Screamers (1995)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Christian Duguay

Writers (WGA):

Philip K. Dick (short story "Second Variety")
Dan O'Bannon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The silence of space is about to be shattered.

Plot:

(SIRIUS 6B, Year 2078) On a distant mining planet ravaged by a decade of war, scientists have created the perfect weapon: a blade-wielding...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Nudity | Syndicate | Future War | Roman Coin

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Joe Hendricksson
Roy Dupuis	...	Becker
Jennifer Rubin	...	Jessica Hanson
Andrew Lauer	...	Ace Jefferson (as Andy Lauer)
Charles Edwin Powell	...	Ross (as Charles Powell)
Ron White	...	Chuck Elbarak
Michael Caloz	...	David
Liliana Komorowska	...	Landowska
Jason Cavalier	...	Leone
Leni Parker	...	Cpl. McDonald
Sylvain Massé	...	N.E.B. Soldier
Bruce Boa	...	Secretary Green
Tom Berry	...	Technician
Henry Ramer	...	Screamers Crawl Narration (voice)

Also Known As:

Claw (USA) (working title)
Screamers - L'armée souterraine (Canada: French title)
Sukurîmâzu (Japan)

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence and terror, some language and a brief moment of nudity.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Canada | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Australia:M (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:MA (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:18A

Filming Locations:

Joliette, Québec, Canada

Company:

Allegro Films

Trivia:

In the original short story by P. K. Dick the plot takes place on Earth, instead of Sirius 6B. Originally, Screamers were designed by Americans troops hiding in the moon to destroy the Russian Army after the Soviet Union had completely wiped out the United States.

Goofs:

Continuity: On the way out of NEB HQ, when Jefferson jokingly repeats the line "Can I come with you?" we see Hendricksson from behind as he points his rifle upward and away from Jefferson. When we cut to a front view, he is still pointing the rifle forward. Then we cut to a rear view again and the rifle is still pointed upward.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Screamers Crawl Narration: [voice over narration] For the last fifty years, the new economic block, the 'N.E.B.' Corporation, has controlled mining operations throughout the known solar systems.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Game-On: (#3.2)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Naya

Not bad considering the budget

In the future the mining planet Sirius 6B has become a war zone with two warring factions. The ground is patrolled by underground robots called Screamers who target anyone not wearing identifying marks. One side receives a plea for peace negotiations after 10 years of war and discover from a lost soldier that the war has been forgotten on earth. The two sides have been left to die on Sirius 6B while another way is started on another planet. Commander Hendricksson (Weller) sets out with the lost soldier Jefferson (Lauer) to contact the other side and declare peace. However what they find will spell the end of their war one way or another.

This is based on a Phillip K. Dick story and has all the intelligence you would expect from a sci-fi from him - this is not a gory horror movie. This is an intelligent story about the creation of the Screamers and their "evolution". It also has a cynical edge lended by the way that the soldiers have been deserted by their leaders and continue to be tricked into fighting while the leaders get on with their business.

Weller is excellent as the world weary commander who finds his life sold out from under him. The supporting cast are OK with their stereotyped characters but the real stars are the Screamers who start out by small things with saw-blades and gradually take other forms. The child versions of Screamers are particularly creepy and perhaps a little disturbing.

However this is not as terrifying as it should be, nor is it as intelligent as it starts out being. The whole issue behind the different screamers is not explained and towards the end they just keep popping up without reason! It also has one of those "watch out for the sequel" style endings - although in fairness it isn't quite as bad as that. The special effects are a bit ropey but do the job - after all this is a very low budget movie.

The whole thing is not as good as it could have been but is certainly head and shoulders above a lot of low budget sci-fi thrillers.