MovieChat Forums > Screamers (1996) Discussion > Criminally Underrated

Criminally Underrated

posted 8 years ago by Lucky_Man
6 replies | jump to latest

This movie's origins has a pretty strong foundation; based on a short story by Philip K. Dick and written for the screen by Dan O'Bannon. The budget and production value is about what you'd expect from a 1995 science fiction film headlined by Peter Weller, but it doesn't detract from the story and characterization, which is solid. The ending gets a bit convoluted, but it well illustrates the fact that Weller's character was indeed ALONE on that planet, which is a common theme in most of Dick's works.

I thought it was going to be a low rent rip off of Tremors, but it's actually much better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2uOzV4glRs

[–] Strom- 7 years ago

Yeah this movie is awesome.

[–] mobocracy 7 years ago

It has one of the better science fiction-existential-horror endings of any science fiction movie and a great mood throughout.

The budget and production value is about what you'd expect from a 1995 science fiction film headlined by Peter Weller, but it doesn't detract from the story and characterization, which is solid.

That seems kind of paradoxical -- the RoboCop pictures did well, combined they grossed $100 million, half of which was profit based on cost/gross and probably even more with VHS factored in, and Weller had done a Woody Allen film between this and Robocop, so he wasn't *just* a science fiction throwaway like Michael Biehn.

Although it looks like Screamers had one of those weird, patchwork B-movie production company structures, so maybe that had something to do with it.

[–] MikeCable (1658) 4 years ago

I like it enough to watch it every 5 years or so. A nice little sci-fi film with a good atmosphere, good characters (a bit one-dimensional but that suits the depressing situation) and enough going on to be interesting.

[–] rateater (9206) 4 years ago

yes.

[–] SandyR (7316) 2 years ago

Agreed.

[–] Leodicaprio (6426) 2 years ago

yaa besides some silly parts that didnt age well this scared me as a child, then still held up when I rewatched it later