Matrixiole
Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
Stephanie
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Yazmin
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
AMar_rom
Good science-fiction movie. Based on the short story 'The Second Variety' by Philip Dick. Years in the future Earth and the colonized outer planets are shaken by a decade of civil war. The war brought destruction and even nuclear arms were tried against major civilian centers. Colonel Hendrickson (Peter Weller in the role) commands a military base of the Alliance on the planet SIRIUS 6B. The enemy, however, is also present there. Both sides are entrenched in subterranean bunkers leaving an uninhabited land in between of destroyed cities and desolate landscapes. It appears also that a specific model of robotic killers operates in these areas keeping either side inside the bunkers for safety. Suddenly news arrive that a peace treaty is signed and the war should be over. Nonetheless, soon thereafter an Alliance plane crushes and a surviving man tells a different story. Hendrickson decides that he 'd better check with the other side and attempts to make the dangerous trip to reach the enemy bunkers and negotiate. He will soon have to face a different reality from what he expected.I liked this sci-fi flick from the 90's. With no major special effects but with such a good story that keeps it interesting. Peter Weller reprises another role in the sci-fi genre (after the more known film 'Robocop') and brings a lot to the credibility of the film. Jennifer Rubin also has the second role as one of the enemy soldiers. If you like sci-fi movies you will not be disappointed. A 7.5 from me.
Maziun
"Screamers" is based on short story "Second Variety" written by Philip K. Dick . There is also reference to the short story "The Days of Perky Pat" and the novel "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch." both were written also by Dick. The original story was about Cold War in the 50's between UN and USRR. The screenplay has been slightly modified to fit for the 90's and is set in the distant future. It's possible that it is set in the same universe as "Blade runner".The movie is very much in the spirit of the Philip K. Dick story . It asks important questions about war , technology and humanity. Despite the low budget the movie makers did an excellent job of constructing the devastated planet . The mood is a depressing one , it really affects you . Sure , some of the special effects are little outdated now (and look more like from the 80's) , but overall this movie feels more arty than typical sci-fi Hollywood blockbuster. It's definitely not a slasher movie (like some reviewers said) , more like a thriller/drama.Peter Weller("Robocop") and Jennifer Rubin turned in great performances. Waller is stubborn cynic tired of world , while Rubin is nicely morally ambiguous. The chemistry between them was believable .The supporting cast was also quite good. The direction is solid with some nice suspense. The ending is good too.Blood is cheaper than raw materials. A sad message , but a true one . For me it's a more important message than anything that "Avatar" tries to sell to the audience.It's a well made , gritty movie . Not a masterpiece and not one of the best sci-fi movies ever , but a nice one and worth having in collection. It's more than a B-class movie , yet not quite a A-class movie. There is something about this story that makes m keeping back to it from time to time . It holds good on repeated viewings . I give it 6/10.
ozoneocean
There are two sides at war, but the war is winding down, it looks like one side has won, and the other side wants a truce... The trouble is that the autonomous weapons systems that the winning side deployed (called "screamers") and which helped them win, have other ideas. It stars Peter Weller, from Robocop.On the face of it, this looks like it'll be a by the numbers crappy scifi thriller horror with paper thin characters and wooden acting, and at best some testosterone fueled action movie sequences... That's what I thought anyway. I was very wrong.The acting was all extremely well done, especially by Weller. I was very impressed. Very good performances by all. The filming was atmospheric and well shot. Sets were great, props and costumes too. The story was full of emotion, it was thought provoking and well acted. This was an intelligent film!It was let down in two areas: 1. For most of the film the effects were very cheap, contrasting with the quality of the rest of it. 2. They lent a little too much on the cheap thriller aspect in parts of it, especially at the very end. It detracted a little from the intelligent themes and great acting. It's almost as if there were two competing forces at work: Highly competent, professional, pro, A-list film makers VS some strange incompetent cretin who BADLY wanted it to be a B-film. So it was flawed.
picturetaker
I originally saw this movie in the theatre. Many reviewers comment saying it should have gone straight to video but I don't think so. As this movie for its time was not that bad. I have seen this movie about 6 times since 1995 and every time I have enjoyed it.Could this movie have been better? Of course! But for what it cost and for what kind of movie it is, it is alright! Its such an interesting premise I would LOVE to see this movie remade with a good director and a large movie budget! As that would be GREAT! Screamers did have a OK script, it had a great story, OK character and storyline development. All in all it was an OK 1995 film. As most sci-fi goes it is not the worst at all! Screamers was an original movie and it is entertaining so if you get the opportunity to see it, I recommend you check it out if you like sci-fi movies.
