Short Circuit 2 isn’t a great film but I think it’s probably on par with the original, not that that’s a huge feat. But the character that is Johnny Five makes this film work so well and during that key scene, your heart must be made out of stone if you didn’t feel at least something. This is one film that may not be a cult classic like other 1980s movies, but there is a certain charm to it.
Short Circuit 2 (1988)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Comedy, Science Fiction
Image Entertainment | PG – 110 min. – $17.97 | April 19, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Kenneth Johnson
Writer(s): Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson (written by)
Cast: Fisher Stevens, Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb
Theatrical Release Date: July 6, 1988
DISC INFO:
Features: None
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (Uncompressed PCM Stereo)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
THE MOVIE – 3.5/5
Short Circuit was a minor hit in 1986 bringing in $40.7 million at the box office (~$86 million today) which was apparently enough to bring forth two years later, Short Circuit 2 in which Johnny Five gets shipped cross country to New York City to help Ben (FISHER STEVENS) in his entrepreneurial venture to build mini Johnny Five’s for a big toy company headed by department manager Sandy Banatoni (CYNTHIA GIBB), our love interest for our little film.
Also involved is street hustler Fred Ritter (MICHAEL MCKEAN) who befriends Ben and “helps” him produce the toys but sees major dollar signs when Johnny Five arrives since the robot with a soul is worth a whopping $11,002,076.17! There are others out for Johnny Five to use him for his skills one being able to quickly drill through walls and a vault to steal a bucket load of money.
That’s your basic premise for the sequel and while I don’t think it’s quite as good as the original, there are still plenty of moments which are fantastic and actually emotional. Spoiler territory here, but you’ve had over 20 years to see the flick so don’t complain, but at the end of the second act the main villain, Oscar, and his two thugs kick the sh*t out of Johnny Five spurting oil all over the place and leaving the beloved robot near death. It’s a great scene because I don’t think you realize just how much you love the robot and his personality until that moment. Of course, the revenge aspect to finish the film only makes it sweeter.
Casting wise, there’s nothing really special going on. Michael McKean plays the typical sleazy street businessman, Fisher Stevens continues to insult people who are actually from India (Stevens hails from Chicago) and Cynthia Gibb does her best filling the void left by Ally Sheedy with mixed results and a forced romantic interest for Ben which at times was cute but ultimately just seemed weird. Of course, the real star is the voice of Johnny Five by Tim Blaney reprising his vocal performance from the first film. Voice acting, especially in a live action film, doesn’t seem like it would be an easy thing to do but Blaney manages to give Johnny Five depth which pays off later on in the film with that key scene.
Short Circuit 2 was directed by Kenneth Johnson (creator/developer of “V”, “The Bionic Woman” and “The Incredible Hulk”) and the brainchild of Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson who both were behind the original Short Circuit and, **shudder**, Wild Wild West. Oh, and on a side note, it should come to no surprise that a remake has been under development in the last few years, so be prepared…
All in all, Short Circuit 2 is by no means a great movie but it’s a decent and fun time waster with some touching moments that easily surpass the first film. That said, just as there was in the original, there are some truly ridiculous moments (Johnny Five sky gliding), but I guess that’s part of its charm.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5
No features have been included.
VIDEO – 4.25/5
Short Circuit 2 makes its debut on Blu-ray with a 1.85 aspect ratio and 1080p high-definition. I must admit that I was surprised by the video transfer especially for a 23 year old film and a catalog title that frankly I didn’t think would receive much attention. There’s a certain amount of noise throughout which only helps define the detail level and I saw no signs of the picture being put through the quick and easy DNR process either. Colors are also pretty good as it doesn’t seem the studio pumped up the colors to make the HD transfer pop. Basically, I think this as close to a theatrical picture as you’ll get with this title.
AUDIO – 3/5
The disc has been given a simple Uncompressed PCM Stereo track which is basic and gets the job done, but really nothing more. I don’t have the DVD release but I suspect that only had a Dolby Stereo track so it’s not real surprising this wouldn’t (or maybe perhaps couldn’t) get a 5.1 channel track. But all in all, it’s an acceptable track.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, Short Circuit 2 isn’t a great film but I think it’s probably on par with the original, not that that’s a huge feat. But the character that is Johnny Five makes this film work so well and during that key scene, your heart must be made out of stone if you didn’t feel at least something. This is one film that may not be a cult classic like other 1980s movies, but there is a certain charm to it.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 04/01/2011