TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

romankirby-42633 This film is not even remotely fun. It's cheesy and not in a loveable way. It is trash and it's not worth watching for any reason.

mpaulso "I guess I'm just not used to being chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots."I loved this movie. It's a sci-fi/horror movie where futuristic mall security robots go rogue after a lighting storm and start killing teens partying in the mall after hours.It literally is a movie that only could be made in the 80's. There is awesome fake lighting bolts, cheesy blue and green lasers and terrible acting that some how make the movie even better.

jellopuke It's a B movie that knows what it is and what it has to do and still tries to have a little fun with the formula. There are some really funny lines tossed around like "I guess I just didn't expect to be running away from killer robots tonight" (paraphrasing) and the whole opening where the scientist is showing the robots and says "nothing could possibly go wrong!" in such a deliberately ridiculous way, that it rises above the schlock to be more entertaining than most of these slasher type movies. A couple of good kills, some over the top action, lots of in jokes (the gun store called Peckilnpah's) and a robot that looks eerily similar to Johnny five just with a different head make this better than most!

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com By at least the mid 1980s, horror films were a dime a dozen. For every famous slasher icon, more than one knock off was featured quickly after just to cash in on the idea Friday the 13th (1980) style. The genre was beginning to get diluted and it caused many popular franchises to slowly fizzle out. However, if you create a film that is self aware in its ridiculous premise, there's a chance that it won't appear to be such a cash-in. Of course this all has to be done in a way that isn't overly dumb either. That's when Roger Corman comes in. The enthusiast of everything cheap and fun, Corman was the backer to this 80s film. With a budget barely hitting $1 million, this science fiction horror film is now mainly known for its cheesiness. What is it that makes it cheesy? It's practically every technical aspect of it when looked at closely enough. The title alone should be enough to signal how over-the-top things will be. Chopping Mall (1986)? It wouldn't seem that difficult to figure out what the story is about.After a security systems group installs and assigns three of its new "kill bots" to the biggest mall in the state, it is decided with no further testing that during night hours it will be safe to work among the machines. That is until the same night they are positioned, a freak lightning storm activates them making them go on a killing rampage. Caught in the crossfire of these robots are a group of teenagers looking to have a good time. Although Roger Corman isn't explicitly attached, his wife Julie Corman is and their signature cinematic fingerprints are all over it. Directing this feature is Jim Wynorski, an exploitation filmmaker who just started working for Corman at the time. Writing the script was also Wynorski and Steve Mitchell in his first credit. For what it's worth even at an early stage in their careers, the story is self-aware in how childish the premise is. It seems to take itself just as seriously as other campy monster films that came before it dealing with malfunctioning technology.This also includes the typical script flaws one would see in a horror film. Is it predictable - surely. Is it apparent to who's is going to die in what order - it's fairly obvious. Characters also make very stupid decisions, ones of which require very little brainpower. If that kind of thing annoys you as a viewer then stop right there. They are problems and they do affect the overall experience but it doesn't make it unbearable; just common. An element however that makes no sense is that this mall has a gun shop. My how times have changed. What mall would do that now? Aside from this though, the scripts positives are more on character focus. Does it develop its characters well enough - not entirely. However what does stand out are the two main leads Ferdy Meisel (Tony O'Dell) and Alison Parks (Kelli Maroney). Compared to the rest of the cast, they are the least popular and confident in their group of friends. This is different than normal because most horror films would have it the other way around.It is because of their uneasiness at first that makes them more entertaining to watch. The rest of the characters played by Russell Todd, Karrie Emerson, Barbara Crampton, Nick Segal, John Terlesky and Suzee Slater are fine for what they do, but they are pretty much all stock and very little substance. There's also an appearance from cult actor Dick Miller playing a custodian. What there really is to admire are all the technical feats this film was able to perform on such a meager budget. The kill bots look like hefty props to move around and although they look very inefficient when it comes to articulation, they do stand out. They are physical objects, of which were majority the only way to get creatures on set prior the 1990s. The way at which these robots kill people aren't completely innovative but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. Their most powerful weapon being their head laser's. From a visual perspective they look adequate on screen. It's just amazing how good they are when they look so clunky.For cinematography, Tom Richmond managed this aspect of the film. Richmond who has several credits to his name doesn't portray elaborate set pieces here. Instead many shots have the actors in an actual mall. Unfortunately it's not a very engaging looking mall but it does fit the bill. Richmond's best known credit belongs to Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses (2003). Adding to the movie's cheesiness is composer Chuck Cirino's film score. Working numerous times with director Jim Wynorksi, Cirino has had his fair share of experience in the movie making industry as well. Since this is during the 1980s and the budget for this production was so small, one could only expect a synth powered composition. No other instruments exist in the music and that's okay. Considering the premise deals with killer patrol robots, the clink electronic music suits it appropriately. The film score itself doesn't have a reoccurring main theme but the tracks are catchy enough to enjoy when they are heard.While it may not be anything that hasn't been seen before, it's a quick cheese ball film that has a silly premise, fun practical effects and goofy music. However if B-list actors, familiar characters and violent robots aren't interesting then don't even bother. It should be relatively entertaining though.