Highly effective sci-fi movie which knows when to throw in a bit of horror without going overboard.

Its dataline late 21th century, location some alien planet called Sirius6B which looks like the Rocky Mountain's in January (all these damn alien planets are the same.........Conspiracy!!!!!). Its fighten time between miners and the mining company as the hunt for Berynium (hollywood rule 128, all fake metals must end in Nium) is the big local news. But the miners are smart and have invented Screamers, a type of authonomous sword/slashy thingie to help in their battle. Unfotunately these Screamers have begun to evolve and think for themselves. The story picks up months after the supposed end to the conflict and follows Peter Weller in his attempt to escape the hell that Sirius6B has become, with those sneaky Screamers lurking around every turn.

First off kudo's to these Screamers that frightened the bejesus out of me. As the name suggests they scream pretty loud when unleashing an attack and i must admit i was wary of all garden shears for a while afterwards, and they don't just come in blade variety either. Oh no these things are experts in disguise.

Visually its not great, indeed with a budget of $20M you would have expected it to look better then a made for TV sci-fi movie but it seems someone was creaming off the top because bar the main characters there really isn't a lot else in play, no big destroyed cities, no mass screamer attacks which you really do pine for at points but alas they do not come.

But Weller and his ragtag bunch in tow do compensate, and like I said it was a movie that un-nerved the hell out of me at points.

I was a tad surprised to find out this is based on a Phillip K Dick book (whoever got his book rights in the will is laughing all the way to the bank now) but I suppose i should have twigged it because a lot of the fear and uncertainty in the movie is of the cerebral variety over the visual.

Certainly a mid 90s rough diamond, worth seeking out.

B+

C-. Ruined the source material.