meanwhile, the scientist is working on a new and improved replacement for Max, a model which just happens to also be a gorgeous blond woman.

The plot lines are cliche and full of holes, the ending is a bit of a cheat, and the special effects are weak. The film works, however, because it pays close attention to the things which matter, mainly Max and his own isolated world. Although many have criticized the cheap sets, they maintain a coherent mood and atmosphere which is entirely successful in creating a fictional space in which the story can take place. Max himself is one of the most intelligently scripted and well acted android characters to ever appear on screen. You'll be disappointed if you're looking for action or deep meanings, but if you allow yourself to take an interest in Max you may find yourself thinking about him long after the film has ended.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Sci-Fi cult classic, 29 August 1999
Author: bri-42 from Toronto, Canada

One of my favourites! The film has a haunting quirkiness about it. Klaus Kinski is the perfect mad scientist. The MAX404 android really projects his confusion about and desire to understand his emotions. Loved the soundtrack. This movie is not for those who only like those big Hollywood "sci-fi" films. It will appeal to those who enjoy REAL sci-fi though.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Original Sci-Fi - superb., 18 April 1999

Author: Will (wills-place@iname.com) from Southport England

It is rare to get a movie which has the insight into the human condition and handles it from a totally new perspective.

Max, the android, longs to understand human relationships.

Klaus Kinski is excellent and the twists in the plot are unforseen. There is an underlying darkness throughout the film which in only understood at the end when the secrets of the tale are revealed.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Great 80s Sci-Fi!, 28 April 2003
Author: xezlec from Austin, TX, USA

I love eighties films, and I love science fiction. This film is a good example of both, but I have to say it was a bit 'darker' than it felt like it should have been.

The music is classic analog synthesized fun, and the setting is very cool-looking, typical of any early eighties sci-fi movie but with a certain complexity and detail that makes it seem solid and believable.

The acting is absolutely phenomenal. I generally complain a lot about bad, hard-to-believe acting in movies but in this case I have no complaints; there was nothing to distract me from the story. I half-believed that Max was played by a real android (he is credited as "Himself". lol)! The acting was overall believable and appropriately restrained.

The story could have used some work... it was a bit slow-moving and somewhat uninteresting, and the resolution wasn't entirely satisfying due to certain characters who were insufficiently developed. Also I felt that there should have been some slight comic relief, and I think the drama of the situations was not emphasized enough. But, to the story's credit, it did have a couple of nice twists and I think I like the ending.

Overall I think it was worth seeing: much better than most of the junk that comes on at 2 AM!

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Much from little, 10 April 2007

Author: bouledogue from Saint Paul, MN

A stern rebuke to those who think money and quality are inseparable, this low-budget feature, only 1:21 in length, is well-written, expertly directed by Aaron Lipstadt, cleverly acted, loaded with unique atmosphere, conceptually fascinating, and imbued with a wry humor that is perfectly judged. Seldom has so much been wrung from so little, with the sets being borrowed from an earlier Roger Corman film, Battle Beyond the Stars, and some contributions apparently volunteered by friends. Don Opper, who co-wrote the screenplay, plays the android Max 404 with virtuoso brilliance, upstaging better-known Klaus Kinski, seamlessly shifting from droll comedy to chilling menace and back again. He then eschews fame when the final credits show Max 404 as being played by "Himself," a uniquely modest instance of staying in character. Everything about this supposedly humble sci-fi picture strikes the right note, including the musical score.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
a vastly underrated classic, 2 January 2006

Author: webmaster-625 from United Kingdom

Craggy old Klaus Kinski lives with his awkward assistant Max on a space station, developing a female android. Max spends his time playing old arcade games and researching the human condition - (I heard somewhere that the external shots of the space station were done by creating a model station from a display case which used to house watches or jewelry!) Into this scenario comes band of escaped convicts on a space ship badly damaged during their escape ...

There is humour in this film but it is of a very dark shade. The LACK of special effects ADDS to the "reality" of the film.

A couple of really unexpected plot twists along the way - I rate it a "9" which is the highest I have ever given a film on the IMDb

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Unpredictable., 3 April 2008

Author: fedor8 (fedor8@yahoo.com) from Serbia

"Android" is somewhere between a cheesy film and a proper movie. The look isn't exactly on the level of "Star Wars", but those early 80s space films are both visually and plot-wise superior to any (semi-)cheesy 90s or 00s sci-fi movies. The interiors of the space station are quite good, the special effects are okay. There are certainly moments of nonsense, such as the female fugitive not being sure what an android is. If most late-20th-century people knew what an android is, then what are the odds that a relatively young woman from the year 2028 - imprisoned for corporate espionage - would not know this? Still, in spite of some logic holes, the acting isn't bad, the dialogue is okay. The movie's biggest assets are the somewhat unique atmosphere, and the unpredictability of the plot - which early on might appear to be easy to predict. Short and not dull.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
EXCELLENT MOVIE for the SCI-FI buff!, 25 August 1999

Author: Larry Bruner (lbruner@erols.com)

I thought it was an excellent movie. One of my favorite SCI-FI movies. Sure the sets are cheesy, and the plot is thin, but the twist at the end makes it worth watching. Some people also thought that WIZARDS was bad. Boo Hoo to them. Don't be shy because you like something that 90% of the rest of the population may dislike (or maybe just not understand?). Rent it, Watch it, Cheer for MAX 404!!!

