Short Circuit 2

Short Circuit 2
Promotional one-sheet poster.
Directed by Kenneth Johnson
Produced by David Foster
Gary Foster
Lawrence Turman
Written by Brent Maddock
S.S. Wilson
Starring
Music by Charles Fox
Cinematography John McPher
Edited by Conrad Buff IV
Production
company
The Turman-Foster Company
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date
  • July 6, 1988 (1988-07-06)
Running time
 110 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $21.6 million (domestic)[1]

Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 US comic science fiction film, the sequel to the 1986 film Short Circuit. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahveri,[2] Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney as the voice of Johnny 5 (the main character – a friendly, naive, self-aware robot). Filming took place in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Plot

After Nova Robotics goes bankrupt after the "destruction" of one of their robot prototypes, one of their programmers, Benjamin Jahveri (Fisher Stevens), is peddling sophisticated toy robots that he makes by hand on the street corners of New York City. One robot wanders away from his stand and makes its way into the office of Sandy Banatoni (Cynthia Gibb), a scout for a major toy company. Sandy tracks Ben down and orders 1,000 of his toys. Overhearing this offer is con artist Fred Ritter (Michael McKean), who smooth-talks his way into becoming Ben's business partner in the deal and acquires the funding Ben needs from a loan shark.

Ben and Fred move into a derelict warehouse which is the base of operations for thieves who are tunneling into a bank vault across the street to steal a set of jewels known as the Vanderveer Collection. The thieves (Saunders and Jones) attack Ben and Fred and destroy their equipment, preventing them from completing Sandy's order. However, Ben's friends Stephanie and Newton have sent Johnny 5, a human-sized sentient robot whom Ben helped to create. When Saunders and Jones return, Johnny defends against them, then sets up self-defense mechanisms should they try to break in. Johnny sets to work mass-producing the toys to meet Sandy's deadline but later leaves to explore the city. He runs afoul of many New Yorkers, who are rude and unfriendly. However, he befriends one man, Oscar Baldwin (Jack Weston), who works at the bank across the street from Ben and Fred's warehouse.

Fred, having learned that Johnny is worth $11 million, tries to sell the robot. Discovering this, Johnny escapes into the city, is taken into custody by the police, and is placed in the stolen goods warehouse, where he is claimed by Ben. Johnny uses his robotic abilities to help Ben court Sandy.

With time running out before the Vanderveer Collection is moved from the bank, Saunders and Jones lock Ben and Fred in the freezer of a Chinese restaurant. It is revealed that Oscar is the mastermind of the heist, and he tricks Johnny into finishing the tunnel leading to the vault. Ben and Fred get Sandy to save them, using polyphonic renditions of songs that Ben learned on his date with her as clues to their location. Having discovered the Vanderveer Collection, Johnny deduces Oscar's true intentions but is attacked by Saunders and Jones and is severely damaged. Fred attempts to repair him by breaking into a Radio Shack and following Johnny's guidance. Johnny then locates Oscar and traps his accomplices. However, Oscar flees and steals a boat. Johnny uses a dockside crane to capture Oscar, who is later apprehended by the police. After Johnny's main power supply runs dry, Ben keeps him alive with a defibrillator.

Later scenes show Johnny as a celebrity and Sandy, Ben, and Fred establishing a large business called Input Incorporated, with Johnny 5 as the mascot. The film concludes with Ben and Johnny becoming US citizens. Asked about how he feels by reporters, Johnny, now made out of gold metal, jumps into the air, shouting that he feels, "Alive!"

Cast

Reception

The film received mostly mixed reviews at the time of release. It is rated 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.[3] Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave it a negative review. He wrote "For anyone over the age of 6, the film is as much fun as wearing wet sneakers."[4] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post gave a mixed to positive review (6/10) with qualifiers saying "Short Circuit 2" is unabashedly mawkish and sophomoric, and the actors support the technology. But if you're a kid, or an adult with an Erector Set, you might just enjoy this summer-weight caper.[5] Most of the positive reviews in fact were nice but accepting of the film's obvious flaws. Variety added "Mild and meek, Short Circuit 2 has an uncomplicated sweetness as a successful followup to the original robot kiddie comedy."[6]

Siskel & Ebert, having disliked the first film, gave the film "two thumbs up" and called the film "even better than the original."[7] In a 1988 Los Angeles Times article, the review noted that "Wilson and Maddock have improved considerably here....Their construction is more deft, their dialogue is better, and they make Johnny 5 come more alive..."[8]

At the box office,Short Circuit 2 disappointed, landing in 7th place on its first weekend making only $3,843,067. It finished with $21,630,088, down almost half from what the first Short Circuit film made. It ranked 45th at the U.S. box office for 1988.[9]

Awards and nominations

  • Honored with the Winsor McCay Award [for career achievement]
Awards
Award Category Recipient(s) Outcome
Saturn Awards
Best Science Fiction Film Nominated
Best Special Effects Eric Allard, Jeff Jarvis Nominated

DVD release

Short Circuit 2 was re-released on DVD on April 24, 2007,[7] which included a "making-of featurette" on actor Fisher Stevens. In 2010, the film was released once again with alternative cover-art. A Blu-ray disc of the film was also released in April 2011, though no extras were included.

Sequel

Hot Cars, Cold Facts

Hot Cars, Cold Facts, made in 1990, is a short educational film featuring the Johnny 5 character, voiced by Russell Turner. It also starred Gina Revarra as Lisa, John Hugh as Officer Dave and Donald Bishop as Howard. The film takes place after Short Circuit 2.

References

  1. ↑ "Short Circuit 2 (1988)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  2. ↑ "imdb.com page for Short Circuit 2". Retrieved 10 March 2010. Reference to character's name.
  3. ↑ Short Circuit 2 at Rotten Tomatoes
  4. ↑ Canby, Vincent (1988). "Review/Film; More Adventures of a Robot". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Kempley, Rita (6 July 1988). "Short Circuit 2". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Variety Staff (31 December 1987). "Short Circuit 2". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Short Circuit 2 - DVD". Buy.com. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  8. ↑ Wilmington, Michael (1988-07-06). "MOVIE REVIEW : Number Five Comes Alive in 'Circuit 2'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  9. ↑ "Short Circuit 2 (1988) - Weekend Box Office Results - Box Office Mojo".
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