Everything you need to know about Runaway (1984)

[@kelvinh8327]

Screw the critics - it was a very watchable film.

[@enilenis]

I watched this film in a theatre with my father in 1988. For me, nostalgia nullifies all the inherent silliness. For the time the film was made, special effects were top notch. I didn't now anything about Kiss, or even seen Tom Selleck before. I simply enjoyed the film for what it was - a genuine adventure.

[@Richard_Ashton]

I watched this movie (rented on VHS) with my son. He always called it 'Runaway Robot' and loved it. So did I.

[@shallendor]

This was such a great film, and Gene Simmons was perfect as the Villain in it! Gene Simmons stole the show every time he is on screen!

[@johnashton4776]

Simmons was also in Miami Vice The Prodigal Son, the technology in the movie is what we are using for the last decade i.e floaters, Bluetooth, on-screen display cars.

[@1wwtom]

This neat little SF film has in my library since the VHS days, underrated for sure. All my stuff is Digital now including this one.

[@matts2581]

All I remember about this film because I was so young ( ~7-years old), was seeing the advert' and going and being hot 'n' bothered about making the small multi-legged robots out of my Legos - and being proud enough of my quick success. I remember something about leaving the house with my parents - probably that night that I saw one of the ads that night, or recently enough... ...that I had packed away my new Lego creation to take it out of the house with me that night - whenever that was. But, this IS how I remember things. Lego's - totally fresh! ...Blondie - mega cutie though. :) :D : P

[@hankmessaros1835]

When I went to see this movie . I did not know what to expect from it, lolololol when it was over we couldn't stop talking about how great the movie was.

[@justinreilly6619]

I was a kid when I watched this, I remember really liking the robot spiders. Great throwback Jonathan, I enjoyed listening to your critique. 👍

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Love this film. It predicted camera drones, self driving cars, automated restaurant kiosks, robotic assisted surgery, farming automation, bomb disposal robots... and heat seeking bullet missiles... we have those now right?

[@Cre8Lounge]

I only wish there was a sequel

[@leewright1]

Such an underrated 80s classic. As is Selleck as an actor.

[@josemoreno3334]

@Gen. Lee Interested Good point. Look at the stuff on Star Trek ( TOS ).

[@josemoreno3334]

@Gen. Lee Interested Look at the stuff they had on Star Trek ( TOS ).

[@dohc1067]

Truly a movie ahead of it's time.

[@TheCandiRose]

I have been looking for the tittle to this movie for years. All I could remember was those mechanical spiders. Thank you so much for this!

[@opencurtin]

Johnny is excellent at these videos

[@richardtwyning]

I loved Runaway. It's a film I need to watch again as it's 30 years since I've seen it. I thought the robot spiders were a bit cheesy, but so much of it is now reality.

[@smalldoggymike]

Robot spiders freaked me out as a kid.

[@DeltaDemon1]

One of the problems with "Technology Gone Awry" movies is that the reason the technology has gone awry is usually glossed over or it's "just because" or unexplained at all. In this one, it's a more explained premise as to why technology goes bad. It is very good in that sense. I love this movie.

[@jamiebraswell5520]

I wanted to see this in theaters so badly, but never got to. I was fourteen!

[@livinglandmine]

This NEEDS to be remade. It's so much more relevant TODAY.

[@pca1987]

0:19 Well, to be fair, in Blade Runner the replicants are not robots. They are bioengineered life forms with expiration dates.

[@PuppetDungeon]

The film had a great life on cable and VHS, and you gotta hand it to the director for grounding the story in reality while everything else was Star Wars. Siskel & Ebert remain the worst at knowing what was going to stand the test of time. I watched this the other day and it's still great stuff, even with the klunky dialogue. Robot spiders man... bullet missiles...

[@bhbluebird]

I remember I liked this movie and was a bit surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit. Simmons was a bit over the top, but it was a fun sci-fi action movie.

[@DMSProduktions]

Tom & Gene were great in this flick! Gene knew how to play baddies!

[@ryan8211982]

Runaway came out on December 14th 1984, the same day other movies came out, Starman, Dune and 2010. But none of them over took Beverly Hills Cop.

[@mapesdhs597]

'84 was one of the best years ever for movies by far, especially scifi.

