r-c-s
OK, this is a B movie. It has B actors and B content. It isn't difficult to find almost every 'early 1980s' craze in this movie...the computer craze...the secret defense experiment craze...the super military airplane craze...the children adventure/lampoon craze...of which one can find better examples, but not combined into one individual product like this. It gets B actors but it doesn't want to go farther, and thus the result is much more enjoyable than bigger budget products with bigger budget actors. In this, actors really blend together and give a 'real' feeling...even in AAA+ theater productions there may be moments viewers guess it's just make-believe. Computers? HAHA! The 1980s! The computer in Turtle's sister's room is the same I had back then! Of course now every $19.99 cellphone is likely to be more technologically advanced... Good, entertaining, mild family movie in which the sci-fi element serves as mere bait. Recommended.
theycallmemrglass
I cant help feeling that Daryl could well have been a young Jason Bourne. Synopsis: A military experiment lab loses its super enhanced human subject to the outside world who is now suffering from amnesia while the military hunts him down. Sounds familiar? Daryl got there first but thinking about it, there is no reason why the Bourne trilogy cannot be seen as unofficial sequels to Daryl. But enough of that. I remember loving this film when I first saw it 20 years ago so when I watched it again I expected to find it dated and perhaps much of the magic gone. The opposite happened. I was spellbound. It is somewhat dated but that simply adds to the charm as the 80s was the epitome of childhood innocence, wonder and mischief before the internet age came along. What elevates this film above most children's films is the abundance of heart, soul and values of friendship. All the actors play their part with natural aplomb and it has to be said that Barrat who plays the boy robot with human emotions, was played to perfection. Mckean plays the foster father delightfully (although has a frightening resemblance to ex UK Prime Minister Tony Blair). The film is sprinkled with humour throughout particularly with Turtle teaching Daryl how to behave and how to deal with adults! There is no action in the first three quarters of the movie (apart from a brief car chase at the start). Instead we are invested in the characters and relationships so that we truly care about them by the time the thrilling final act kicks into gear. And boy, is the last act so exciting, with perhaps the best car chase I have seen in any children's film and a climactic action finale that I can only conclude Die Hard 2 stole from! Daryl is an under rated 80s classic.
Atreyu_II
I am fascinated by the 80's. It was a unique generation like we'll never see again. Its culture, its dressing styles and hairstyles, its charm, its lifestyle, its very imaginative and creative TV commercials like we don't see nowadays...The 80's was also one of music's gold generations and brought us some of the best movies of all time, such as "The Neverending Story", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Uncle Buck", "Romancing the Stone", "The Jewel of the Nile", "Herbie Goes Bananas", "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and don't come back!)", "Frankenweenie", "Missunderstood" and "D.A.R.Y.L." itself, without forgetting that it brought us classic TV series such as "Knight Rider", "Family Ties", "MacGyver" and "Miami Vice"."D.A.R.Y.L." is, in my opinion, a very cute little movie. More than that: it is a forgotten film and I'm a bit shocked with its quite low rating! It's too underrated, yet a pretty good movie.This film stars one of the greatest child actors of all time, Barret Oliver. In fact, Barret Oliver is absolutely amazing in this movie and portrays an incredible character: Daryl. In fact, Barret Oliver won a well deserved prize of recognition for his performance in "D.A.R.Y.L." - the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, an honor also won by Noah Hathaway in "The Neverending Story" and Haley Joel Osment in "The Sixth Sense" and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" (just to name a few examples).Daryl is actually D.A.R.Y.L., an acronym for "Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform". Daryl looks very human, despite being a machine. Daryl, however, is the most sophisticated and advanced robot ever created, like a miracle come true.Daryl is blessed with an extraordinary intelligence and amazing abilities. Plus, he's nice, friendly, sweet, cute, lovable and liked by many. He's the kind of boy any parents would like to have as a son and the kind of boy any boy would like to be. Daryl is so different and unique that he can light up an entire room.However, speaking of Daryl's unbelievable abilities, let's see. At school he is even wiser than teachers. He can play baseball like no one else. He can interact with ATM machines and play video games in a way beyond our imagination. He can do house duties in a way that