D.A.R.Y.L.

I had forgotten about this little 80's film until I ran across a reference to its Marvin Hamlisch score at a film score website. I remembered it as a good film and had to see it again three decades later. It holds up nicely. It was one of a number of science-fiction and fantasy films aimed at kids that came out in the wake of E.T. That film had been conceived as a no more than a kid's sci-fi flick and given a ten million dollar budget, about one half that of Close Encounters. When it became a mega-hit and made 400 million, it spawned a series of youth films like Explorers, The Flight of the Navigator, The Neverending Story and The Goonies. Unlike some films aimed at kids, D.A.R.Y.L. can be enjoyed by adults as well. It's neither too silly nor condescending. The plot requires you to accept the concept of a boy who is actually a kind of a bio-formed robot with a computer for a brain, and there are a few plot devices you simply have to accept, but it's worth it for the fun of the film. Daryl gets away from his military makers and ends up in a typical American 80's suburb in South Carolina (though it seems it could be anywhere). With a super mind, remarkable baseball talent and a piano playing talent to rival the young Mozart, he amazes the foster parents with whom he is placed yet never seems too much. In fact we come to see Daryl as a real, if special, kid. Of course people are looking for their lost experiment and this sets up a dramatic plot. The film is very well made, directed by Simon Wincer, who later went on to direct Free Willy. The acting is believable with Michael McKean, Mary Beth Hurt and Josef Summer in the lead adult roles. Barret Oliver is completely believable as Daryl and I'm surprised he didn't have a bigger career in film. He has become well-known as a photographer. Hamlisch's score serves the film well. It's good that the producers didn't succumb to having an 80's pop song soundtrack, which would really date the film. As it is, with the exception of the lack of modern computers and smart phones, the film feels quite contemporary. of course the clothes, hairstyles and Atari games definitely show its time period, it's nothing too heavy. The plot is just believable enough, and everything Daryl does in the later part of the film has been previewed in the first part. It's all been well thought out. This is a sweet, heartwarming film that goes by pleasantly. "A machine becomes human when you can't tell the difference any more".

D.A.R.Y.L. is a largely misunderstood movie. Superficially the movie is about an experimental military project in cybernetic life forms; But really this is just the vehicle for telling a story about humanity and values like: Love, Loyalty, Friendship and Family. This is the irony of the film. The central charachter Daryl (a 12 year old boy) is not really entirely human. He was born in a test tube and grown in an incubator. He has a human brain but its wired to a super computer chip planted deep in his brain. His concsious, memory and his personality resides here. The idea of the project being to find a way to make machines that see the world the way we do and also to make android soldiers. Something goes wrong however and Daryl starts to think and act independently. He develops feelings and all the other qualities that make a human "Human". One of the scientists working on the project decides that Daryl is for all intents and purposes human and smuggles him out of the research facility to save him from destruction (because he is a prototype). The scientist does smuggle Daryl out successfully but dies in the process. Daryl stranded on top of a mountain is picked up by some well meaning people traveling in the area and they drop him off at an orphanage. This is where the story really takes off. Daryl does not have any past or parents so he has no memories of these things and everyone believes he has shock induced Amnesia. He is placed in a foster home with a couple who have been looking to adapt a child. They fall in love with Daryl and desperately want to adapt him. Unbeknownst to them the military wants him back and will stop at nothing to get him. While not rising to the level of art; this is one of my absolute favorites and one the finest movies ever produced on many levels. The plot is unlikely but is made to work beautifully. The story line flows and everything blends together perfectly. The acting is extremely good especially by Barret Oliver who plays Daryl. Not to take anything away from the rest of the cast who are first rate. There are some humerous moments in the movie as well. These are incidental and appropriate and never degenerates into comedy. The ending is as perfect and ending as you could wish for. It is the happiest most joy filled ending to any movie I have ever seen and is accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack by Teddy Pendergrass called "Somewhere I belong". I highly reccomend this film. It is highly sensitive to the value of Human life and Decency. Has great replay value and its extremely family friendly. I hope they put this on Blu-Ray.

This day in age, more and more obscure movies are getting cleaned up on Blu-ray and 4k.....but I bothered to look this one up to see if there's a version of Daryl that's just the Blu-ray, but the cleaned up combo is the one you want with the 4k. Aside from that little issue, this is a great movie and should've had a proper DVD release, during the original DVD craze. Barret Oliver is better known as Bastian from The Neverending Story, but I honestly think he shines more in this film. Between this and The Terminator, Daryl seriously got shoved under the bus as far as the popularity goes, but between the two of them, Daryl puts the AI front and center where the other is much more discreet. I'm actually surprised there isn't another version of this storyline done in the 21st century, but for what this movie is, this should wake up not just the United States, but the world. What's harder about this concept is that this should freak people out, but it doesn't. Just within the last two to three years, there are more life-like robots being made that are using AI, and now they are introduced AI robotic women being manufactured to be your girlfriend, this is wrong on so many levels. I don't mind it showing up in movies, but in general, you shouldn't mess with AI.....

I love this movie and will watch it again even though i've seen it at least 4 times.

To avoid giving away specific details, I will just say that this is an outstanding movie. It is realistic in most respects, and very well portrayed. Certain scenes will certainly bring back old memories, and if you happen to be a military veteran with some experience with aircraft, you will most definitely be pleased. I give this movie my highest rating!

Un altro dvd che non può mancare nella videoteca degli appassionati dei film cult anni 80. È stato un vero piacere rivederlo dopo tanti anni. Il dvd è arrivato ben impacchettato e protetto. Consigliato a tutti.

梱包も丁寧で満足しました。内容は思い出しました。字幕なしなことはわかっていましたが、いざ手に入れてみると字幕スーパーが欲しくなる。それが星の数減らした理由です。

Muy buena peli

BEST WAY to show that SOME PARENTS are NOT HELPING their CHILDREN that having LESS WEALTH is still BETTER than being VERY GREEDY all the time

De manière surprenante, ce film des années 80 n'a pas pris une ride, même si l'informatique de l'époque paraît bien obsolète, parce qu'il pose la question du progrès technologique au service d'un intérêt prédateur (constituer une armée de soldats-robots). Face à ce projet fou se pose soudain une autre question : le robot biotique est-il humain ? car il semble éprouver des émotions (comme jadis on s'est posé la question : les "sauvages" sont-ils des humains ?). Le film montre très bien (avec presque 20 ans d'avance !) que les relations que l'enfant établit avec ses proches va sculpter son cerveau (électronique!) comme elles sculptent le cerveau (biologique) du petit humain (nous ne sommes pas loin de l'épigénétique!). Grâce à des acteurs très crédibles et surtout grâce au jeune Barret Oliver qui a cette formidable capacité à traduire les émotions, ce film réserve aussi de grands moments de cinéma avec une mise en scène lumineuse et des traits d'humour réjouissants.