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Rating:  - Magnum P.I. 2010 (Cue The Synth Music Please.....)
I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid all those years ago, and it's future is pretty much as I remember. Do ya love films made in the past predicting what the future would be like....and getting it so wrong and dated in the process? Wow, then Runaway is for you. Best put, the world's now serviced by robots, not really smart human-like robots but more of the HAL/Doctor Who's Daleks kind. Tom Selleck's a cyber-policeman who you basically call when your robot starts acting crazy, and Gene Simmons (yes, that tongue-enhanced KISS demon who took off his make-up only one year prior) as a madman computer programmer who wants to turn The Jetsons Rosie into his own version of Blade Runner's Replicants. In fact, think of this film as a product of the popularity of 1982's Blade Runner, except much, much worse on every level. Add in a couple of assassin mini-spider robots filled with acid and a very young Kirstie Alley in a strip-search scene (?!!?), and pretty much that's Runaway. Selleck is like "Magnum P.I. 2010" here, so don't expect much of an acting stretch from him on this one. I guess the most surprising aspect of the film is that it's not only written by, but directed as well by Michael "Jurassic Park" Crichton, and does remind you of one of his earlier than this works in Westworld, just very 80's instead of 70's. Dated, corny, and should be seen by anyone who loves the inaccurate future films just once, Runaway could become one of your newest guilty pleasures on DVD.
(RedSabbath Rating:7.0/10)
Rating:  - not truly great, but very entertaining
There are entertaining movies that aren't great, and great movies that aren't entertaining. If I had to choose one, I'd choose entertaining. That's what this movie delivers. If you're reading the reviews, you know the characters and the story. If you like science fiction with characters you can care about (or hate), a good story, some suspense, and creative technological features, you'll enjoy this film. It's far better than a lot of the garbage they're cooking up in CGI labs today!
Rating: - Runaway
I just watched Runaway and was impressed with the movie and would like to add I am not a science fiction movie person, but my husband is. Gene Simmons was in the movie so that is what caught my eye. For science fiction this was very believable film. I am purchasing this movie for my husband and he will get a kick out of that since I refuse to watch any other Sci-Fi.
Rating: - Great Popcorn Fun
I suppose if you read all my reviews, you may be inclined to think I rate everything five stars. That's not really so, I'm just inclined to rate what I enjoy the most. I've seen thousands of movies in my lifetime, everything from "Manos, hand of Fate" to "Gone with the Wind" and "Dr. Zhivago." Yes, five here, too for Runaway. Runaway is no GWTW or DZ, but it's a good, very well casted little movie. What better a villain to have than to be portrayed by Gene "KISS - demon" Simmons is there? He got into his part with relish. You can tell he enjoyed playing his role. Tom Selleck is a strong selling point with my wife. Cynthia Gibb is cute as a button and had no trouble invoking sympathy when she got that explosive bullet lodged in her arm. Did you realize how big that thing was, probably about a .60-caliber? Kirsty Ally was great, too. What a waste - oops, did I just give something away? I tend to be mean like that. The plot was pure sci-fi, and the episodes with the robots were downright funny, and rather wicked on occasion. That cute police woman with big glasses who got iced by a spider-bot in the men's room made me eager to see Simmons' character get his. Things kept going at a good pace most of the time. I have to admit my blood sugar rose during the scenes with Ramsey's son. A bit syrupy there, but oh, well, chase scenes and the conflict on the exterior elevator toward the end pushed the cutesy stuff out of the way like a Mack truck in a parking lot full of VW bugs. I have a fear of heights myself, so I reeeaaally empathized with Ramsey in the final showdown. When I saw this movie in the theater, that last little thing Simmons did sent just about everybody straight up out of their seats. If you wonder what I'm talking about, watch this movie on a large screen TV or get up close if you don't have a big screen, and, oh yeah, turn up the volume a bit. Get yourself some popcorn, sit back, relax while you can, and just enjoy Runaway.
Rating: - That wasn't very nice Ramsey!!!!
Sci-fi, thriller, and action fanactics will love this 80's flick. Tom Sellick (Magnum P.I, Three Men and a Baby, Three Men and A Little Lady) was a good actor. He appears cocky at times but he certainly was a good fit for Michael Crichton's (E.R.) flick. Gene Simmons, (Family Jewels, the Lord of Rock, and member of Kiss) was great as the bad guy Dr. Luther who creates "spawns of satan" robots. These robots will kill! Gene has such an evil look and a stare that will frighten anyone. Kirstie Alley (Cheers, Look Who's Talking) plays Dr. Luther's girlfriend and a mule for his templates to turn robots evil. The movie is also starring Stan Shaw (Tough Enough and The Monster Squad) as a fellow police officer in the robotics division, Cynthia Rhodes (Penny from Dirty Dancing) as Sgt. Ramsay's partner, and G.W. Bailey as Sellick's Sgt. Ramsay's captain in the police force where he is in charge of robotics (runaway robots). G.W. Bailey as in Lt. Harris of Police Academy 1 and 4-6. A side note: If you saw Gene Simmons's Family Jewels you'll see that his mother has one of the robot spiders from this movie on display in her house with what she describes as the dedication room for Gene and his girlfriend and mother of his children Shannon Tweed (Gene refuses to get married but they've been together for more than 2 decades).
This Sci-fi thriller takes place in the not to distant future where most homes have robots as maids, doing chores, or working on farms. Sgt. Ramsey gets calls about "runaway robots" since he is the head honcho in the robotics division in the police department. A runaway farm robot that's mowing down a corn field, to a robot that holds a .357 magnum and a knife holding a baby hostage while it cries in the crib (the baby is crying). The robot apparently is owned by a person who works with Dr. Luther. Sellick finds out Dr. Luther (Simmons) has been making microchips that turn robots into murderers. Simmons in the movie has a awesome missle gun and everything leads up to the showdown between Selleck and Simmons (for a fight to get Ramsay's son Bobby played by Flight of the Navigator's Joey Cramer taken hostage by Dr. Luther) which is not exactly 5 stars but is something you wouldn't fast foward to end it. The showdown between the police and Dr. Luther in the hotel room was great. Gene Simmons has the ultimate evil look perfectly excuted as was also his "you're not going to take me in" look (watch as Gene's eyes motion upward). Tom Sellick was an underated actor as well as Gene Simmons in his movie debut. If you like Gene Simmons, check out his show, Family Jewels which spotlights him and his family. I typed a review for it as well. It's funny!
The high price for the DVD with minor extras is puzzling though. I thought it would have deleted scenes ect. The picture is great. I play it on a Philips upscaling DVD-R that I also reviewed.
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