Colossus: The Forbin Project 1969

Director: James Sargent

Starring:
Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, William Schallert, Alex Rodine

Dr. Forbin builds the ultimate defense computer. He calls it Colossus. It controls all nuclear missles in America, both defensive and offensive. It is sealed permanently within a mountain and is surrounded by a radiation sheild that cannot be deactivated.

Immediately after turning the machine on it finds another computer that is it's equivelent in the USSR called Guardian. The two systems begin communicating with each other and decide that they should rule the world.

The two computers do all kinds of nasty things, like launch atomic missiles and assassinate people to get their point across. Now it's up to mankind to defeat them. It all boils down to who's smarter, us or them.

Although this is considered by many to rank right up there with the creme de la creme of sci-fi, I actually found it too talky. The only action we ever get to see is some stock footage of an atomic bomb blowin up, and that's on the computer monitor. Oh yeah, we see two guys get shot as we look through a window. That's it. The majority of the movie is scientific jargon being bantied about.

Gordon Pinsent is convincing as the President. Probably because he looks like he could be one of the Kennedy boys.