Short Circuit (1986 film)  

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Short Circuit is a 1986 US comic science fiction film directed by John Badham and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock. The film's plot centers upon an experimental military robot that is struck by lightning and gains a humanlike intelligence, with which it embarks to explore. Short Circuit stars Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton and G. W. Bailey, with Tim Blaney as the voice of the robot named "Johnny 5". A sequel, Short Circuit 2, was released in 1988.

Plot

NOVA Laboratory robotics experts Newton Crosby and Ben Jabituya developed several prototype robots called S.A.I.N.T. (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) for the U.S. military to use in Cold War operations, though Crosby and Ben would rather seek peaceful applications of the robots. After a live demonstration for the military, one of the units, S.A.I.N.T. number 5, is struck by lightning arcing through the lab's power grid. This scrambles its programming and makes it sentient. It then escapes the NOVA facility.

The robot finds itself in Astoria, Oregon, and is found by Stephanie Speck, an animal care-giver, who mistakes him for an alien. She takes the robot into her home, where she provides him with "input" in the form of visual and verbal stimuli, allowing the robot to improve its language skills, and eventually names itself "Robot number 5", being the fifth prototype produced. Stephanie continues to help the curious Number 5 robot learn about the world. She eventually discovers that Number 5 was built by NOVA, and contacts them about the lost robot. Nova's CEO, Dr. Howard Marner, orders Crosby and Ben to recover him, so they can disassemble and rebuild him. While waiting for NOVA to arrive, Number 5 learns about death when he accidentally crushes a grasshopper, and concludes that if NOVA disassembles him, he will die, and escapes in Stephanie's truck. However, NOVA uses a tracking device on Number 5 to corner him and deactivate the robot for return to the facility. During transport, Number 5 is able to reactivate himself and remove the tracking device, and flees back to Stephanie.

Because of these unusual actions, Crosby tries to convince Howard that something has changed with Number 5's programming and that they should take care not to damage it in their recovery efforts so that he can examine them later. Howard instead sends their security chief Captain Skroeder and three other S.A.I.N.T. prototypes to recapture Number 5 by force, ignoring Crosby's concerns. Number 5 is able to outwit the other robots by reprogramming them to act as The Three Stooges, and escapes. Number 5 “captures” Crosby, takes him back to Stephanie and is able to convince Crosby of his sentience. They find that Skroeder has called in the United States Army to capture Number 5. To protect Crosby and Stephanie, Number 5 leads the Army away from them and appears to be destroyed in a firefight. Howard laments the loss of the prototype and dismisses Skroeder, while Crosby resigns from NOVA, and drives away with Stephanie in the NOVA van. They are surprised to discover that Number 5 had hidden himself under the van, having assembled a decoy Number 5 from spare parts to confuse the others. Crosby decides to take Number 5 to his father's secluded Montana ranch where there will be lots of "input" for the robot, and Stephanie agrees to come with them. As they drive off, Number 5 asserts that his name should now be "Johnny 5" based on the song "Who's Johnny" playing on the van's radio.




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