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Brilliant and touching

A Disappointing Continuation

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

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

**** spoilers ***** This was a pilot for a possible series done by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbary. Questar is android with no emotions and no understanding of them. He spends the movie searching for his creator with the help of friendly scientist. Like data and Spock, Questar very strong, knows a great deal of facts, and process data like a computer. He finally learns of his from his creator who is another android. Questar's mission it turns out is the same one as Gary Seven from the Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth." This Star Trek episode was itself a pilot. Qestar also has some similarities to the the android Norm in the Star Trek episode, "I Mudd." As with all Roddenbary projects he uses actors from other projects like his wife, Majel Barret.

Questor was the latest in a line of androids, his predecessor being the scientist who built him as a replacement (his own existence being finite). He was one of a long line of androids put on earth ages ago to "help us along". He escapes the center in which he is built in order to find his creator and complete his programming. John Vernon (best known as Dean Wormer from Animal House) played government agent Darro, who's mission was to find and facilitate the destruction of the "dangerous" Questor. Questor succeeds in finding Vaslovik, who is too far gone to be of assistance. Close behind, Darro learns the truth, and fools the government into thinking that Questor has been destroyed.

A fun, light, probably-would-have-been-inexpensive-to-produce-a-series-from-it movie. The eponymous android was, though, perhaps a bit too superior to make it easy to believe viewers would want him. He's Spock-like in his lack of feelings and in his super-brain, but also in his naivete'. It would probably be fair to guess this was all very deliberate, but that's okay. It works pretty well in this film, except for the moments when it drifts into some of those annoying roboticisms that all movie robots must embrace, it seems. For example, he insists on referring to money as "specie." Why? Apparently because he's a robot and they get stubborn about things like that.This could and should have been a series. In some ways, it would have been what the series-version of "Starman" never reached, because the lead character had the same poignancy and innocence, but added more nobility and a loftier sense of mission. Alas, stories that hearken back to the Tin Man's wish for a heart all seem to have been shelved with the era that produced them, along with the ecology movement, the moon race, and the phrase "thinking machine." I miss two out of three of those, and also movies like this one.

After all these years, I'm still amazed how this film created a concept of a way to centrally identify worldwide needs and the resources to fill them and we are seeing it happen in various ways (Northwest Medical Team (free medical help to needy countries), the worldwide effort to save the two whales stranded in the ice years back,etc). The efforts so far have not come close to the scope in the movie, but I feel it will come.Precursor of the information super-highway!!The concept of a progressive mentor throughout history, guiding but not interfering with mankind's evolution to maturity -- well done!!Marcia