#242: Short Circuit 2

Release Date: July 8th, 1988

Format: DVD

Written by: Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson

Directed by: Kenneth Johnson

3.5 Stars

I went back and read my review for the first Short Circuit: 2.5 stars, fun practical effects, and a great performance from Fisher Stevens (problematic, yes, but great). My biggest lament was that director John Badham and screenwriters S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock didn’t fully commit to the story’s big and interesting ideas (I also didn’t like Steve Guttenberg in the lead role). Maybe the budget was too small, that’s fair, but Short Circuit seemed a bit insecure. It wanted to touch on the themes of artificial intelligence and death, just not too much. This is a kid’s movie after all.  

That was a mistake, I think, and one that Short Circuit 2 confidently solves. It’s a great kid’s movie, and one of those rare examples of a kid’s movie sequel being better than the original.

Wilson and Maddock are back as screenwriters, along with journeyman director Kenneth Johnson, and nearly everything is improved upon from the first film: More scenes with Fisher Stevens, (along with some strong supporting performances from Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, and Jack Weston), more Johnny 5 (more on him later), but most importantly, a story that doesn’t patronize kids. Yes, there is silliness here, but Short Circuit 2 is an emotional film that sheds the insecurity of its predecessor and earnestly introduces challenging themes to its young audience, such as the immigrant experience, American identity, capitalism, and injustice.

It’s okay if an 8-year-old doesn’t intellectually grasp it all. What’s important is that these themes give the story an authenticity that a child can feel, if not fully understand.

The story itself involves former Nova Robotics engineer Ben Jahrvi living in New York City, selling miniature toy versions of Johnny 5 on the street. He’s struggling, until one day he happens to meet a con artist named Fred (Michael McKean) and a professional toy purchaser named Sandy (Cynthia Gibb). Together the three of them work out a deal for Sandy to buy 1,000 of Ben’s toys for $50 a pop. Not a bad deal. The only problem is that it will take him years to personally construct all those toy robots.

The solution? 

The real Johnny 5 is shipped by Stephanie and Newton (from the first movie) to New York to stay with their dear friend Ben for a month to help him build all these toys. Of course hijinks ensue once Johnny 5 is in the city, including stumbling upon a trio of bank robbers who plan to rob the federal bank that’s across the street from Ben’s derelict warehouse. Johnny 5 has never met bank robbers before, and despite all his advanced programming and artificial intelligence, he’s a bit of a mark. It doesn’t take long for the mastermind of the job, Oscar (Jack Weston), to realize this. Not only does he befriend Johnny 5, but he plans to con the innocent robot into assisting his crew in the heist. 

This isn’t the only struggle that Johnny 5 faces in Short Circuit 2. Others include Fred trying to sell him to a tech company for $11 million, New Yorkers treating him as a machine rather than a sentient being, and even his closest friend, Ben, using him as a wingman to ask Sandy out on a date, and then abandoning him in the city for the evening. All of these experiences leave Johnny 5 feeling listless and alone. Does he even want to live amongst these self-serving humans after all?

The film builds to a scene where Johnny 5 realizes that his friend Oscar is actually a bad guy, but it’s too late. He’s ambushed, and the other two robbers beat and chop Johnny 5 nearly to death. 

I’m a little embarrassed to admit how emotional I found this scene. I can’t think of another children’s movie that depicts a protagonist in this way, crying out for help as he’s being murdered, confused as to why all this is happening. It’s really heartbreaking.

Redemption is found in the end, thankfully, and Johnny 5 and Ben go on to live happily ever after, but it’s those deeper tones of Wilson’s and Maddock’s script that make Short Circuit 2 such a rewarding and powerful film. I think it’s a great script, even if it is a movie made for kids about a talking robot.