Movie #23: Android

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"Android" is a sci-fi film from 1982. It is directed by Aaron Lipstadt, who is a well known television director, and stars Klaus Kinski (I think this is the 3rd movie I've reviewed starring this creepy actor) Don Keith Opper and Bri Howard.
The movie is about an android named Max who is shy, clumsy, and very awkward. He lives aboard a space station with a mad scientist and assists him in illegal experiments involving androids. 

Don Keith Opper as the android MAX

Androids have long been banned on Earth because there was an android revolt where the androids went crazy and stopped obeying humans and started killing their owners. Since then, it has been illegal to own or build an android. That's why Max and the scientist conduct their experiments in deep space. The main experiment that the crazy doctor is working on is trying to create an android that will be the ultimate female. He hopes she will serve him in any way, even sexual.

Klaus Kinski as the mad scientist

Max is only 5 years old and has never actually seen a woman, except on old movie videos he watches when he's off duty. Max dreams and fantasizes what it would be like to actually meet a real woman. He suddenly gets the chance when a spaceship signals his space station asking permission to make an emergency landing to repair their ship. Max has strict orders to never let anyone come onboard the station, but... the person requesting to land is a woman. 

Max decides to grant permission. What Max doesn't know is that the woman and her two male companions are actually deadly criminals who escaped a space prison.
The prisoners land and come aboard and use aliases and make up a story to fool Max into letting them stay for a while so they can work on their ship. Max is so preoccupied by the woman that he is easily fooled.
When the scientist finds out what Max has done, he is furious. That is until he too sees the woman. Then he wants to use the woman in his experiment to transfer some of her sexuality into the female android he is working on.

The scientist is still mad at Max and fears that Max is developing the same condition that caused the androids of earth to rebel. Max hears him recording in a voice log stating that he will terminate Max once the female android is complete and she will be his replacement.
Later, the police track the stolen spaceship the criminals escaped on to the space station. They ask permission to land. Max, in love with the human woman and not wanting harm to come to her, blasts the police ship out of the sky with a laser. When the criminals find out Max has helped them they take a liking to him. The woman tries to make out with Max, but freaks out when she discovers he is an android. She flees.

Max the android in killer mode

The criminals get in a fight over the girl making out with the android and the main criminal guy kills the girl. The other criminal guy challenges him and also gets killed. 
The scientist reprograms Max to kill the remaining criminal. Max does. Meanwhile more police arrive. while they are searching the ship, the scientist tries to make out with his new female android creation, but she resists and fights him. Max shows up and helps her fight the scientist. When the police storm the lab, they find the two androids who are disguised as the scientist and his female assistant. They ask to return to Earth with the policemen. They hope to seek out any surviving androids and start a new life with them.

                     Click the box above to view the trailer.

The movie had some pretty good special effects for a low-budget '80s movie. The sets were great too. Klaus Kinski played a great mad scientist... he's usually creepy in every role he plays. 
Don Keith Opper was very believable as an android. His odd and quirky behavior was quiet convincing. Watching his performance was the best part of the movie. He later played the bounty hunter in the "Critters" franchise.
Overall I thought it was a good, solid, sci-fi flick. The story seemed pretty original too. It's available on Netflix. Check it out.

- Patrick Shawn Bennett
Broadcasting from Android Central

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