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4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Much more than human..., 13 January 2005

Author: cookieman108 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Androids… automatons that are created from biological materials and resemble humans…from Fritz Land's 1927 classic Metropolis to Ridley Scott's 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner, the notion of artificial life becoming more human than human has long been an interesting and somewhat neglected aspect of science fiction genre within film (personally, I think the main interest in this type of technology is put forth by men wanting to create their ideal woman and perform whatever sick, twisted desires lie within their perverted, depraved souls…I mean a woman who will do whatever you want, whenever you want and not complain about you leaving the toilet seat up? Free will is certainly a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't get in the way of having a good time).

Android (1983), directed by Aaron Lipstadt, whose primary work afterwards has been on TV shows like Miami Vice, The Equalizer, and Quantum Leap to name a few, stars the talented, but entirely creepy and obtusely intense Klaus Kinksi (Crawlspace) along with Brie Howard (Tapeheads), Norbert Weisser (Midnight Express), Crofton Hardester (The Devastators), and Don Keith Opper (Critters) as Max 404. Not only did Don have a starring role in the film, but he also wrote it… The film mainly takes place on a fairly deserted deep space research station, once bustling with life, but now home only to Dr. Daniel (Kinski) and his android companion/man servant Max 404. Dr. Daniel has been feverishly working on a new prototype droid, one much more advanced than Max (all this work is done in secret out in space as due to a past incident on Earth involving rebellious androids and the killing of many humans, androids have been outlawed…at least that's the gist of what I got). Anyway, life is pretty quite on the station, and Max is growing bored. That soon changes as three escaped convicts, hijacking a prison shuttle ship, seek refuge on board the station due to a damaged engine. Dr, Daniel sees this as a prime opportunity as he's been needing a compatible female (no, no…not what you're thinking…) to use in some weird way to juice up his newest android, one with female characteristics..some sort of biological jumpstart…and one of the three escaped prisoners just happens to fit the bill. Max, who just recently learned of some disturbing news regarding his own future, decides to try and see if, once the they get the engine to the damaged shuttle craft fixed, the escapees will allow him to tag along to Earth, but they have other plans, and given that they are convicted criminals, you can imagine they involve something less than of an altruistic nature. There's a certain pathos to Max, one of a being forced into existence, now trying to find his place in a society that sees him as less than what he is...

I have to say, this film pleasantly surprised me, as it was better than I thought. I really enjoyed the acting throughout, especially that of Opper. He presents a wonderfully naïve character, one with limited human contact, very awkward, but eager to learn and please. His efforts to develop human characteristics come out in interesting and quirky ways, much like that of a child trying to emulate what he observes through interaction with his elders. Oppers naturally buck teeth seemed in opposition to that of a created being, as such apparent physical aspects wouldn't seem to be something one would incorporate into a constructed being, but then that's just my own opinion. Opper does a great job making the audience believe he is what he's supposed to be, an awkward, clumsy, sometimes shy artificial man. Kinski's role seemed less than I thought it would be, as his character seemed secondary to the rest, especially since he seems to be used a lot in the promotion of the film. He is the biggest name in the production, so obviously the makers of the film wanted to capitalize on that, even though his part was somewhat small. I will say he seemed awfully creepy (some would say eccentric, but to me, I would call it creepy perverted), especially when working with his new female construct ("She vill be Ad perfect voman!") and his voyeuristic tendencies, but then just about any film I've seen him in, he seems to exude a sort of European creep/sleaze factor, one akin to a Jess Franco film…maybe it's those bug eyes and his lack of blinking. At first his character seemed to pursue his work with purely scientific goals in mind, but then that changed later on, becoming a bit freaky. The sets are decent, for the time, and look like sets and props used in the television show Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century (1979), starring Gil Gerald. The film had an early 80's feel, the sets, the music, etc., with a late 70's sensibility, the sexual aspects, the brief nudity, etc. I liked the little bits of humor, along with a smattering of originality, as it seemed to 'humanize' the film, stretching it beyond just a standard science fiction type thriller to something more. Does it work? For the most part…it's an odd, multi-faceted story, simple, yet complex within the characters and their motivations. And in the middle of it all is Max, with the pure and simple desire to exist and become much more than human.

Cookieman108

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