[@fredlandry6170]

I remember this when I was a kid it was a cool movie. I liked the bullet that would track you down when fired.

[@brianknapp6215]

Thank you Jonathan, for giving this hidden gem the proper treatment! The near-future premise, together with the lower key feel and the purely industrial look to the robots should have put the emphasis purely on the human characters. Unfortunately, while Crichton's directing is flawless from a technical standpoint, his script suffers from the lack of a much needed rewrite. This was the real Achilles Heel of Crichton's directing style ( _The Great Train Robbery_ also reflects this) that he lacked a certain human touch (probably a good thing he never used his medical degree to become a doctor- his bedside manner would have been terrible!) The casting, however, is brilliant! Selleck's overtly cynical approach to Ramsey is refreshing (despite the flat script) and Simmons is downright *brilliant* as Luther (too bad the poor reception of this film led to no further acting roles for him.) Even the supporting cast is surprisingly good. (Note: G.W. Bailey and Michael Paul Chan would later both star in the excellent TV crime drama series _The Closer_ and _Major Crimes_ ) While Kirstie Alley's character Jackie is deliberately one- dimensional, Cynthia Rhodes is definitely crushworthy as Thompson. This movie had such promise: a believable premise, excellent cast, brilliant technical directing, and great effects work. It's too bad that the humanity that Crichton wanted to bring to the screen just didn't translate fully.

[@MrUnicorn44]

Mr Simmons did plenty of roles following this; just not in things you'd really expect, to be honest. Remember 'Wanted: Dead Or Alive,' or 'Trick Or Treat'?

[@TheJayrockerr]

@@MrUnicorn44-Yes. That is true. He was also in a Miami Vice episode.

[@MoonsingerMedia]

Still one of my fave films .. and a great score by Jerry.

[@paulhunter1525]

Another unrelated gem, Outland, which features Sean Connery also has great score by Jerry Goldsmith.

[@MervynPartin]

A very enjoyable movie. A pity that it did not do well in the box office, but after some difficulty, I managed to buy the DVD.

[@shireknight01]

Always loved this film

[@stevew8513]

See, this kind of film is a perfect example of a movie that should get a modern reboot. Not a huge beloved classic movie (Ghostbusters, Total Recall, Robocop, et cetera), but a smaller film that didn't quite hit the mark but had loads of ideas and a solid premise.

[@jonasthemovie]

I think this might be a longlost memory I have.

[@BobaFettuccine3541]

Good stuff JonnyBaak.

[@petermarshall3880]

I forgot about this film. Now I want to watch it! I'm also waiting for your video on the Meteor movie. Your music contains pieces from Meteor, which is a favourite of my childhood.

[@cheddarcheese7928]

I swear HBO showed this every other movie in the early days ..

[@williamporter7596]

Thanks for doing this video, Runaway was once of those 80s movies I watched at the time and then over a few decades totally forgot about. I'm a Tom Selleck fan and well and enjoyed the movie back then.

[@chriswatts3697]

Very nice reviews - Love the videos !

[@sheilaholmes8455]

Loved this movie!

[@the-trustees]

Selleck's "innocent man goes to prison" was a hell of a movie. Can't remember the title, but I remember being riveted. I've never been partial to westerns, but I'd really like to see a movie adaptation of Crichton's "Dragon Teeth".

[@Mar-gf1sm]

Well, it was right there, as you pretty much named it: An Innocent Man. I remember it,& it was a thrilling, good movie.

[@blazerocker1734]

Nice video. I first saw this on HBO in the early 90s. I had no idea, and never would have guessed, that this was actually released to theaters. I always thought it was a really good direct to video movie but it fell just short of anything worthy of a theatrical release. Imagine my surprise, eh?

[@IggyStardust1967]

I remember there being a lot of conjecture surrounding Gene Simmons in this movie. Particularly if it was "THAT" Gene Simmons starring in it. People were really divided over "Yes, that's him!" and "No, KISS doesn't show their faces to anyone, not even each other!" camps. Also, being honest; real spiders don't creep me out. The robot spiders in this movie that spit acid... THOSE creep me out. XD For me, personally, this low-budget cheese-fest is a guilty pleasure of mine. But then again, so are most low budget cheese-fests. ;)

[@michaelg.1786]

It wasn't a blockbuster by no means but enjoyed it back in the day, both as a fan of Magnum P.I. and KISS! I enjoyed both Selleck and Simmons' performance.

