X
- 1984
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 39 m
- 1984
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 39 m
Summary In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
Directed By: Michael Crichton
Written By: Michael Crichton
- 1984
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 39 m
- 1984
- PG-13
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 39 m
Runaway
50
5.3
Where to Watch
Summary In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
Directed By: Michael Crichton
Written By: Michael Crichton
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
50
33% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
22% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
50
33% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
22% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
An entertaining, light-hearted cops and robots action adventure decked out in high-tech finery. [14 Dec 1984, p.31]
Runaway doesn't stint on the gizmos, and its inventiveness in that respect is its best feature; it comes up with, among other things, foot-long metallic spiders with a deadly sting and heat-seeking bullets that can be programmed to track specific human targets.
Away from the television screen, Selleck is as stiff as his bulletproof vest. The only fun performers here are sexy, Kinskilipped Kirstie Alley as a scapegoat and a swarm of robot spiders that clatter-crawl all over their victims. [17 Dec 1984, p.84]
The problem with RUNAWAY is that it never reaches deeper than a playful level, amounting to nothing more than great but shallow entertainment. Selleck provides a thoughtful performance, coming across as a real, feeling person instead of the expected Rambo-esque tough-guy stereotype.
This near-future tale, in which Selleck heads a police division tracking murderous machines, is technically quite as accomplished as Crichton's previous work, carrying a strong atmosphere of menace and some virtuoso effects (including a tracking shot behind a bullet that makes the Bond movies seem old-fashioned). But once it turns from the hardware and the action to people, you can hardly believe your eyes or your ears.
Runaway is a Dinky Toy of a film: tiny, shiny, and about half as well-made. [15 Dec 1984]
Starts with savvy concepts (televised mind control and man’s reliance on robots, respectively) and quickly devolves into sour, overwritten diatribes.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
5.3
25% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
75% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 4 User Ratings
5.3
25% Positive
1 Rating
1 Rating
75% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
TriStar Pictures,
Delphi III Productions
Release Date Dec 14, 1984
Duration 1 h 39 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline IT IS THE FUTURE. Machines are being programmed to turn against us. Someone must stop the madman who started it all.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
