Cyborg 2087 (1966)
8/10
So much better than its 5.2 rating.
4 February 2023
Sim to TERMINATOR great cast of character actors.

The premise for "Cyborg 2087" is similar to the "Terminator" series...but it's not exactly the same plot. In "Terminator", a man comes from the future and is pursued by a seemingly unstoppable cyborg. In its sequel, there's a good cyborg being pursued by an evil cyborg. In both, the evil cyborgs are trying to kill someone who can positively impact the future and prevent a robot apocalypse. In "Cyborg 2087" you have a lot of similarities. A good cyborg (Michael Rennie) goes to the past to stop a scientist from releasing his newest invention because it will be misused to enslave mankind. And, inevitably, he's pursued by evil cyborgs. Obviously the writers of the "Terminator" films must have been inspired by this earlier low-budgeted film.

The film begins in the 2080s. A couple scientists are able to send the good cyborg to Earth in 1966. Its mission is to find Dr. Marx (Eduard Franz) and convince him NOT to release his latest invention...or kill him if he won't agree. This is because his invention is later used to control mankind...by implanting a mind-control device in the brains of every man, woman and child! Once he arrives, evil cyborgs are dispatched as well and humanity's fate hangs in the balance.

For 1966, this actually isn't just another cheapo sci-fi film. Sure, it doesn't have fancy special effects....but no films did in 1966. Plus, it's got an amazing cast of good character actors, including: Michael Rennie, Warren Stevens, Wendell Corey, Eduard Franz, Harry Carey Jr., and Karen Steele. It's too easy in 2023 to look back and laugh at the film when we've gotten used to incredibly realistic effects...and the filmmakers did a great job with what they had.

So is the film good or bad? After all, the reviews for this are all over the place...so it's hard to know what the film is actually like. Well, my answer is that it is an excellent film...and I am very glad I watched it because of its very intelligent script.

By the way, although I liked this film, I must admit that it was rather sad watching Wendell Corey's performance. He was in the late stages of alcoholism and it impacted his performance...and he sounded a bit slurred.
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed