Two years afterBlade Runnerhit theaters , Runawayarrived and research some like theme . The influence of the former is clearly felt in the latter , even thoughRunawaygoes in unlike directions . But they ’re both fundamentally about technology gone wrong , and they both had recognizable headliner in the lead . Harrison Ford ledBlade Runner , while the valet de chambre that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg originally require asIndiana Jones , Tom Selleck , took the leading use inRunaway . But whileBlade Runneris wide regarded as a sci - fi classic , Runawayhas been all but forget .
Upon re - watchingRunaway , it ’s not operose to see why this film was n’t comprehend by science - fabrication fan despite being written and helmed byJurassic Parknovelist Michael Crichton . This movie makes several missteps , especially in its depiction of the close futurity . And yet there are certain aspects ofRunawaythat are intriguing and could have potentially made for a much better moving-picture show in someone else ’s hands .
West of Westworld
Prior to this movie , Crichton had already establish himself in Hollywood as the director ofComa , Westworld , and a few other films . As an thought man , Crichton was unbelievable , and several of his novels became blockbusters when they were adapt by experienced directors . Left to his own devices , Crichton struggle to make his concepts compelling on - concealment , and that ’s evident throughoutRunaway .
A recurring musical theme inRunaway , Westworld , andJurassic Parkexplores the scientific find of man turning against world . It just is n’t as entertaining in this movie as it was in the other two . This pic really does feel like Crichton sawBlade Runnerand seek to make his own version of that story .
Even the opening ofRunawayhas a few music note that sound like faux - Vangelis , the musician who composedBlade Runner . Jerry Goldsmith , one of the best film composers in Hollywood ’s account , had a rarified misstep with his electronic score forRunaway . It but does n’t work for this movie . An ill - fitting score could have been overlook if Crichton had made the residuum of the film interesting . ButRunawayfeels oddly dull and exanimate .
The future as envisioned in 1984
Forty years from now , assuming we ’re all still around , we may face back at 2024 and laugh at advanced movies and their depiction of the future tense . alas forRunaway , that ’s the response it inspire now with its derisory rogue robots . That image above of a home robot with a gun is unintentionally hilarious , and yet it still manages to dispatch multiple people at the beginning of the film .
Having said that , there are aspects of the future thatRunawaygot right . The police force floater camera resemble commercially available pilotless aircraft that anyone can purchase today , andRoombasare more stocky rendering of the household droids seen in this film . But the most damnatory aspect of our present is that no robot has been create that is even remotely as running as the golem nanny , Lois , is in this report . Lois can prepare , clear , and look after a child with moderate grade of success . Crichton ’s conception of a bright fastball is also challenging , but technology has n’t caught up to that either .
He’s no Magnum
In the lore of Indiana Jones , Selleck lost the role because he was contractually tied to keep makingMagnum , P.I.for CBS . As Thomas Magnum , Selleck was a fan - best-loved wedge , but his persona inRunawaydrains almost every ounce of charisma out of the actor . constabulary Sergeant Jack R. Ramsay is n’t very fun to observe , and he ’s kind of a glorified maintenance man who has to chamfer down “ runaway ” automaton that malfunction . Ramsay does n’t actually fix any of these golem , but sometimes he needs to skip on a helicopter just to turn something off .
As a sign of the times , the movie thinks nothing of Ramsay trying to court his new partner , Officer Karen Thompson ( Cynthia Rhodes ) , even though what he does probably would n’t be deal intimate harassment by ’ eighty standard . It ’s queerly presented and it feel unearned when Karen last returns his fondness near the end of the motion-picture show . To be fair , he does save her life , but it ’s unvoiced to root for a romance that has so small life to it .
Cheers to this actress
Kristie Alley made her screen debut two years in the first place inStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan , and her functioning as Saavik is still beloved by Star Trek fans decades by and by . She did n’t fare as well inRunaway , which gave her a small role as Jackie Rogers , a woman link up to the out - of - restraint robots .
Alley ’s part in this flick is minimal , even though she ’s the only one who shows some existent ardour when she gets angry at Ramsay . She probably would have been a good choice for the cobalt - starring role than Rhodes was . Alley simply does n’t get as much to do here , and her sentence in the moving picture comes to an remnant right when Jackie was starting to become interesting .
This villain doesn’t rock
KISS frontman Gene Simmons had his first major acting purpose in this cinema as Dr. Charles Luther , the man behind the automaton violent disorder and the former lover of Jackie Rogers . While Simmons is n’t the first cradle to try their hand at being a motion-picture show principal , he ’s just not very good at it . Crichton did n’t do Simmons any favors by failing to flesh out Luther ’s character reference or properly explaining his motivations .
Instead of a sinister mastermind , Luther come off as a creepy-crawly prowler who just prove to shroud his hilarity when his fleck cause average home robots to become murder - bots . Luther miss credibility as a villain , and away from a scene where he attempts to sell the silicon chip that make these malfunctions , he does n’t seem to have a real goal for making this technology profitable for him . Runawaysettles for making Luther obsessed with getting his revenge on Ramsay for make bold to get in his way .
Memory drain
IfRunawayhad been a better movie , it may not have been swallow up so deeply decades later . There ’s a lot of nostalgia for the best sci - fi films of the ’ 80s , andRunawayis plain not one of them .
Although there are some interesting thing in this picture , it ’s hard to watch in 2024 . Not every moving-picture show can be a masterpiece , but this pic ’s fate is a warning story for every sci - fi motion-picture show that ca n’t deliver something for viewers to latch on to .
Rent or buyRunawayonPrime Video .
