Screamers takes obvious influence from a whole range of Sci-Fi films, including Aliens, The Terminator and The Thing and somehow manages to bring everything together to form a coherent and exciting movie. Futuristic action movies were in vogue in the nineties after the successful release of Terminator 2, and this is certainly one of the better releases since James Cameron's masterpiece sequel. Director Christian Duguay presents a good futuristic atmosphere, which is all the better given the fact that this movie was made before CGI became part and parcel of action films. The locations are good, and it's easy to believe that the film really is taking place on a distant planet. Screamers takes place on a mining colony known as Sirius 6B. The planet has been at war for ten years, and one of the results of this war is the creation of the deadly 'Screamers', a machine that has the ability to maim and replicate its victims. However, what the scientists who created them didn't count on is the evolution of the machines post man's control, and this is proving a problem for Colonel Hendricksson, as it's not easy to tell the difference between people and machines anymore...
Christian Duguay evidently decided that it would be a good idea to play it safe with the lead star and opted to cast Peter Weller, who had been tried and tested in futuristic actioners almost a decade earlier with Paul Verhoeven's Robocop. Weller makes for a good B-movie lead as although he's no Arnold Schwarzenegger; he looks strong and knows his way around an action scene. However, for me he's a weak link in an otherwise strong film, as he doesn't look interesting enough and has a hard time when it comes to the emotional scenes. The rest of the cast is good, despite there not being any big names on board, and Jennifer Rubin provides eye candy as the female interest. The film is very imaginative, and while the effects aren't always solid; they're well used and seeing all the different things that the title villains can do is always a highlight. The action sequences are exciting, and while some scenes feel very derivative of Aliens; Screamers works because it's always exciting and the fast pace benefits it immensely. Overall, this film is a good B-movie and while it's certainly no masterpiece, Screamers comes recommended to action and Sci-Fi fans.
Christian Duguay evidently decided that it would be a good idea to play it safe with the lead star and opted to cast Peter Weller, who had been tried and tested in futuristic actioners almost a decade earlier with Paul Verhoeven's Robocop. Weller makes for a good B-movie lead as although he's no Arnold Schwarzenegger; he looks strong and knows his way around an action scene. However, for me he's a weak link in an otherwise strong film, as he doesn't look interesting enough and has a hard time when it comes to the emotional scenes. The rest of the cast is good, despite there not being any big names on board, and Jennifer Rubin provides eye candy as the female interest. The film is very imaginative, and while the effects aren't always solid; they're well used and seeing all the different things that the title villains can do is always a highlight. The action sequences are exciting, and while some scenes feel very derivative of Aliens; Screamers works because it's always exciting and the fast pace benefits it immensely. Overall, this film is a good B-movie and while it's certainly no masterpiece, Screamers comes recommended to action and Sci-Fi fans.