Screamers

“The year is 2078. The man is rebel Alliance Commander Col. Joseph Hendrickson (Peter Weller), assigned to protect the Sirius 6B outpost from ravage and plunder at the hands of the New Economic Bloc.

His state-of-the-art weaponry are known as Screamers: manmade killing devices programmed to eliminate all enemy life forms. Screamers travel underground, their intent to kill announced by piercing shrieks. They dissect their victims with sushi precision, then eradicate all traces of the carnage. They are lethal. Effective. Tidy.

And somehow, they are mutating – self-replicating into human form – and slaughtering every beating heart on the planet.”

The film opens the best way one could hope: with several long paragraphs to read explaining the entire backstory of the film in several seconds before dumping the viewer into a strange sci-fi economic battle that has raged on for years. Two factions, basically a company versus mining workers declare war on each other over a rare element that has been discovered to solve Earth’s energy crisis. The mining comes at a cost, however: deadly radiation. Because of this, fighting has been isolated to other planets where mining takes place, in this case, planet Sirius 6B. The Alliance has come up with a weapon to protect themselves, machines called Screamers that attack anything without the protective bracelet displaying the wearer as Alliance, and also learn as they adapt to each situation. One day, a N.E.B. soldier risks his life to come to the Alliance bunker with a message of peace, which is delivered only after the Screamers cut him to pieces. When Colonel Joseph Hendrickson contacts his superiors, he’s informed that the N.E.B. has asked for a cease fire now that the precious element has been discovered on another planet, free from radiation, which would renew their mining contract and a peace agreement signed. Everything that they could hope for is within reach, except that Hendrickson has to travel to the N.E.B. command to negotiate. Before he leaves, a transport ship makes an emergency landing at the Alliance Command bringing Alliance troops, with Ace Jefferson (Andy Lauer) the only survivor. Explaining they were bound for the new planet mentioned in the peace agreement as an attacking invasion force, Jefferson also states that everything they heard from Alliance command was a lie. Not knowing what to believe, Hendrickson has only one choice ahead of him: head to the N.E.B. command in search of answers, taking Jefferson along with him.

While heading toward the N.E.B. command, the two come across a small child in the frozen wastelands riddled with radiation from fallen nuclear weapons of past battles. The child, carrying a teddy bear, asks Hendrickson and Jefferson if he can come with them. As they make their way toward the N.E.B. command the following day, shots ring out nearby, blowing the kid away, revealing that he was a machine the entire time, a new type of Screamer they knew nothing about. They meet up with two soldiers, Becker (Roy Dupuis) and Ross (Charles Powell), who take them back to their hiding place, an old commissary run by Jessica Hanson (Jennifer Rubin). Jessica agrees to take Hendrickson and Jefferson to N.E.B. headquarters, finding it abandoned. When Hendrickson searches their computer for the new types of Screamers, he finds the Screamers have been creating new and improved machines: the original, Type 1, and the child, Type 3. However, Hendrickson can’t find any information about a Type 2, which sends everyone into a paranoid panic, thinking any one of them could be a machine.

Screamers, based on the Philip K. Dick short story Second Variety, with a screenplay written by Dan O’Bannon, is an ambitious low budget film that really stretches the boundaries of low budget sci-fi. It does a number of things extremely well, including creating an atmosphere of paranoia, confusion and mystery that unfolds naturally throughout the story revealing some terrifying conclusions at the end. The atmosphere is reminiscent of Blade Runner in a lot of ways, not knowing who is human and who is machine, questioning the very nature of existence as the Screamers seem to have adapted and evolved into something no one could have imagined.

Peter Weller is no stranger to the low-budget sci-fi genre and should be one of the main reasons fans of the genre would want to check this film out. He’s got a great presence on screen, arrogant and commanding, almost like he’s in on the joke half the time. Andy Lauer can be a bit goofy at times, but his character warms up to you throughout the film as his naivety and idealistic nature is pretty entertaining. Everyone else does a fantastic job in their roles, providing great supporting roles in the last half of the film which really changes in tone from the first half.

The special effects and makeup are all over the place as well. At times I was very impressed with some of the practical effects and CG. Most of the human-like Screamers look very good for what they were working with. This isn’t going to be T-1000 walking out of a fire or anything, but for what it is, I’ll take it. That being said, you won’t be impressed 100% of the time.

As many things as Screamers does right for a low-budget flick, it also has several shortcomings, mainly in the first half of the film. One of the main points of contention for me was the lengthy opening sequence telling us the backstory of the film. One of the first things you learn in filmmaking is ‘show, don’t tell’, and this is a very large ‘tell’ that tries to create an entire universe and explain a decades old war that has raged on. You really aren’t that invested in either side at the beginning, as you’re only told certain details of the conflict, but since Peter Weller is on the Alliance side, you feel kind of obligated to be on their side, despite the fact they foolishly created a race of autonomous killer robots and set them loose on the planet.

Video

Screamers is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. This release wasn’t given any type of new transfer like some of Scream Factory’s other titles, but it doesn’t seem like it really needed it. Overall, the print is very clean with little to no defects noticed. Very clear and detailed images, especially during the daylight sequences. A shifting tone of locations with vastly different backgrounds and palates offer a good balance in color throughout. Grain is kept at a manageable level, though it can be noticed more heavily in some of the darker scenes. For such a low budget picture, I was very impressed with the quality of the transfer and how well it has held up.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-Master Audio Stereo. This track sounds good, with some good effects coming from the machines, especially the Screamers, with their terrifying and haunting screech right before they attack their target. The score is pretty eclectic depending on the tone of the sequence. There are some goofy sequences with Jefferson in which the music definitely matches, as well as some intense tension building music in the action scenes.

Special Features

Another very impressive inclusion on this set is the new extras they have obtained for this release. All very interesting and worth taking a look at, they will make you appreciate the film and all the work the cast and crew put in. Here’s what you’re going to see:

• NEW Northern Frights– An Interview With Director Christian Duguay
• NEW Orchestrating The Future– An Interview With Producer Tom Berry
• NEWMore Screamer Than Human – An Interview With Co-writer Miguel Tejada-Flores
• NEWFrom Runaway To Space – An Interview With Actress Jennifer Rubin
• Theatrical Trailer

Screamers may not be anywhere close to being in the same league as similar films such as Blade Runner and Terminator, but it has a certain endearing quality to it that I couldn’t help but enjoy. I’ve always been a fan of Philip K. Dick stories and despite not building their world very well, Screamers is an interesting bit of sci-fi that fans of the low-budget genre will probably enjoy.