Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Good movie but grossly overrated

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The USA proudly announces the completion of a supercomputer called Colossus, meant to supervise the defence system. While the champagne is still bubbling in the glasses, problems begin : soon after declaring that the Soviets have developed a similar computer, Colossus starts communicating with its counterpart. It soon becomes clear that both twins get on like a house on fire... Although the ending leaves something to be desired from a narrative viewpoint, "Colossus" is a genuinely taut, suspenseful science fiction movie. It is most notable for containing a crucial warning. Whether this warning will be heeded, is quite another question. I get the impression that it's a "vox clamantis in deserto", the voice of one who is crying out in the wilderness, what with thousands upon thousand of scientists just panting for the chance to become complicit in Mankind's dethronement...Whatever our ultimate fate may be, as humans we're already well provided with age-old failings and flaws. The movie is not only a cautionary tale, but also a black satire about some of these flaws. For instance, there is the sad tendency to expect someone or something alien - if necessary, the Dancing Fairies from Flowersong Wood - to solve our problems. Another flaw consists of the love that human beings feel for their oppressors. People who live under a tyranny start out by being relieved that they have lived to see another day, as opposed, say, to being thrown to starving hyena's. Then, gradually, they start loving their dictator, with a toxic mix of fear, adoration and paranoia. Give it a few generations, as in North-Korea, and you will end up with babies who start praising the Great Guide five seconds after drawing their first breath. In the movie, the Colossus / Guardian entity predicts that people will come to regard it as their rightful and kindly lord and protector. It may very well be right...

I will admit this is probably tied with another apocalyptic film called "Phase Four" but it's still one of the geekiest films in general but most especially apocalyptic films. My memories go back to 70's TV and they would show this film often and I would always watch it up to the soviet scientist's death and switch the channel. I hate long commercial breaks and it's funny that I would watch it several times and thats the last part I remember so less then half way through. This alone gives proof to just how geeked out this film is, if you are not a geek you will for sure be fast forwarding this. That said, it's fun to watch! My reservations are that they show firing squads but don't really show the nukes going off. The first nuke is only covered via the big board like they do in Fail Safe. It's like they wanted this to be toned down when they really could have gone dramatic with it with people dying by nukes. So it's kind of awkward and goes into some mind think chess match, which is implied. If Charlton Heston had done this it would have been epic. I like Eric Braeden in his war stuff, but Heston would have raised it up a notch. Still, the sets are way cool and the premise is very entertaining and because I'm on the geek side, 9 out of 10.

I read many of the reviews so I see no need to repeat the many interesting as well as questionable observations.I read the book shortly after seeing the film when it first opened in NYC so of course I was excited especially because I had recently started my next career - computer software development on mainframes (by the way they still exist and going strong). The movie title when it opened was simply "Colossus". Sometime later they titled the film "The Forbin Project" which I would think was done to improve the film's marketing.I was and still am a movie buff, a futurist, and a lover of science fiction.Most of the criticisms in the IMDb reviews tended to be concerned with its level of computer technology and its datedness, however, in my opinion these tend to miss the strength of the story. Similar to many SCI-FI stories, the specific mechanism of how the technology manages to do what it does will always have technical weaknesses and be out of sync with our times as well as its times, however, when well thought-out as this was, the story's fundamental ideas/concepts will continue to be interesting and thought provoking.Being a futurist I had been thinking about machine advances well before I came across this story so what I liked about this story was leaving mankind with what appeared to be an insoluble problem. When I left the theater I considered the problem and could not come up with a solution other than alien intervention or in desperation I had hoped the heuristic Colossus might develop over time a kinder solution for mankind.. I was pleasantly surprised when I read the sequel "The Fall of Colossus". Any remake I think should include the full story - a wild and still scary end.One review did raise an interesting technical issue that I think has merit. Namely, station troops next to all the missile sites around the world armed with low tech weapons that can destroy the ICBM's as they leave their silos (what about the nuclear submarines - not in this story). Of course planning and coordinating this effort without ever using electronic communications before and during this operation is questionable. I think that even if this solution seems workable, I would be confident that the author could address this "hole", e.g., the launches could occur over an extended period and thereby overcome this "hole". I raised this example because it seems to me the strength of the story is not fundamentally destroyed by this possible "hole". I had considered many other technical issues that have not been presented, but again, for me these "weaknesses" do not weaken the story.Please see and enjoy the film and read "The Fall of Colossus".PS. Where can I find the complete original version DVD?

Yes, the movie came out in 1970, so the computer stuff and general surroundings are dated. But, luckily, legendary Visual Effects artist Albert Whitlock is on hand to provide some very key effects at the beginning to help us buy into the film's premise of a very powerful computer just going online.This computer, Colossus, is given complete control over the United States' defenses. As you can imagine, that doesn't end up being the greatest decision ever made!What follows is for you to see. This really is a great movie, and needs to be seen for not just Sci-Fi fans, but thriller fans.Director Joseph Sargent helmed many good films, my favorite of which is another thriller, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." That also should be seen!All the attributes work: film score, cinematography, acting, etc. And, the ending has quite a nice kick. Recommended!******** (8 Out of 10 Stars)