As a child Short Circuit was one of my favourite movies, and umm it was still rather good when I had an urge to check it out recently - its sequel(under review here) wasn't AS good but it was still a lot of fun and the kin of thing you can leave your children watching knowing they will not ... Read review
Two Thumbs Up!... Even Better Than The Original. -Siskel & Ebert Number Five aka ... more
Johnny Five that incredible lovable robot form the smash hit Short Circuit is back and taking the big city by storm in this action-packed comedy adventure. Upbeat...
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Number Five, aka Johnny Five, that incredible, lovable robot from the smash hit Short ... more
Circuit, is back and taking the big city by storm in this action-packed comedy adventure. Upbeat Johnny's out for some urban input, but some street hoods, a greedy ba...
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
As a child Short Circuit was one of my favourite movies, and umm it was still rather good when I had an urge to check it out recently - its sequel(under review here) wasn't AS good but it was still a lot of fun and the kin of thing you can leave your children watching knowing they will not get bored or be subjected to foul language etc. Its a great family film...well almost, but I'll detail those bits which might not be later on.
... ...my, and other's review of Short Circuit 1 for more background on Johnny 5) Johnny can work at lightning speed and soon he is churning out replicas of himself at a rate of knots - everything looks great and there is a romance blossoming between Ben and sandy - although his approach is like a clumsy teenager and Johnny has to help. Things go wrong though when the gangsters break into the warehouse and trick Johnny into helping them rob the bank nextdoor, ... more
As a child Short Circuit was one of my favourite movies, and umm it was still rather good when I had an urge to check it out recently - its sequel(under review here) wasn't AS good but it was still a lot of fun and the kin of thing you can leave your children watching knowing they will not get bored or be subjected to foul language etc. Its a great family film...well almost, but I'll detail those bits which might not be later on.
Ben, the Indian guy with a habit of strangulating English phrases is back but reduced to selling little robot replicas on the streets. He meets up with a guy called Fred and they devise a plan to sell these robots to a local chain store through a woman called Sandy. However, she wants a large order and these two are struggling to meet the deadline - which gets worse when a couple of gangsters who wants to use their warehouse for their own purposes come around and start causing trouble. But never fear because a mysterious package turns out to be the robot Johnny Five from the first movie, sent there to help meet the deadline by his adopted family. Hooray!! (see my, and other's review of Short Circuit 1 for more background on Johnny 5) Johnny can work at lightning speed and soon he is churning out replicas of himself at a rate of knots - everything looks great and there is a romance blossoming between Ben and sandy - although his approach is like a clumsy teenager and Johnny has to help. Things go wrong though when the gangsters break into the warehouse and trick Johnny into helping them rob the bank nextdoor, before damaging him and leaving him scared, wandering the streets trying to repair himself...but they'll get theirs...
Short Circuit 2 is a genuinely funny movie but yes it is probably aimed solely at kids, or of course, adults who like kids films or feel like going on a nostalgia trip. Looking at it now there are a few 80s stereotypes which in today's society would probably be seen as bordering on racism, especially with the whole concept of Ben's character. There are also a few minor cuss words which personally I don't care about but if you wouldn't want your children to hear the word "ass" mentioned once or "damn" twice then perhaps forget it - there is a website you can go to which will list the entire 'adult' content of the movie which I'll give at the end of the review if you are worried...but its a PG movie so they're not THAT much to be worried about.
The humour is mainly based around Number 5's quest for input, the ending inquistiveness of a robot who suddenly finds himself 'alive' and in the big city - plenty of new input to be found. Of course he has the kind of run-ins you would expect and messes up all over the place - its all good light-hearted fun. The romance thing between Ben and Sandy is sloppy and handled like a couple of 13 year olds fumbling in the dark but its a kids movie so who cares - couple of gags in here of course as well. Its good clean, lighthearted humour - a fun movie to waste an hour or so with - can't say fairer than that.
** See:
http://www.filmvalues.com/
..for a run down of how family friendly this movie is...a very useful site, although it does make every movie (including Bambi) sound like a den of filth and debauchery. ;o)
Advantages: Great family film with lovable characters. Disadvantages: Slightly dated. A bit long for very young children.
...is hit by lightning and short circuits. This results in him becoming "alive". He is able to think and feel just as a human does.
The Plot
==========
Ben Jahrvi is an Indian immigrant who is trying to make a living on the streets of New York. He used to work for the company responsible for Number Five but since his "malfunction", Ben no longer has a job. He makes some toy robots which are similar in appearance to Number Five in the hopes of making ... ...robot from the smash hit Short Circuit, is back and taking the big city by storm in this action-packed comedy adventure for the entire family. Upbeat Number Five's out for some "urban input," but some street hoods, a greedy banker and a gang of crooks see his naïveté as their high-tech ticket to easy street. Will Five survive the big, bad city and its big, bad city slickers? Keep your wires crossed when you switch on this high-voltage film."
The ...
susancarter 01.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Short Circuit 2 (DVD)
Advantages: good entertainment and comedy Disadvantages: not as good as the first
Director: Kenneth Johnson
Producer: David Foster, Gary Fosterand Lawrence Turman
Writers: S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock
Stars: Fisher Stevens, Tim Blany, Michael McKean, David Hemblem, Cynthia Gibb, Jack Weston and Dee McCafferty
Released in the spring of 1988 this comedy/sci-fi follows the continuing life of 'Johnny 5', the robot who thinks it's a human.
**BRIEF PLOT**
Some time after escaping the Nova Laboratories 'Johnny five', as the robotic/wanna-be-human ... ...(played by Fisher Stevens) is living in New York City, selling toy 'Johnny five' robots from a suitcase.
The toy robots catch the attention of Sandy Banatoni, (played by Cynthia Gibb), who happens to be part of a think tank for a large toy company, and she orders a large amount from Ben.
A street hustler called Fred Ritter, (played by Michael McKean) happens upon the deal and offers, if not forces Ben to accept his offer of help.
Unbeknown to ...
blissman70 21.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Short Circuit 2 (DVD)
Advantages: Fun family film Disadvantages: Not a patch on the first film
Short Circuit 2 is the 1988 sequel to the much loved family film Short Circuit (1986). It reprises the character Johnny 5, the military robot who comes 'alive' due to being struck by lightning and short circuiting.
The Plot
Hoping to make it in the big city, Johnny 5 finds himself sent to help Ben in his new electronics business. Ben helped Johnny 5 defend himself in the original film in 1986, and original characters Stephanie and Newton send him ... ...with Johnny 5, and attempt to use him for criminal gain.
The Cast and Performances
Sadly, Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy did not sign up for this sequel, and do not figure in their original roles as Newton and Stephanie, who took Johnny 5 in on his initial escape from the military in the 1986 film. Tim Blaney once again supplies the voice of Johnny 5, and Fisher Stevens takes on his role as Ben again. There is support from Michael McKean as Fred ...
pmcds 31.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Short Circuit 2 (DVD)
Advantages: FUNNY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Disadvantages: YOU KNOW WHATS HAPPENING
IT IS FAR BETTER THAN THE FIRST BECAUSE THIS ONE HE DOES ALOT MORE COOL STUFF AND HE GETS TO FLY IN THIS ONE HE IS ALOT MORE MOBILE AS WELL AND HE DOES A LOT MORE THINGS THAN THE FIRST MOVIE ITS A GREAT FAMILY MOVIE MY CHILDREN LOVE IT WE BOUGHT IT A FEW WEEKS AGO AFTER WATCHIN IT ON TELLY NOW THE KIDS WONT STOP WATCHIN JONNY NO5 BUT THEY FIND IT A BIT SAD WHEN HE GETS HURT BUT STILL ITS A MUST SEE MOVIE WE CANT WAIT TO SEE IF THEY BRING A THIRD ...
SMIFFY74 18.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Short Circuit 2 (DVD)
The loveable robot with a mind of its own, Number Five, also known as Johnny Five, arrives in New York City for some 'urban input'. But some street hoods, a greedy bank clerk and a gang of jewel thieves see his naivete as their high-tech ticket to easy street.
The loveable robot with a mind of its own, Number Five, also known as Johnny Five, arrives in New York City for some 'urban input'. But some street hoods, a greedy bank clerk and a gang of jewel thieves see his naivete as their high-tech ticket to easy street.
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