Screamers (1996)

30% of critics liked it
(30 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(8,610 ratings)

This action-packed sci-fi thriller is set upon the planet Sirius 6B in the year 2078. The planet has been decimated by a vast nuclear war. Many have survived, but their continued survival is threatened by the dreaded screamers, strange shape-changing mechanical creatures who use razor sharp knives… More This action-packed sci-fi thriller is set upon the planet Sirius 6B in the year 2078. The planet has been decimated by a vast nuclear war. Many have survived, but their continued survival is threatened by the dreaded screamers, strange shape-changing mechanical creatures who use razor sharp knives to hack up any life-form in their way. They earned their name because when they kill, they make a horrible high pitched sound. The first screamer makes its appearance as a lone soldier approaches a bunker. He has come to deliver an important message from the NEB to its enemy the Alliance. Unfortunately, the low flying screamer gets to the soldier first, and quicker than Popeil's Vegamatic, slices and dices the fellow into tiny pieces. Later a jet crashes near the bunker. Aboard it is a nuclear reactor. One man survives the crash. The man, Ace, knows how to make a bomb with the reactor. Alliance-leader Col. Joseph Hendricksson takes Ace and they travel across the great irradiated desert to met with the NEB leaders. Along the way they find a small boy and though they don't want to, bring him along. Unfortunately, by the time they get to the NEB headquarters, the screamers have killed all but Becker, a tough soldier, Ross, who is nearly mad, and sexy smuggler Jessica. When Becker and Ross see the boy, they think he is a screamer and kill him. They are right and soon the little group find themselves surrounded by the hellish killing machines, all of which have taken the shapes of small boys. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Christian Duguay
Written By: Dan O'Bannon
Genres: Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jan 26, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Sep 6, 2000
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
Based on a short story by the great nutball sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, Screamers is more like a high-pitched rip-off of Alien.
Brendan Kelly, Variety
A fun, fast-paced futuristic thriller with enough jolts per frame to keep even the most impatient action fan happy.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Until it succumbs to one cliche too many, Screamers, which was directed by Christian Duguay, does an efficient job of generating a stomach-knotting tension.
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times
There's nothing exhilarating or enjoyable in any of this.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Screamers oozes atmosphere. It's a dark film that borrows heavily from the likes of the Alien films, Dune, Blade Runner, and John Carpenter's updated The Thing.
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
A pile of recycled space junk, it alienates even while flinging body parts into the audience's yawning faces.
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
not as cool as it could be
Derek Adams, Time Out
The design and effects teams have lent scale and impact to the futuristic locations and sets. If only Duguay's flashy, aimless direction had succeeded in filling these barren wastes and antiseptic interiors with something resembling human life.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Sacrifices last traces of plausibility and common sense for the sake of "surprise" twist that any experienced viewer could have predicted ages ago.
Madeleine Williams, Cinematter
The movie ends with a weak gimmick, and leaves you with the feeling that it could have done better had it had more trust in itself and its own concepts.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

xGary X

A collection of soldiers and refugees from a civil war on an abandoned colony planet are hunted by an army of self replicating killing machines that have evolved from their own mechanical booby traps. Screamers actually starts with a lot of promise as the usual sci-fi cliches are… More
A collection of soldiers and refugees from a civil war on an abandoned colony planet are hunted by an army of self replicating killing machines that have evolved from their own mechanical booby traps. Screamers actually starts with a lot of promise as the usual sci-fi cliches are tempered with some interesting politics and an underlying message about the dangers of meaningless cold wars and the ultimate price to pay for the arms races that accompany them. The no-name cast acquit themselves reasonably well and despite the variable quality of some of the effects, it provides some atmospheric and tense scenes as the motley crew of survivors attempt to evade their unseen enemies. Unfortunately the script didn't seem to know where to go from there and it all gets a little twist happy and silly by the end. But the biggest problem with Screamers is it treads the same ground as some of the best sci-fi films of all time; namely Aliens and The Terminator and seriously suffers in comparison, especially considering how low budget and straight to DVD it all feels. It's not terrible though, and a strong performance by Weller and some inventive sequences make it a reasonable way to wile away an hour and a half. If you haven't seen either of the aforementioned classics though, there's really no contest.
Brian D

Great Film and a good performace for Peter Weller.Nice idea for a movie and the soundtrack is fitting. It's a blast.
Dean M

This sci-fi film is fine, but slow-paced and predictable.
Jason D

Well made if somewhat corny sci-fi. Worth a look.
Steven V

Based on a Phillip K. Dick story, this movie delivers, but suffers because of the apparently tight budget. The special effects feel fated when watched today, but they are not too bad. Peter Weller is as usual decent enough in the lead and the rest… More
Based on a Phillip K. Dick story, this movie delivers, but suffers because of the apparently tight budget. The special effects feel fated when watched today, but they are not too bad. Peter Weller is as usual decent enough in the lead and the rest of the actors left rather much to wish for though. A sappy ending lowers the grade a notch, but this is still worth watching.
Joseph E

So Distraught in it's own vien attempt of a Thrilling, Out-of-this world Sci-Fi extraveganzsa, that it slightly entertained, and had a plot so loose and disfigured, I felt inclined to ask who ever wrote it, to stiop writing Screenplays.
Lauren D

When I first saw this, the main thing I remembered was that there was a cool Mozart song at the start. Yeah, don't ask, I was young. I haven't read the book/story it was based on, but it was really enjoyable. Although it was predictable, I think that was mainly due to my… More
When I first saw this, the main thing I remembered was that there was a cool Mozart song at the start. Yeah, don't ask, I was young. I haven't read the book/story it was based on, but it was really enjoyable. Although it was predictable, I think that was mainly due to my being able to predict pretty much everything in movies, I love science fiction and this is an awesome movie.