"Screamers" are not man's best friend. Intelligent mini-buzzsaws, they burrow through the sand and launch into a person's face, leg, or arm--often separating a particular appendage from the rest of the body. Commander Col. Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) has to contend with these critters on his lonely outpost Sirius 6B, as well as enemy forces from the New Economic Bloc. Working from a short story by Philip K. Dick, Alien screenwriter Dan O'Bannon scripted this reasonably intelligent thriller that features elements of Alien, Blade Runner, and Tremors. Those looking for strong character development--rarely a concern in science-fiction films--should look to an Ingmar Bergman film, not here. But, it's been a long dry spell for decent sci-fi, and fans have been screaming for something with a little brains (and Screamers does have a fairly techie plot). A strong optional purchase.
Screamers
(Columbia TriStar, 118 min., R, avail. July 23) Vol. 11, Issue 4
Screamers
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: