This film is clearly treated as a fantasy and is clearly directed toward children. None of the characters are treated realistically and the whole thing is nothing but a high tech Sci-Fi fairy tale. So to criticize the film for being unrealistic is to miss the point.
The boy is clearly the protagonist and the characters of the parents are cardboard stereotypes. Okay, I'll be generous and call them archetypes. The tone of the film doesn't start out this way; the first scene has the scientist (whom we assume will be the protagonist) meeting with two Generals.
But soon enough we meet little Timmy and the whole tone of the film changes abruptly. Even though he is not an appealing child actor or character, (others mentioned his whiny voice) he is in fact convincing as a dull kid who gets an infusion of intellect from the manipulative supercomputer.
Nobody else mentioned this, but for a lot of the film the tone here is quite similar to the work of Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Matilda. Like those works, here the child(ren) is/are the main characters and soul of the film, and all the adults are either indifferently cruel or cartoonish buffoons. One of themes is children being dismissed by adults and not taken seriously. Like in Charlie, there are fantastic sights and sounds, but with the threat of violence and murder lurking somewhere underneath. Should I even have to mention that many Grimm's Fairy Tales, the classic children's stories, are laced with murder and violence as well? There are also some similarities to the only live action film written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), another film from the 1950's, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.
I was hoping for another black and white '50's schlock piece, something along the lines of I Was A Teenage Werewolf, but this was an interesting diversion and somewhat of a surprise. If you like Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you should check this out, if you're a kid or an adult. I also have to note the excellent musical score by my favorite film composer and lounge music legend, Les Baxter.
The boy is clearly the protagonist and the characters of the parents are cardboard stereotypes. Okay, I'll be generous and call them archetypes. The tone of the film doesn't start out this way; the first scene has the scientist (whom we assume will be the protagonist) meeting with two Generals.
But soon enough we meet little Timmy and the whole tone of the film changes abruptly. Even though he is not an appealing child actor or character, (others mentioned his whiny voice) he is in fact convincing as a dull kid who gets an infusion of intellect from the manipulative supercomputer.
Nobody else mentioned this, but for a lot of the film the tone here is quite similar to the work of Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Matilda. Like those works, here the child(ren) is/are the main characters and soul of the film, and all the adults are either indifferently cruel or cartoonish buffoons. One of themes is children being dismissed by adults and not taken seriously. Like in Charlie, there are fantastic sights and sounds, but with the threat of violence and murder lurking somewhere underneath. Should I even have to mention that many Grimm's Fairy Tales, the classic children's stories, are laced with murder and violence as well? There are also some similarities to the only live action film written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), another film from the 1950's, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.
I was hoping for another black and white '50's schlock piece, something along the lines of I Was A Teenage Werewolf, but this was an interesting diversion and somewhat of a surprise. If you like Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you should check this out, if you're a kid or an adult. I also have to note the excellent musical score by my favorite film composer and lounge music legend, Les Baxter.