Xenogenesis (1978)

Directors:

James Cameron
Randall Frakes

Writers:

James Cameron (writer)
Randall Frakes (writer)

Genre:

Short | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A woman and an engineered man are sent in a gigantic sentient starship to search space for a place to start a new life cycle. Raj decides to take a look around the ship. He comes across a gigantic robotic cleaner. Combat ensues. |

Plot Keywords:

Exploration | Laser | Cleaning | Vaporization | Giant Robot

Cast

William Wisher Jr.	...	Raj
Margaret Undiel	...	Laurie

Runtime:

12 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

The first film directed by James Cameron.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Aliens (1986)

for 20 grand it's.... pretty decent

James Cameron apparently got 20 thousand dollars from a group of dentists in order to get the funds for his first short film. It doesn't have much of a plot except that a man is being chased by a giant robot that moves a lot like a construction crane - or a creation from some other dimension (it's hard not to see this coming back in the climax of Aliens and to a smaller extent in the futuristic scenes of The Terminator). What the film lacks is proper acting (I think it's William Wisher, who went on to co-write some of Cameron's films, as the main male character) and actual quality dialog it makes up with dynamic action and very impressive production design and special effects. All of this is Cameron, done with a kind of care and precision and detail that makes it look triple, maybe even more, of how much it actually looks; probably why Cameron got to work for Roger Corman right after this. It's so impressive to look at, from the fighting of the robots and the solid edits, that you almost want to try and forgive the more primitive aspects of the production... almost. Overall though, it's a nice little diddy for fans.