Too much of everything

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

You almost get the impression that some friends got into a discussion one night about what was going to happen in the future when robots became advanced, and when the evening was over, they decided to put it into a movie. And because they wanted to get it all in, the whole movie ended up being 98% dialogue and 2% action. In one scene after another, characters speak didactically, informing us of the different types of robots, in what ways they were or were not like humans; the effect that robots were having on humans now that they were doing everything humans use to do only better; the relationships between humans and robots; and whether robots would eventually supplant humans altogether. The end result is a low-budget movie with crude special effects that plods along from one dialogue scene to another, with the only redeeming feature being that some interesting ideas about the future of robots are discussed, ideas that are beginning to seem more relevant than ever.There is an organization of Flesh and Blood that is prejudiced against robots, derisively referring to them as clickers, with obvious similarities to the Ku Klux Klan. The main character, Kenneth Cragis, who calls himself "the Cragis" for some reason, is a high-ranking member of Flesh and Blood. He doesn't hate the robots exactly, but he sure doesn't want his sister to marry one. As a result, he is appalled to find out that his sister is "in rapport" with one of them, and you can guess what that means. When he went to confront her, I almost expected him to call her a clicker-lover.The robots are secretly trying to develop more advanced models, which are electronic duplicates of humans that have recently died, with all their memories implanted in them. They do this not because they are evil, but because they have been programmed to serve man, and they know what is best for man, even if the law actually forbids the development of robots beyond a certain level. These advanced models think they are human, except at special times, when they realize they are robots and report back to the robot temple.Cragis falls in love with Maxine, and they plan to enter into a contract, which is what they call marriage in the future. But then the special moment arrives, and they are taken to the temple, where they find out that they are robots. Cragis realizes that he has all the advantages of being human, with the robotic advantage of living for two hundred years, after which he can be replaced with another duplicate that will have all his memories. It is almost as if, in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956), Becky and Miles found out that they had already been replaced by a couple of pods, only the pods were an improved variety that also duplicated emotions, making them just like humans, only better, because, being plants, they can live longer.As for Maxine, when they duplicated her, the robots decided that she was getting a little fat, so they slimmed her down in the duplication process, which is just one more way in which Cragis benefits from this robotic duplication process. They are duplicates of humans in every way, except for being able to reproduce. When Maxine says she wants the fulfillment of having a baby, Dr. Raven, the scientist who is behind these duplications, says he thinks that form of producing new robots is a bit crude, but he agrees to take her and Cragis to the last phase of duplication, which will allow her to get pregnant.In the final shot, Dr. Raven turns to the camera and suggests that as a result of having taken robots to this final stage, we in the audience are robots too.

In a world after nuclear war destroyed 92% of the human population, humanity uses blue-skinned humanoid robots called Clickers as servants and workers. As the Clickers become more sophisticated and humanlike, an anti-robot watchdog group called the Order of Flesh and Blood rises in power. When the Order discovers Clickers are creating robots that are identical to humans and one of them has killed a man, conflict between the humans and Clickers seems inevitable.One of the smartest and most original sci-fi films of its time. Unfortunately, its talkiness and static direction prevent many from recognizing its worth. In my view the smart script, relatively short runtime, and steady pace balance out the criticisms. I don't even see a problem with the low budget since they do remarkably well with what they have. It's a movie full of ideas and great dialogue that gives you a lot to think about and still holds relevance to topical issues of today. It's what sci-fi is, at its best, all about. Creepy electronic music score is a plus. Also one of the last films of legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.I see other reviewers crying for a remake. What a waste of everybody's time that would be. First, the ideas presented and explored here were revolutionary for sci-fi films of the early 1960s. That wouldn't be the case today so it would hold little impact as a modern film. What seems thoughtful for that time would be just another preachy message movie made today. Second, and we all know this is true, they would attempt to fix the original's technical flaws by having tons of shitty CGI and ridiculous action sequences. It doesn't need to be remade. It's an excellent and underrated science fiction film from the later part of the golden era of sci-fi. People need to learn to appreciate movies that are older and have a lot to offer, instead of just trying to update them to today's often crass and ostentatious "standards." Make new stuff for today and stop mining the past for ideas, please.

Although terribly "talky", there are many redeeming qualities that make this story worthy of being filmed again. The storyline bears a similarity to the 1951 "The Day the Earth Stood Still" in that it delves into the paranoia and prejudices of the times. And though the dialog is horribly dated, (more like reading a novel or listening to a 1930's radio drama) the concept is excellent. With it's twists and turns of the story and some prudent trimming of all of that dialog, the drama of the story would hold up in today's market.The make-up design of Jack Pierce was quite striking for such a low budget venture. Likewise, many of the camera shots and the lighting were of an excellent quality. In today's world, where "special effects in search of a decent story" seems to be a large part of what makes it into production, this gets my nomination for an updated version.

The strangest thing about this movie is "The Order of Flesh and Blood." What a strange name. It ranks up there with the Teaparty. Just as the Humanoids will soon outnumber the humans, the folks that make up the Teaparty will soon be outnumbered by minority groups. The Teaparty, like the Order of Flesh and Blood, desperately tries to hang on to their narrow vision.The discussion, especially between Cragis (Don Megowan) and his sister Esme (Frances McCann) could be a duplicate of what goes on in families with TeaParty members. "I feel sorry for you, Cragis, it must be difficult to be so afraid."But, the twist in the film is most delicious.