[@kri249]

The only flaw this movie had was being made in the 80s. But that's also why I enjoy it. Simmons was great.

[@allendean9807]

I had a crush on Rhodes, as a teenager, but felt in this film, she and Sellick didn’t have much chemistry. Tom has way better chemistry with Alley, and she should have had the Rhodes role, in my opinion....

[@Corporal_Hicks]

I love the movie!

[@jpwcpa]

I always loved Runaway as a sci-fi action movie of the 80's. The highway chase scene where Gene Simmons character unleashed multiple miniaturized self-driving kamikaze robot bombs was innovative and had great background music.

[@johanprx7985]

Thanks for making a video about this movie. I love this movie very much, by the way!

[@gallery7596]

I remember watching this on VHS and being disappointed. Crichton's best work as a director were (in my opinion) "Westworld" and "Pursuit."

[@tedmalley7636]

This was quite an interesting and enjoyable movie..casting Tom Selleck as the lead and the always evil looking Gene Simmons (from the group..KISS ) made it a surprisingly well paced futuristic cop vs Bad guy story..

[@johnryder1713]

So long as Jonny keeps us 'Baaked' up we don't care

[@thenumbdave]

It is a good film that certainly stuck in my mind for years after - I still say "do you like sushi" in the tone of the robotesque chef in one scene. Crichton knew whereof he spoke when keeping the robots very real and believable, especially given that he wrote the original Westworld. We all very quickly by into onscreen robots being equivalent to people, but this is one of the few movies that examined the uncanny valley that can exist with advanced technology, if you see what I mean. The idea that we might need a police dept or other emergency service dedicated to mitigating malfunctioning robots seems very real to me! No need for evil geniuses or skynet level sentience, just that fact that they can exist and act independently implies that danger might follow. Side note, I heard that Tom Selleck turned down Raiders of the lost ark to be in this but that may just be an urban legend.

[@Maverick8t88]

thenumbdave Tom Selleck was George Lucas’ choice for Indy and pushed hard to get him, but the shooting schedule and contractual obligations for Magnum PI wouldn’t allow it.

[@penhdog2207]

..but I loved this movie as a 12 year old. Watched it on vhs many times.

[@raulzavala9061]

This movie is a guilty pleasure, I saw it as a kid and have it on DVD, In always wondered why it hasn't even reached a small cult following, Jerry Goldsmith's score is quite listenable, that's one thing I liked Goldsmith because he was always experimental with different musical genres unlike John Williams who always follows the same symphonic crap and never changes a tune.

[@jimcameron1234]

I don't care one of the coolest 80s movies RIP Mr. JURASSIC PARK C.

[@hankmessaros1835]

I just went to my fav web site that has every movie I want to see and watched runaway for the 1st time since the late 80s. It was ok back then it was great. Age got to it

[@Scuffed_Andy]

It's a "visual feast" because Cynthia Rhodes. 🙂

[@chrisfox961]

It would be interesting to reboot this movie with modern technology.

[@rudyrudy6882]

A great movie, to introduce robots in a other way, the fx were great for that time. I was young and crazy about futuristic movies. Thank you for your work

[@madmoran1029]

Soaked and Ebert were the review source for the 80’s middle class mind set. They acted as gatekeepers to “protect” the Karen’s and Jim’s from anything to “artsy” or “euro”. Neither struck me as pro films that made you emotionally invest AND think. Just entertain.

[@bigneon_glitter]

"Mom, I want to see Blade Runner" "No, we have Blade Runner at home" Blade Runner at home: Runaway

[@michaelschwartz8730]

OMG I'm dead

[@JamesGhodbane]

DAMN!!!!!

[@madmoran1029]

Wow....that just sucks. My mom used to pull stuff like that too. Why go to the movies for ESB when there was Battle Star Galactica on the tele? And that had Lorne Green, she would point out.

[@UXXV]

Thank you for posting this video this is one of my favourite films of all time and I managed to find a copy on Blu-ray recently which is an absolute treat. Gene Simmons as an absolutely fantastic evil villain to as you rightly said so if anyone hasn’t seen this I would fully recommend they check it out

[@originaluddite]

Crichton was taller than Selleck? Blimey!

[@TheJayrockerr]

originaluddite Yes, Crichton was 6’9”.

