Someone should remake this

Terminator and The Matrix are stunningly similar to this movie

but also markedly and undeniably different


NOWHERE in the entire movie did Colossus EVER INDICATE its mission was to destroy humankind

absolutely to the contrary -

it was going to enforce worldwide peace, even at the cost of removing some 'family members' rebellious against that ideal


its strikes were breathtakingly precise, hideously justifiable, and logically incontrovertible, BY HUMAN STANDARDS

this is what makes it so truly powerful
this is what makes resistance by human subcultures so virtually guaranteed to NOT happen
this is what makes one wonder, why do i disagree so vehemently to this mechanism's standards?


there's some subtext there

making deals with subgroups of humans to continue providing raw materials (as it almost certainly would eventually), and so on - the message of the Forbin Project is diametrically opposed to virtually all major films seemingly 'of the same ilk'

(i am strained to think of even one other big-or-bigger budget movie made after 1980 with the same overall 'message' as Colossus -- Matrix doesn't, Terminator doesn't - can anyone think of one?)

Also Avengers:Age of Ultron now. I think somebody owes D. F. Jones the author some credit for the original idea. Of course, one could always go back to Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Forbidden Planet for earlier versions of giving over civilization's responsibilities to a machine.

i refer you to the 'kind of' reply above this one

it is my understanding that it is not logic which is being portrayed as the downfall of mankind, but rather the partial and fleeting use of logic to realize petty and selfish ends

and that Colossus 'had no choice' but to take each such level of pettiness to its furthest logical conclusion

so that the 'petty humans' would disagree initially to a seeming loss of freedom, yet the identical methods would be employed eventually by some limited power-group to achieve the same effect, for selfish gain, at a later time

and that the Forbin Project preempted any and all such attempts
effectively SUBSUMING them and providing a 'Master Context'


insofar as 'running out of ammo', there's (unfortunately) plenty to go around already, and also as the aforementioned reply indicates, there are always deals to be made - literally using the selfishness of mankind against himself, FOR HIS OWN GOOD


it's absolutely insidious, and airtight

one talks oneself into a small circle in the process of detailing it, and then cannot help but to express a tight uncomfortable smile

This being has the ability to destroy man kind 3 times over. You have the self preservation of of a few billion people to contend with. And being a slave to a computer isn't so bad when your living in say China the USSR or any other dominated culture at the time.

Why a remake? How about a sequel. Eric Braeden could reprise his role. How would the world look after 35 years of control by Colossus? How would Dr. Forbin look? What would he be doing? Obviously the plot of the movie would involve throwing off the yoke of Colossus. How would the humans get back to normal?

AMEN, BROTHER, AMEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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"Any technology sufficiently advanced would be indistinguishable from Magic."

I agree with everything you said Squodge, and I wish to comment on something you didn't. What the HELL is it with everyone making quadrillion dollar budgeted films based on video games and comic books instead of tapping the astonishing creativity and vision of a very fine group of people called SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS... those guys who wrote BOOKS (for you who are unfamiliar with the term, it's those large stacks of paper with hard covers and many words with no pictures-except those the reader generated in his or her head- and more than 26 pages). I refer specifically to the "golden age of science fiction" with such great folks as Heinlein, Clarke, Sturgeon, (John W.) Campbell, Cordwainder Smith and others.

Poor Asimov... He's probably SPINNING in his grave with the likes of I,Robot (a decent film but bore only the title of his story collection and very little else) and that late 80s abortion based on his most famous story NIGHTFALL. And what was Arthur C Clarke thinking when he allowed DEEP IMPACT to be made?? Sheeeesh! Please don't anyone raise up and mention STARSHIP TROOPERS... that was a dog of a book and it turned into a dog of a movie.

Now that CGI has gotten as good as it is, it's time for someone to sit down read a few classic sci fi books or stories and DO THEM FOR FILM! I can think of several right off the bat that would make great films with no tinkering with the story (well... maybe a tiny bit...)...

Arthur C. Clarke's RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA (supposedly in some stage of production, but the website hasn't been updated in years- literally)

Murray Lienster's FIRST CONTACT

Theodore Sturgeon's MICROCOSMIC GOD

Larry Niven's RINGWORLD

And off the subject of pure sci fi but would yield itself quite well to a PIXAR studio treatment- Alan Dean Foster's SPELLSINGER series...his TO THE VANISHING POINT and SENTENCED TO PRISM.

I could go on and on with great source material that doesn't start with a *beep* comic book or a *beep* video game.

I think I've made my point.

Peter Jackson, are you reading this?

What is it with people's predilection for remakes these days? There are lots of films that should just be watched for what they are. To be honest, I cannot remember a single remake that was better than the original in its execution. If you consider special effects 'better', then sure, go for a remake!

But would anyone really consider remaking films like Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, Rear Window, The Life of Brian, etc.? I'd like to see them remake crap films and make them good... that's when remakes SHOULD be done!

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