Short Circuit 2

Starring: Fisher Stevens, Tim Blaney (voice), Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, Jack Weston
Directed by: Kenneth Johnson
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Johnny Five (voice of Tim Blaney) travels to the big city to meet up with his old friend Ben (Fisher Stevens). However, he also meets up with a con artist (Michael McKean) and a thief (Jack Weston) who want to manipulate Johnny Five for their own benefit.

Review:

Tim: I was one of those people that loved the original Short Circuit. I think it was a movie about being human, and it truly had a great deal of heart. It was entertaining, funny, and all around, a great movie. This sequel, however, does not live up to its predecessor. Whereas the first movie was overflowing with heart, this one desperately needed more. The whole affair felt like a cash grab, rather than trying to create a quality movie.

First off, we are sorely missing a number of important elements. Director Kenneth Johnson doesn't do nearly as good of a job as John Badham did in the original. The film is pretty sloppy all around, which is also a bit criticism on the script and the writers. The big city story isn't nearly as interesting as the original story. We have a plot about selling robot toys, which quickly becomes forgotten as we deal with a new plot about jewel thieves. The whole thing feels very disjointed.

I also have to say that I greatly missed the presence of Steve Guttenberg. While Fisher Stevens does a fairly good job of stepping into the lead role, the filmmakers should have known that you just can't replace Guttenberg. He really contributed to the first film's success, and I missed him here. Stevens works better as a number two, but I have to admit he sure gave a good effort as the number one. Yes, it is weird that he is not actually Indian, but mostly, he does good work. I also missed Ally Sheedy. I mostly enjoyed Cynthia Gibb, but she's as good as Sheedy, so once again, we have switched out for less effective talent.

For most of the movie, I couldn't get invested in the story. Michael McKean was too slick and annoying to be very good. I never bought into his redemption. We also have a ridiculous plot about jewel thieves trying to use Johnny Five to help them break into a vault. This storyline was silly and ineffective. While most of the movie is disappointing, I do have to acknowledge the turning point. After a pretty brutal beating, the movie changed somewhat in tone. I remember being shocked at the violence and struggled to deal with the aftermath. There are some very sad, emotional scenes near the end. These are the most brilliant parts of the movie. I also loved Johnny Five's quest for vengeance. For such a nice, kindhearted, simply robot, it was nice to see him upset. His "I'm really pissed!" line was my favorite of the film. While the movie tries to redeem itself in the third act, and does indeed create the best moments of the film here, it is too little, too late.

I really like the character of Johnny Five, and I wanted to like this movie. More than anything though, it made me miss the simple excellence of the original. This is an example of a sequel that continues the story, but greatly lost much of the quality of the first film. It does not surprise me that this film ended the series. It has a few good moments, but mostly is a very large disappointment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Short Circuit