[@petercampbell7330]

Reminds me of I-Robot how the main character is suspicious of technology 🤔

[@thebes118]

Now I want to watch them both again!

[@otsenres1636]

Gene Simmons was so over the top in the movie "Never too young to die" with John Stamos and Vanity. Lol

[@contrabandresearch8409]

This movie was surprising good. Crichton made some great flicks.

[@johnbeechy]

thanks for the upload... i actually paid to see the film in theater.. gene S as the bad guy.//

[@videolabguy]

Michael Crichton. Awesome ideas and visions. Can't write a human story to save his life. Kind of like Arthur C. Clark. They both wrote essentially fictional documentaries.

[@Cascadia-zy5yz]

Did you see the Ipad in this movie, 25 years before it came out?

[@SaturnCanuck]

I liked it a lot. And Gene Simmons was great

[@paulhunter1525]

Dr Lester: You like my little pets, Ramsay? They're let you get on the lift but won't let you get off. You see they're filled with Acid.

[@archenema6792]

I was a teenage sci-fi freak when this came out. I thought the poison cockroach robots were so hilariously bad that I could never take a Crichton film seriously again.

[@RangerDave1959]

I really liked this movie. The only part that didn't work was the romance. It seemed forced and unnecessary, like an afterthought.

[@ethefunfetti]

First saw this on laserdisc

[@tommydecastro2047]

Hey i think this was a good movie.

[@Pahoe77]

Ice Pirates please. & Lassiter.

[@thebes118]

It was a pretty good movie. Ebert only liked chick flicks anyway.....

[@vtbn53]

I actually enjoyed this film, specifically for the machines, but as usual, hated the cliched "human interest" (aka boy meets girl) angle, which, IMHO is always a redundant addition merely to attract the female population. The "inter-species interest" angle as in, for example, Creature of the Black Lagoon, or King Kong, is always much more interesting. PS: When I saw this move I had not the faintest idea who Gene Simmons was, and didn't until he was in some other show where he played himself, can anyone remind me of what that was?

[@Titan52berg]

It was hard to believe that one of the lead singers of "KISS" played the psychotic villain in this movie! Oh, wait! On second thought... No! It isn't!

[@scottmantooth8785]

*this is one movie that COULD be remade and look really good...not dissing the original which i did enjoy just think the effects would be better... although the films tone would in all probability be much darker as a result (think Dark Mirror Meathead episode(nasty) and the rocket bullets are in fact based loosely on an actual thing...called a gyrojet*

[@SimonLeicester]

Just watched it again on Prime. It does feel very dated now compared to others films of the same period that have remained classics

[@petermeyer6873]

Blade Runner had no robots

[@oriolesfan61]

Was a good film. But I was saddened by the death of the blonde police tech who was killed in the restroom

[@MyFlipNWorld]

Thunderbirds end music?

[@bobhulbert4015]

I liked the film when I originally saw it in the 80's. I re-watched it recently and the synthesizer music was so painful it was like finger nails on a chalk board. I really struggled to make it through the movie with that awful music score.

[@paulhunter1525]

Electronic music was just start to appear in films, So equipment used was highly experimental. Now it's because essential most SF feature films.

[@dondevice3342]

SOrry, got to Appelle-moi, stp foulona few misstatements of fact here: IIRC, Magnum PI's noteworthy 8 seasons was in no way a record. MASH had just, done more, to name but one. ALSO: Jerry GOldmsith's first electronic score? Every 'bmoop', bleet' beep' and 'ping" onLOgan Run (1876) soundtrack begs to differ...

[@trikkerman1]

A lot a great movies came out in 1984 and this isn't one of them.

[@christopherdunbar394]

overlook rare film

[@penhdog2207]

I like these videos but the repeatedative tone inflexion is unbearable.

[@Pahoe77]

Easy fix, stop watching.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

Runaway was a bit of a rip-off of Blade Runner and I Robot.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

@@paulhunter1525 Blade Runner was 1982 and I, Robot was 2004.

[@joshuairon1443]

Why does anyone need to know anything about this movie?

[@jamiebraswell5520]

You clicked on the video, so you tell us.

[@joshuairon1443]

@@jamiebraswell5520 I didn't watch it. I only left my comment because I could care less about some movie I've never heard of.