D.A.R.Y.L.

'D.A.R.Y.L.' is an adorable little sci-fi children's film from the Eighties and will certainly conjure feelings of nostalgia in those who watched it as children. The film revolves around ten-year-old Daryl, who is found wandering alone in the wilderness and is fostered by childless couple Joyce and Andy Richardson. He quickly befriends their neighbours' son Turtle and goes from strength-to-strength in his new home. However, it soon becomes apparent that Daryl isn't quite normal. His intellect is vast, he has excellent sporting reflexes and acts in an oddly adult manner. Then, when two military scientists turn up at the Richardsons' home to retrieve him, it turns out Daryl is not a human child but a Data Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform, created in a science lab to serve the military. When the military orders that Daryl be destroyed, the fight to save him and return him to the family home where he was loved is on...

Barret Oliver plays the title character of Daryl, gives an effective performance and nicely depicts his character gradually changing from being odd and awkward to acting like a typical boy of ten. Mary Beth Hurt and Michael McKean, as Joyce and Andy, also give good depictions of foster parents desperate for a child, uncertain about the strange nature of Daryl yet coming to love him as if he were their own. Josef Sommer plays the scientist who begins to question the boundaries of what is considered human once he starts to know Daryl, the robot he created, properly. And Ron Frazier, as General Graycliffe who is intent on seeing Daryl destroyed, depicts his character in a suitably loathsome light!

Besides the nostalgia factor for those in their twenties and early thirties, this film will not only be enjoyable for children of today but, as we live in the computer age, brings up very relevant issues that they can consider such as what being a human means and why blood relations doesn't always matter when it comes to family. Daryl, for younger viewers, is the equivalent of Data from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' so perhaps making this film a good choice for parents wishing to introduce their young kids to the sci-fi genre.

This is definitely an Eighties kids' classic but also one for all the family.

DARYL is an enjoyable and thought-provoking kids' film. The central premise is fantastic and high-concept - a rare thing for children's films. Daryl, a military experiment that combines the body and senses of a child with a microchip for a brain, is set free from his creators and settles in mid-America suburbia with a loving adoptive family. The high-jinks that result from an apparently normal ten-year-old who has super-intelligence living in normal surrounds is light, predictable and great fun in patches.

The coup for this movie, however, is the thought-provocation that arises from the evolution of Artificial Intelligence lifeforms to the point when you can no longer tell them apart from humans. This complex issue is dealt with sensitively and thoughtfully in the context of a film not aimed at philosophers or AI scientists (clearly, however, the topic continued to prey on the mind of one of the screenwriters - Ambrose went on to write the excellent novel, Mother of God, which is the "grown-up" heir apparent to DARYL).

The familiar faces of Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean and Josef Sommer are ideally cast in the roles of parents and scientist respectively. Equally, the young actors playing Daryl and best-friend Turtle are excellent. The set-pieces fly through with surface levity and implied poignancy in equal measure (how easy it is to dismantle a computer, how difficult when the computer is encased in the flesh and blood of a child). Stagey action scenes and the odd moment of wooden acting from minor support actors are the major blights on the film. Overall, though, it is fun and entertaining.

I cant help feeling that Daryl could well have been a young Jason Bourne. Synopsis: A military experiment lab loses its super enhanced human subject to the outside world who is now suffering from amnesia while the military hunts him down. Sounds familiar? Daryl got there first but thinking about it, there is no reason why the Bourne trilogy cannot be seen as unofficial sequels to Daryl. But enough of that. I remember loving this film when I first saw it 20 years ago so when I watched it again I expected to find it dated and perhaps much of the magic gone. The opposite happened. I was spellbound. It is somewhat dated but that simply adds to the charm as the 80s was the epitome of childhood innocence, wonder and mischief before the internet age came along. What elevates this film above most children's films is the abundance of heart, soul and values of friendship. All the actors play their part with natural aplomb and it has to be said that Barrat who plays the boy robot with human emotions, was played to perfection. Mckean plays the foster father delightfully (although has a frightening resemblance to ex UK Prime Minister Tony Blair). The film is sprinkled with humour throughout particularly with Turtle teaching Daryl how to behave and how to deal with adults! There is no action in the first three quarters of the movie (apart from a brief car chase at the start). Instead we are invested in the characters and relationships so that we truly care about them by the time the thrilling final act kicks into gear. And boy, is the last act so exciting, with perhaps the best car chase I have seen in any children's film and a climactic action finale that I can only conclude Die Hard 2 stole from! Daryl is an under rated 80s classic.

For me, there is simply nothing not to like about this film. It is well scripted, the parts fit together seamlessly and logically, and everything is justly proportioned--that is, everything's in good balance.

And the best part of it is that the acting is never overdone. The main characters are really human and believable, and Barret Oliver's acting is totally natural and spontaneous.

So even though one has to suspend disbelief in the science fiction impossibility of the story (a mere machine could never actually become a human brain), it's really worth doing so, just for the fun of it.

Just accept the basic premise of the plot for the sake of the story, and then relax and enjoy a heart-warming display of what are real human values in a world where these are sometimes sadly lacking, and a thought-provoking consideration of what it means to be 'a real person.'

I love this film and feel it is an underrated classic. Although I am a 90s kid, I am very fond of the movies of the 80s, Amadeus, Clue, Back to the Future, Indianna Jones, Beetle Juice, ET, Annie, Secret of NIMH, NeverEnding Story, Stand By Me, Legend, Princess Bride and Who Framed Roger Rabbit to name a few. D.A.R.Y.L has very nice cinematography, colourful sets and costumes without being too fancy and good special effects, while the soundtrack is cool. I liked the script too, it was funny and heart-warming and the story was engaging and poignant as well as briskly paced. The direction I had no problem with either, while the acting is fine especially with Barrett Oliver who is simply wonderful in the lead. Overall, I think D.A.R.Y.L is a classic, and one of the most underrated films of the 80s if not ever. 10/10 Bethany Cox