Customer Reviews

Hardware [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

...A Nasty Mark-XIII military Warbot head---in a pear tree!

Well, not exactly---but that's the plot of Richard Stanley's surreal, cyberpunk, brutal, bloodthirsty dreamscape of a sci-fi flick "Hardware", which you should do whatever you need to do to beg, borrow, or steal a DVD copy. It's sick, bloody, good stuff.

First off, know that "Hardware" director Richard Stanley is a Hollywood wild-man: notorious for all sorts of brooding, decadent fits, he was sacked on the 2nd day of filming for the ill-fated (doomed!) "Island of Doctor Moreau". He snuck back on set clad in nothing but a dog-mask. Takes guts, Richard---takes guts.

Anyway, he was 24 when he helmed this sick, sacrilegious, probably evil little flick about the ultimate Christmas present gone wrong. Wayfaring soldier Moses Baxter (the grounded Dylan McDermott, who brings a lush breeze of reality to all the hynpotically surreal surroundings) finds a severed robot head in the hopelessly irradiated desert and hauls it back to his sexy, crazy artist-lover Jill (played wantonly by the yummy Stacey Travis...yeah). Turns out it's the head of the notoriously unreliable military warbot Mark XIII, and it has a nasty fetish for a little Yuletide bloodletting. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, indeed.

I was relatively young and naive when I first saw "Hardware", and my young self thought the thing was positively immoral. I was shocked. The Mark XIII warbot is an angry young man: it kills viciously, indiscrimately, and then cloaks itself in the raw nuclear apocalypse reds and oranges and shadows of Baxter and Jill's little love shack. And mind you, this thing kills *brutally*. People are sliced in half and boy oh boy, the blood spills out like Franco-American carbonara sauce.

But the real treat here is the grim, brutal, low-oxygen nihilistic setting. We have reshaped the future, says director Stanley. We have modified it. We have tweaked it. We have custom-designed it. Death is now art, art is now Death. Isn't it only fair that Death gets to tweak us?

I cannot express my joy at the news that this film is coming to DVD. This is my favourite movie, and I believe one of the best ever made. I will admit that it can be a bit off putting to the untrained eye, but if you take the time, you will see that this is one of the most impressive, symbolism laden films ever made. Keep some very basic themes in mind, and you'll start to see beyond the great acting and stellar cinematography. The eyes are the windows to the soul. Water purifies and cleanses. On the surface, this film is about a robot that goes crazy in an apartment in the future and kills some people. Underneath, it's about the violation and destruction of one of the last bastions of hope and beauty in a messed up world. If you an answer some of these questions, you'll start to see the grander picture: Who covers their eyes when they fight the MARK 13. Compare this to who lives, and who dies. Who is the drifter (hint: he used to be an angel)? What two events happen in the shower, under a deluge of water, and why? Where is the drill on the MARK 13 located, and why is the last shot of Jill attacking it a removal of this drill? The first 4 letters of the MARK 13's serial number are BAAL. Why? Who or what is BAAL? Did you notice that the MARK 13 runs around killing people with an American flag on it's head, with a drug that smells like apple pie? Who is Jill quoting when she refers to the MARK 13 as being "our final solution."

As you can see, there is far more to this film than meets the eye. If you'll give it a chance, and watch more than 20 minutes of it (see below), you'll see what an incredible work of art this movie is. And now, we'll have it in beautiful DVD format!

1) Sterilization was being pushed by the government, not enforced. You could get sterilized for free was the whole thing, but not enough people were doing it.

2) Yes, hostile environment, which is exactly why overpopulation is a problem. Hostile environment = less room and less resources

3) Moses clearly states, about halfway though the movie that he is no longer employed by the military, to Jill's great chagrin. That is why he doesn't report for duty. DUH

4) Of course people are still going into space; the world they currently inhabit is not very friendly. Did you just not "get" Blade Runner either?

5) The "calamity" was a war that was still going on. That's why Moses WAS in the military. Talk of "the war" happens all through the movie. No one said anything about the war sterilizing people, it was something the government was encouraging people to do.

6) Jill didn't kill the MRK13 with a baseball bat (although that kinda helped) she "killed" it by putting it in the shower and turning on the water. It was said MANY times that it had a flaw that made it vulnerable to moisture/humidity. Where the heck were you? That was the only thing that was repeated ad nauseum.

Mix "Terminator", "Pitch Black", and "Silence of the Lambs" and what have you got? "Hardware". This movie is not only a great SciFi movie, but an excellent thriller as well. Fans of other genres should enjoy this one. It offers a good deal more than a futuristic society on the brink of destruction. The unusual character personalities and the psychotic nature of the machines takes it a notch above many movies it is sometimes compared to. The camera work and visual effects are excellent. A great soundtrack makes it all the better. I recall when I saw it I thought Iggy Pop's was incredible. The story takes time to evolve but what starts out at a "Mad Max" level rapidly evolves to "Road Warrior" status. I highly recommend it to SciFi fans and non-fans alike.