not even housemaids can. He can even pilot a SR-71 Blackbird in the most amazing way possible (this plane scene is just as impressing as those seen in "Top Gun") and is equally blessed with incredible driving skills.Daryl is also a blessing for the Richardsons and gives them a new sense for life. The Foxs (their neighbors) are also very fond of Daryl, even Daryl's hilarious and cheat friend Turtle. By the way, I hope nobody named their kids Turtle in real life, lol. As if being Turtle wasn't enough, he's Fox too, lol.Sherie Lee (Turtle's sister) is pretty. It's funny how her brother really annoys her whenever he keeps calling her certain names. She's well portrayed by Amy Linker. The silly kid Turtle is greatly played by Danny Corkill. Other talents include Mary Beth Hurt as Joyce Richardson, Michael McKean as Andy Richardson, Josef Sommer as the friendly scientist Dr. Jeffrey Stewart, Kathryn Walker as Dr. Ellen Lamb, the actors who portray the Fox couple and others.It's an interesting movie with a heartwarming story. In general, this is a simple and calm movie, being often funny and light-hearted. It also has some action (without overdoing it), drama, emotional and touching moments, fun and entertainment. The concept and the idea of the movie is interesting and the movie is well made, being film-making of quality.The ending is dramatic at first, but turns out to be a happy and fair ending. Daryl is repaired, brought back to life and returns to the Richardsons after a challenging and dangerous journey to escape to the cruelty of the United States Air Force, with generals determined to destroy Daryl and won't allow anyone to free Daryl. Our story has a happy ending.I haven't talked about the soundtrack yet. I like very much the piano solo numbers and Teddy Pendergrass's song "Somewhere I Belong", which can be described as beautiful, nostalgic, relaxing, happy, sad, emotional and fits perfectly in the movie's final scene. The rest of the soundtrack is good too.Despite the fact that "D.A.R.Y.L." can be considered a science fiction movie, it isn't totally fictitious. In my opinion, there's very few of "true" science fiction in this film. For me, this is more of a drama told through a simple but good story with a bit of sci-fi as well, in a combination that works out very well. It has also interesting stuff about artificial intelligence, a very classic sense of humor, nice special effects and a great direction by Simon Wencer. The phrase «A machine becomes human when you can't tell the difference anymore» is very valuable. Should be kept in mind and never forgotten.Overall, this is another great, nostalgic and charming movie from the 80's. Another favorite of mine from that magical decade.This should definitely be on Top 250.
Mel J
'D.A.R.Y.L.' is an adorable little sci-fi children's film from the Eighties and will certainly conjure feelings of nostalgia in those who watched it as children. The film revolves around ten-year-old Daryl, who is found wandering alone in the wilderness and is fostered by childless couple Joyce and Andy Richardson. He quickly befriends their neighbours' son Turtle and goes from strength-to-strength in his new home. However, it soon becomes apparent that Daryl isn't quite normal. His intellect is vast, he has excellent sporting reflexes and acts in an oddly adult manner. Then, when two military scientists turn up at the Richardsons' home to retrieve him, it turns out Daryl is not a human child but a Data Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform, created in a science lab to serve the military. When the military orders that Daryl be destroyed, the fight to save him and return him to the family home where he was loved is on...Barret Oliver plays the title character of Daryl, gives an effective performance and nicely depicts his character gradually changing from being odd and awkward to acting like a typical boy of ten. Mary Beth Hurt and Michael McKean, as Joyce and Andy, also give good depictions of foster parents desperate for a child, uncertain about the strange nature of Daryl yet coming to love him as if he were their own. Josef Sommer plays the scientist who begins to question the boundaries of what is considered human once he starts to know Daryl, the robot he created, properly. And Ron Frazier, as General Graycliffe who is intent on seeing Daryl destroyed, depicts his character in a suitably loathsome light!Besides the nostalgia factor for those in their twenties and early thirties, this film will not only be enjoyable for children of today but, as we live in the computer age, brings up very relevant issues that they can consider such as what being a human means and why blood relations doesn't always matter when it comes to family. Daryl, for younger viewers, is the equivalent of Data from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' so perhaps making this film a good choice for parents wishing to introduce their young kids to the sci-fi genre.This is definitely an Eighties kids' classic but also one for all the family.
