The Creation of the Humanoids

Don't let the rating I gave this movie dissuade you. I actually think people who like 'thinking' science fiction should check this out.

Some have suggested that this 1962 feature should be remade. If someone did do a remake, they'd have to just accept the fact that many casual viewers would claim that this movie's remake was ripping off Blade Runner, The Questor Tapes, Ghost in the Shell, and the 2000s Battlestar Galactica. However, it looks very much like all of those shows 'borrowed' from this 1962 motion picture.

Clearly the concepts in this film were really coming to a head in the 1960s. "Do androids dream of electric sheep" was talking about a lot of this stuff in 1968 (and who knows how long the book took to write). Captain Future of the 1940s and 1950s touched on some of this too. Every time I dig a bit deeper, I find out that someone's tackled many of these concepts. Heck, even Fred Saberhagen's Berserker novels tread similar territory.

I've written this in such a way that I don't give too much away. I think the best thing is to see the film for yourself. Be prepared though, since certain aspects of it are certainly dated. The preliminary robot designs during the film's intro are primitive looking (and almost comical). And the pacing is somewhat difficult at times. Stick with it though. The thesis comes out in the end and it's pretty entertaining to watch it unfold. This is a movie that could actually be done as a stage play. To that effect, I really enjoyed the sets and the lighting. With such a deep message, I felt that even more dramatic lighting and higher contrast ratios would have added even more gravity to certain scenes.

So yes -- check this out. It must have come as quite a shock to audiences of the time. For audiences today, it covers topics that we're quite used to so the impact won't be as great. Still pretty neat though.

Maybe I just like robots too much, but having only just seen this, I happen to quite like it. The ideas are familiar by now, the production values make Star Trek look extremely flashy, and the characters tend towards wooden, but somehow it's better than all the expensive monster movies that pass for sci-fi lately. Fans of Blade Runner might appreciate this one. There are lots of little dialogue details worth paying attention to, which add a lot of context. Some older comments suggested this was one of the worst films the viewer had ever seen. I don't think it's even in that contest. It stands head and shoulders above dozens of sci-fi movies I've seen, some of them old and some of them new. Watch it if you can find it. :)

In a world after nuclear war destroyed 92% of the human population, humanity uses blue-skinned humanoid robots called Clickers as servants and workers. As the Clickers become more sophisticated and humanlike, an anti-robot watchdog group called the Order of Flesh and Blood rises in power. When the Order discovers Clickers are creating robots that are identical to humans and one of them has killed a man, conflict between the humans and Clickers seems inevitable.

One of the smartest and most original sci-fi films of its time. Unfortunately, its talkiness and static direction prevent many from recognizing its worth. In my view the smart script, relatively short runtime, and steady pace balance out the criticisms. I don't even see a problem with the low budget since they do remarkably well with what they have. It's a movie full of ideas and great dialogue that gives you a lot to think about and still holds relevance to topical issues of today. It's what sci-fi is, at its best, all about. Creepy electronic music score is a plus. Also one of the last films of legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.

I see other reviewers crying for a remake. What a waste of everybody's time that would be. First, the ideas presented and explored here were revolutionary for sci-fi films of the early 1960s. That wouldn't be the case today so it would hold little impact as a modern film. What seems thoughtful for that time would be just another preachy message movie made today. Second, and we all know this is true, they would attempt to fix the original's technical flaws by having tons of shitty CGI and ridiculous action sequences. It doesn't need to be remade. It's an excellent and underrated science fiction film from the later part of the golden era of sci-fi. People need to learn to appreciate movies that are older and have a lot to offer, instead of just trying to update them to today's often crass and ostentatious "standards." Make new stuff for today and stop mining the past for ideas, please.

This one is enjoyable IF the viewer is prepared for the movie's distinctly odd nature and low budget. According to the story, World War III has depleted the Earth's population, but reconstruction efforts are progressing rapidly with the help of a newly developed race of `humanoids' (hairless, green-skinned androids who possess high intelligence and who serve with total faithfulness).

In fact, the androids are so intelligent and sensitive that many people want to have them destroyed, because they fear the androids will overthrow mankind. A few sympathetic humans have sided with the androids -- including the sister of the most outspoken anti-android activist. She actual MARRIES one of the androids. One rebel scientist conspires with the android members of a secret group who strives to perfect the androids and make them even more human.

Shot on a shoestring budget, the sets are fairly simple (although reasonably imaginative), and the acting is sometimes pretty bad. The soundtrack music is a kind o low-rent version of the `Forbidden Planet' tonalities. Oddly enough, all these apparent flaws somehow endear it to the more forgiving viewers, perhaps because the film works so hard to put across some very strange and imaginative concepts, including a nifty little surprise ending.

Watch for several recognizable props and costumes from classic science fiction movies, such as the glass tubes and the gray, one-piece uniforms from `This Island Earth'. One of the `early prototype robots' seen during the film's opening prologue is actually one of the armored alien space suits from `Earth versus the Flying Saucers' -- and it was spray painted silver!

There was, a few years ago, a prerecorded tape of this little gem available for rent at video stores. It you can find one, you're lucky. It's a nutty little cult classic from a by-gone age.

I saw this movie years ago and it left quite an impression on me. What a brilliant story and premise. It is basically a story of prejudice - long before its time (1962). The production, acting and directing was awful, but if you can get past that you will be rewarded. This is a story that needs to be considered for a new production which is more professional. There is no need to repeat the story since another reviewer has done an admirable job. In this story the "mad" doctor has a heart and is really a good guy. It is the flesh and blooders vs. the clickers. But you can substitute any other racial conflict such as the race riots in the U.S. and others throughout the world. I have never read the book, but am anxious to find it.