It's hard for me to understand why more people haven't seen this movie. With the dearth of truly excellent science fiction movies out there, I would think that more people would have been exposed to this very fine, terrifying science fiction thriller. However, if this movie does truly come out on DVD as is rumoured, perhaps more people will get a chance to experience this canonical classic.

This film has every factor you would want in a scary science fiction movie -- a killer robot, artistic statements, a kick-rear-end soundtrack, superior acting, political statements, drugs, the snuffing out of humankind, and even good-old weirdness ("wibbly-wobbly walk"). However, what really sets it apart from the slew of mediocre sci-fi thrillers in this genre is the exceptional screenwriting, which develops the tension, suspense, and terror that grips you so effectively when you watch this movie.

If you like "Alien" and "Aliens", you'll love this movie. In fact, you will love this movie even if you don't like science fiction in general. The only people who shouldn't watch this movie are those who don't like scary movies, because this one will absolutely *terrify* you.

Apparently there is going to be a new release on DVD of this movie sometime between June and September 2009. It will be a director's Cut and will be loaded with extras. And the picture quality should be 100 times better than the old DVD which some reviewers have compared to a bad VHS copy.

This is a GREAT film, borrowing from BLADE RUNNER, THE TERMINATOR, MAD MAX, and slasher films -- but with its own unique story and style. Beautiful cinematography, wonderful soundtrack (with both classical opera and industrial/punk rock scores).

I won't relate the story, as other reviewers have done so. BUT if you're buying the "Uncut Red Edition," there are some issues you should be aware of.

* This "Eurocult" DVD claims it's uncut, "unlike American DVD and VHS editions." Not true. Yes, this Uncut Red Edition may be uncut, but it contained no scenes that I hadn't seen in my American tape edition. Maybe some tapes were cut, but not all.

* More importantly, this DVD is FULL SCREEN. I'd hoped to see HARDWARE's beautiful cinematography in its wide screen glory, but it was not to be.

Why go to the trouble of releasing an "uncut" edition -- then sell if full screen? Maybe because ...

* This DVD looks to be STRUCK FROM A TAPE. Some colors are faded, as from an old tape. But the real giveaway is that there are occasional black glitches, like video dropouts.

Yes, that's right. This Eurocult "Uncut Red Edition" looks to be struck from an old, full screen videotape.

I'm still glad I got the DVD (though pricey at $20). I wish someone would release an "uncut" digitally remastered wide screen edition of this great film.

This is a five-star film, but I'm deducting one star for the crappy DVD.

Hardware is a British/American low budget SF horror film that has some good production values considering the shoestring it was made on but has too many rough edges to make it cut art house appeal but may have some cult grains. When Hardware arrived it received good reviews noting that this was a young film maker on the rise. Probably the main reason to watch this is because of the career of Richard Stanley who made the very interesting Dust Devil after this one. There is also the notoriety this film generated when it landed the director in a lawsuit with 2000 AD comic producers because of the story.

Hardware is a post-apocalyptic SF horror about a robot which assembles itself in a woman's apartment and tries to kill her and the occupants. The build up is very slow and most of the film takes place either in the desert or in the apartment. Some of the special effects are pretty gruesome. There isn't much of a story here and it is often boring in parts but these are the types of films that independent film makers need and should get their hands on. It is far from a bad first effort.

Love. The plot is a love triangle between a marine, his girlfriend and his best friend. A soldier returns on service leave to his girlfriends apartment. With him he brings pieces of a derilect droid that was found somewhere in "the zone" as parts for his girlfriend's sculptures. However the droid is far from derilect and begins to run amok in the apartment.

For those who might have missed it, the plot is not in the foreground. Watch the subtle hints and who dies when, and this movie reveals itself to be a masterpiece of the low budget.

The special effects are good when you consider what they had to work with, and the cinematography is conveys the proper feeling. If you can pick up on subtle body language and actions, then the acting is stupendous. If you have trouble with this sort of thing you will find the acting passable. McDermott is excellent as the classic tough boyfriend without a clue. Travis is great as the arcwelding, apathetic artist girlfriend who just really doesn't care anymore. Lynch excells as the quick talking yet shy psychedelic using buddy. The plot is complex but hides behind the senselessness of the film.

The only problems with the film is the fact that the violence often overshaows the relationships, but that is intentional. Nothing is supposed to make sense until you examine it closer. This makes subsequent viewings necessary to really understand the film. While this may appeal to some, it usually does not do for a mass audience. This is a film that is fast becoming a cult classic. Well worth the price.

I'm grateful to get it, but this's a kine from German TV and not a very good one. I have a HARDWARE tape I took from DirecTv and it's vastly better. But when such kines (or whatever this's called) come out, the real re-release often isn't far behind. (Like Pacino's CRUISING, which has been making the boot rounds, and now the bona-fide release is upon us. For perfectionists, perhaps waiting might be best. ( Or pay about seven times the price of this issue and MAYBE get the real deal from a re-seller.)

But fuzziness aside, this print is viewable. And it has
'deleted scenes', some of which are pretty edgy...