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Powerful

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target. Runaway is a cheap 80's film starring Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley and G.W. Bailey. First of all the reason why this film is cheap is because of the plot alone because there's no such thing as a "robot" in this particular movie except some small dumb devices that got hacked also Luther was a terrible and annoying villain and although Selleck tries to keep the film together it's still a cheap 80's film that has a terrible plot, forgettable characters and a cast that is surely wasted. I mean common this film came out the same year that 'The Terminator' did and that movie looks amazing still even to this day when this just simply doesn't (4/10)

It's fair to say that Michael Crichton's RUNAWAY is not one of the best of his sci-fi efforts. Although the presence of then-futuristic technology is heavy throughout the movie, this turns out to be an incredibly dated piece of film-making that gets completely blown away in comparison to the same year's THE TERMINATOR.The story isn't up to much either. The plot sees cop Tom Selleck on the track of some malfunctioning robots that have been killing people, although people hoping for some WESTWORLD-style android action will be disappointed; the robots are seldom seen, and either look like VHS players or little spiders. Instead, bad guy duties are handed to the creepy Gene Simmons (KISS singer) who seems to have some grudge against humanity.The main problem with RUNAWAY isn't that it's dated - lots of the older sci-fi films I watch are dated - but that it's dull. The characters are one-dimensional and even the big players, like Selleck, give performances lacking in passion. Kirstie Alley seems to be around purely for the purpose of stripping down to her smalls which must have been humiliating for the actress, while Cynthia Rhodes barely registers. It's left to reliable stars like G. W. Bailey and particularly Stan Shaw to shine in much smaller parts.I love Crichton as both a writer and director, but RUNAWAY remains one of his forgotten films and when you watch it you quickly realise why. It's no WESTWORLD, nor does it come close to the calibre of COMA or even Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK. An interesting misfire, then, with occasional hints of greatness bubbling beneath the surface.

I remember the first time I saw this movie I was at my cousin's house in Lexington, KY. She had been married for approximately 2 years and everyone decided to go and get some movies. I was about 12 at the time and picked this one out. I had no idea what kind of movie it would be, just that it had Tom Selleck and Gene Simmions from KISS in it. I just turned to my Cousin-In-Law and said this looks good. Out of the three movies we got this one was the best, not only was I surprised but he loved the movie. After all there years it still has that futurist appeal to it and to a point it makes you think. The movie came out in 1984; and it's about robots that have been altered to become dangerous and in some ways killers. In the beginning of the film you see Tom Selleck and his new partner Karen. They are apart of the police departments Runaway unit. A unit that gets calls about malfunctioning robots and they are the ones that go in to take care of the situation. One day a call comes in a 713 or something like that, a runaway call where people have been killed. Once on the scene Ramsey, Selleck and Karen, Cynthia Rhodes, get the info, that robot that helps with the house a lot has killed 2 members of the family. The baby has not been harmed, but the father on the scene knows more about what is going on than he is telling. Well Ramsey gets the baby out of harms way, but the father disappears suddenly. In comes Gene Simmons character,Luther, a robotics expert who is a homicidal maniac. Luther is partners with two other men, one being the father of the baby and another who is working with him to form genetically altered programming chips for robots, so they can be altered to become killing machines. Once the two partners ask for there share, they end up getting tracked down or killed after Luther get's what he wants. Luther also has engineered robotic spider's who are programmed to kill with acid.You will see this in the movie, and for anyone who has a sever phobia of spiders you have to see this, it will make your skin crawl. It's up to Ramsey, Karen, and Luther's girlfriend, Jackie, to stop this psycho before he wrecks havoc on everywhere. THX, Kris L. CocKayne

(www.plasticpals.com) The Terminator wasn't the only killer robot in theaters back in 1984 thanks to Runaway, written and directed by the late Michael Crichton. The mustachioed Tom Selleck stars as a cop who specializes in neutralizing bots gone bad in a near-future where they've infiltrated nearly every aspect of life. These aren't the replicants of Blade Runner, but plausible machines that are fun to compare with what exists today. This was another late-night Netflix pick, and to be honest I feel a little dirty for mentioning such sci-fi classics in my review of this film (it turns out Crichton was better behind a writing desk than a film camera).What we're really interested in are the robots of course, and the film doesn't disappoint. There's an irritating nanny robot called Lois, a security robot that tasers anything that moves, a small monocopter used for reconnaissance, as well as farming and construction robots. An autonomous cop car has a mannequin in the driver's seat and projects a map directly onto the windshield. Among the highlights is a small household robot that looks something like a Roomba with an arm, which ends up killing several people when it picks up and shoots a gun. Best of all are the killer hexapods that can jump and crawl on walls like a mixture between this locust-inspired hopper and Stanford's gecko-inspired StickyBot.It's comedy gold.The hexapods are supposed to be threatening, but they look like hobby kits you can buy today, which really cracked me up. There is some attempt to depict non-robotic technology of the future as well, such as the iPad-like devices that people are shown using, but otherwise everything looks pretty ordinary for the '80s.It all looks very silly, and it doesn't help that Gene Simmons is the central villain. He's armed with a gun that shoots smart missiles that can turn corners. It's hard to believe such a celebrated author penned this film, what with the immediate and clichéd romance between Selleck and his cute new partner, not to mention his son's creepy enthusiasm for it. As for the technological side of things, the ideas actually aren't all that far-fetched. There's genuinely something to a PR2-like robot picking up a gun and shooting people if tampered with by a hacker, for instance.Unfortunately, even if some bits can be considered ahead of their time, it's hard to take seriously with the ham-fisted acting and cringe-worthy plot. Runaway wasn't intended to be a comedy, but like many films that try to predict the near future it's now entertaining for all the wrong reasons. It's the details the film gets right and horribly wrong, at the same time, that make it fun to watch.