Cyborg 2087

Often dismissed as a "quickie" movie using a great deal of television elements, "Cyborg 2087" is a prime example of what Hollywood was trying to do between the late fifties and mid-sixties: get people (especially the kids) away from the television set and back into the movie theaters. This film tried (sometimes successfully) to combine two popular genres of t.v. at the time; westerns and science fiction. Half-human robots, having a "shoot out" in a western town using ray guns to rescue the girl (played by a former "Mouseketeer", no less). Listen for the Paul Dunlap soundtrack, which should be familiar -- it was used for several t.v. shows, movies, and even Hanna Barbara cartoons! Also, check out the "hip lingo" used by the teens.The sad part is to see classically-trained actor Michael Rennie trying to make a living wearing a silver spacesuit after being typecast as a "sci-fi guy" in "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Michael Rennie of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" fame stars as Garth A7, a cyborg sent by a future civilization back to 1966. His mission is to make sure that the revolutionary "radio-telepathy" technique being engineered by Professor Marx (Eduard Franz, "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake") does not come to fruition. The thing is, in the future, this technique will be misused by evil minds and bring out about chaos. Once he is back in the past, Garth gets scientists Carl Zellar (Warren Stevens, "Forbidden Planet") and Sharon Mason (Karen Steele, "Ride Lonesome") to help him out, while being hunted by assassins dubbed "Tracers".

If this premise sounds familiar, it should: it was also utilized around this time by Harlan Ellison, as an episode of 'The Outer Limits' titled 'Soldier'. Of course, it would eventually be appropriated again, famously, by James Cameron for "The Terminator". While this ultimately upbeat diversion is nowhere near as atmospheric or grim as Camerons' film, it's certainly a reasonable bit of entertainment. Its obvious low budget and TV movie-like nature will inevitably invite descriptions like "cheesy". It does get positively goofy when, at one point, Zellars' daughter (Sherry Alberoni, "Nightmare Circus") and her friends (including a young John Beck of "Rollerball") groove to some hip tunes while he's trying to perform an operation on Garth. Various people get zapped by Garths' odd weapon, which really does no more than paralyze living things, rather than kill them. The music, while credited to Paul Dunlap, seems to consist of stock cues (such as one memorably used in "Night of the Living Dead"). Franklin Adreon (a TV veteran whose theatrical credits also include stuff like "Panther Girl of the Kongo") directs capably, if not stylishly.

The cast gives a straight faced go at this material. Rennie is good as a character committed to being ruthless in pursuit of his goal, yet who might just find some humanity after all. Wendell Corey ("Rear Window") is a sheriff, Harry Carey Jr. ("3 Godfathers") a pesky reporter, Adam Roarke ("Hells Angels on Wheels") Corey's deputy, and Jo Ann Pflug ("MASH") appears fleetingly at the outset as one of the people sending Garth on his way.

Lightweight and unmemorable stuff, yet it does show one a decent enough time, and should be interesting to see for fans of cult science-fiction.

Six out of 10.

Sim to TERMINATOR great cast of character actors.

The premise for "Cyborg 2087" is similar to the "Terminator" series...but it's not exactly the same plot. In "Terminator", a man comes from the future and is pursued by a seemingly unstoppable cyborg. In its sequel, there's a good cyborg being pursued by an evil cyborg. In both, the evil cyborgs are trying to kill someone who can positively impact the future and prevent a robot apocalypse. In "Cyborg 2087" you have a lot of similarities. A good cyborg (Michael Rennie) goes to the past to stop a scientist from releasing his newest invention because it will be misused to enslave mankind. And, inevitably, he's pursued by evil cyborgs. Obviously the writers of the "Terminator" films must have been inspired by this earlier low-budgeted film.

The film begins in the 2080s. A couple scientists are able to send the good cyborg to Earth in 1966. Its mission is to find Dr. Marx (Eduard Franz) and convince him NOT to release his latest invention...or kill him if he won't agree. This is because his invention is later used to control mankind...by implanting a mind-control device in the brains of every man, woman and child! Once he arrives, evil cyborgs are dispatched as well and humanity's fate hangs in the balance.

For 1966, this actually isn't just another cheapo sci-fi film. Sure, it doesn't have fancy special effects....but no films did in 1966. Plus, it's got an amazing cast of good character actors, including: Michael Rennie, Warren Stevens, Wendell Corey, Eduard Franz, Harry Carey Jr., and Karen Steele. It's too easy in 2023 to look back and laugh at the film when we've gotten used to incredibly realistic effects...and the filmmakers did a great job with what they had.

So is the film good or bad? After all, the reviews for this are all over the place...so it's hard to know what the film is actually like. Well, my answer is that it is an excellent film...and I am very glad I watched it because of its very intelligent script.

By the way, although I liked this film, I must admit that it was rather sad watching Wendell Corey's performance. He was in the late stages of alcoholism and it impacted his performance...and he sounded a bit slurred.

From the titular year, a cyborg called Garth A7 (Michael Rennie) is sent back in time to 1966 in order to stop an event that will lead to the subjugation of humanity. Garth A7 enlists the help of humans, while two super-soldiers from 2087 arrive to eliminate him.

The idea of a time-traveling cyborg, sent by a group of freedom fighters to stop a scientist from developing an advanced technology, is familiar indeed! James Cameron simply must have seen this movie. Even the scene when Garth A7 shows a scientist the proof that he's a machine is extremely reminiscent of a similar revelation in Cameron's T2! Of course, this film had neither the astronomical budget, nor the advantage of a Cameron to direct it. In spite of this, CYBORG 2087 is a lot of fun to watch, and deserves to be rediscovered...

Once again, Michael Rennie dons a tin-foil suit to come and warn mankind to amend it's ways. This time, though, he is a cyborg called "Garth 7" sent back from the year 2087 to try and stop an evolutionary process that will rob us all of our ability to think for ourselves. He manages to ally with "Dr. Mason" (Karen Steele) but pretty soon they are aware that the government they wish to thwart has also sent agents back and so not just time, but other folks from the future are against them too. This is cheap and cheerful, pedestrianly written, afternoon fodder that is very light on science or characterisations. Rennie looks like he maybe only did the one filming day, such is the truncated nature of the editing - and the special effects (his bio-implants, especially) are not up to very much, either. Oddly enough, it might have looked better in black and white, somehow the colour just makes it look even more sloppily thrown together. Potentially, an interesting take on a well used idea, but sadly it offers little we haven't seen before and the star is well past his best.