Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Soldiers stationed on a distant planet come to realise that the weaponised machines that they have built to protect themselves are starting to evolve by themselves in this Philip K. Dick adaptation. The machines are fascinating to view, especially with some of animalistic forms that they have adopted in evolution, though the juice of the story comes from the soldiers soon discovering that some of the 'screamers' have discovered how to add flesh to their bodies. The result of this is an intense midsection of the film in which one is unsure who is and is not a 'screamer' and there is a lot of interest in their evolution and the cunning ways they have adopted to dupe human beings, all of whom they have come to see as prey. This solid middle section is, however, bookended by a weak opening and closing act. The film opens with so much verbal exposition that it is difficult to keep track of the politics and war scenarios that the characters find themselves in (apparently this is far more complex than in Dick's story, simply set on the moon). The final half-hour of the movie is also rather mushy and sentimental and comes topped off with a character reveal that is obvious from much earlier on. The vast majority of 'Screamers' is relatively engaging though and the special effects are top notch. The planetary settings look incredible realistic too for a movie shot entirely in Québec.

This is a mediocre film... I would normally give it a 5/10 but I give it 1 extra star for the ending that leaves you thinking. The budget is clearly low, and the sci-fi nature of the film suffers as a result. The plot is pretty cool, but the film constantly violates the laws of physics and just overall looks pretty cheesy. Towards the end, the plot is interesting and good enough for me to watch. I was entertained by the film but wouldn't watch it again. The mini-nukes look like a lot of fun! The military component of the film was terrible.... 2080 something and they have giant, cumbersome shotguns that hold only a few rounds.The character development isn't that bad, but the dialogue is kind of predictable. The movie does keep you guessing a little bit as to the next design of the robot, but I think everyone can predict that the final form is a human being. This film would have been better suited as an 80s film.There are some parts of the movie that deny common sense, such as when the commander guy looks at the screamer's programming files: He sees that the chip from the type he killed says it is "type 3", so he concludes that there are only 3 types of the robot. First of all, there could be 20 types and he only got a "type 3" by coincidence, and this also neglects the fact that there is the original design (the one that digs around in the sand).

Trust has always been a fundamental problem throughout the years because by it's nature it's never been a solid foundation to begin with. Despite the length of time we spend with a person we never truly know them, from his/her past to even what they do when were not around them. This film is an under the radar sci-fi gem which is based on a short story by my favorite sci-fi author Philp K. Dick.I like the production value despite a low budget they were able to use it well. We see a post apocalyptic world that is just dirty, grimy, and desolate. There is no vegetation, it is always cold, there is hardly any sun, and the worst part is the radioactive winds that blow every once in a while. It really adds to the suspense because it gives it a feeling of isolation, the fact there is hardly any life stirring means there is no help that will come when you need it the most.I also like the effects, most to all are practical so there's no CGI, at least none I know about, though some effects are a tad dated but not bad in my book. I really like the designs of the Moble Sword/Screamer robots, whom are menacing from their capabilities not just in killing but in learning and the different types they were able to produce which unfortunately give them an edge.The music is good, action is decent liked the hill battle, but most importantly I really like the suspense where you are on constant edge and has a steady build because you're never sure of what you'll discover, and when you do it might be too late. Like one sequence which is my favorite is when Hendrickson is using a computer in the bunker to discover all the different types of Screamers, it was suspenseful on two counts; one the fact that he has only a limited amount of time to use it and second what information is left in the dark afterward which puts us a step behind and makes the stakes of survival even higher.The story is very good, I wouldn't say the concepts are entirely new but everything done right. I like how despite post apocalyptic conditions they still have high technology that still works. And certain aspects of the story somewhat acknowledges or are even prolific on our war for oil as well as terrorism. Characters are solid, Joe Hendrickson played by one of my favorite actors Peter Weller. I like that Joe is a person whom is layed back, has a sense of humor, tired of the war and just wants to go home. Same with Jessica Hansen play well by Jennifer Rubin whom despite someone on the shady end of things, is capable of being selfless, doesn't give her trust to just anyone. I like that both have a decent dynamic together, I bought it.I really like how the film gets at the issue of paranoia as well as the philosophical issue on what is a human. One of the best things about Philp's stories is how our perception of humanity can be blurred. We discover how far the robots come not just in replicating human's physically but even in feelings and thoughts, which makes you wonder if that constitutes them as human and not just machines.The only problems I really have are the pacing can be slow at some points. And also there isn't enough action, but then again this is more of a suspense thriller so I can't complain much.Overall, I think is a very good sci-fi that I think is worth checking out. Be careful of who you trust, it could be the last person you give it to.Rating: 3 and a half stars.

There are two sides at war, but the war is winding down, it looks like one side has won, and the other side wants a truce... The trouble is that the autonomous weapons systems that the winning side deployed (called "screamers") and which helped them win, have other ideas. It stars Peter Weller, from Robocop.On the face of it, this looks like it'll be a by the numbers crappy scifi thriller horror with paper thin characters and wooden acting, and at best some testosterone fueled action movie sequences... That's what I thought anyway. I was very wrong.The acting was all extremely well done, especially by Weller. I was very impressed. Very good performances by all. The filming was atmospheric and well shot. Sets were great, props and costumes too. The story was full of emotion, it was thought provoking and well acted. This was an intelligent film!It was let down in two areas: 1. For most of the film the effects were very cheap, contrasting with the quality of the rest of it. 2. They lent a little too much on the cheap thriller aspect in parts of it, especially at the very end. It detracted a little from the intelligent themes and great acting. It's almost as if there were two competing forces at work: Highly competent, professional, pro, A-list film makers VS some strange incompetent cretin who BADLY wanted it to be a B-film. So it was flawed.