I visited the set of Colossus in 1968. My mom, Marion Ross, as you mention, was one of the cast members, and it was exciting to see the film in theaters. I later was myself a member of the cast of Apollo 13, also shot at Universal, and the Mission Control set reminded me of the Colossus set, which might or might not have occupied the same sound stage. I look forward to watching it again, especially as the emergence of AI has made the topic red hot. Thanks for the review!
I love the look of exasperation on Marion Ross' character's face when Forbin chooses a different program than the one she recommends. A tiny part of the film but it made the character seem very human and much more relatable.
In today's era, if it had done well in the BO, it would have been followed by adaptations of the other two books. But unfortunately, it was too far ahead of the movie going public at that time (and most likely of today).
I first saw this film when I was stationed in Vietnam. Since before I enter the Navy, I was a mainframe computer operator I found this film very interesting.
We saw this film when it first played in cinemas. It felt fresh and original. We loved it. Today stories like this are ten a penny. Imitation is flattery? Nope. Imitation, because original ideas are hard work. I can strongly recommend Forbin. It is not perfect, but it is a favourite of mine.
One of my all-time favourites. Although the technology and the Cold War setting are dated now, the movie is perhaps more relevant now than it's ever been by presenting a grounded and terrifying scenario free of the loopy trappings of modern 'AI takes over the world' movies. Gripping and brilliant.
Eric Braeden is one of those actors whose authentic performance lends weight to scifi stories which depend more on an individual's performance than effects. The visualisation of the two computers synchronising at 9:33 was especially compelling. The ruthless yet perfunctory execution of his Soviet counterpart was in tune with the time. I always remembered him from this and the Apes movie. I loved his voice. Europeans always carry that extra layer in the background when they speak while some Americans sound harsh. The way the CIA director resignedly meets his fate with almost a half smile was quite identifiable too.
Well, technically speaking, Colossus didn't "run amuck" but simply decided to proclaim himself Emperor. He didn't kill people for the fun of it and was just going to act on a big macro level to replace bad behaviors and technology with his version. He did give Forbin a lot of slack and even said he'd stop his survellence and could probably care less about mankind's minor foiables as long as they didn't interfer with the grand plan. There have certainly been worse dictators in history than Colossus...
This is one of my favorite movies, period. It's among a handful of films that I think of as hard science fiction - not space opera or fantasy - that deal with crises that arise from a realistic extrapolation of technology, not pie-in-the-sky, "and then a miracle happens" stuff. The Andromeda Strain and Gattaca are in the same league, but I can't think of any other movies that are.
@@justinecooper9575- Now that I think of it, The Terminal Man belongs in that league, too. A lot of what Michael Crichton wrote does. And The Truman Show might as well. Same writer as Gattaca, Andrew Niccol. It's really somewhere between social science fiction and satire, but then, so is reality. I can easily imagine a mega-corporation doing something that monstrous, and the public just eating it up.
The Martian? It's interesting trying to think of what else might qualify, but it kind of depends on how you want to define 'miracle'. After all, when this movie came out, what would you have thought about the idea of carrying a more powerful computer in your pocket?
The Andromeda Strain and Gattaca are both underrated masterpieces. Really getting sick of people telling me their cheap camera has AI. Yeah, and I've got a flying car!
Neat movie. One of my favorites. Influenced my career choice. I used to be a computer war game designer and programmer and I coded a lot of A.I.. Current technological capabilities do not actually allow actual intelligence. I.B.M.'s Deep Blue super computer has less intelligence than a virus. I did find that the A. I. that I coded did unexpected things. Analysis showed that the computer was doing exactly as told, but the code was so complex that it was not easy to see why it did what it did. There are two dangers in A.I.. The first is garbage in / garbage out. The programmer's prejudices and morality can and will determine those of the A.I.. The second is you sometimes get what you ask for. So, if you tell the A.I. to create world peace, it may launch all the nukes and destroy mankind to produce world peace.
Great comment. It reminded me of lectures from a very wise computer science professor from the late 70s. I also worked in the field for almost three decades. Worked for DEC several years before it was sold off in the 90s.
My take is Colossus was programmed to defend the US, Guardian programmed to defend the Soviet Union. The systems realized there was no inherent contradiction in their programming, and the real threat was humans taking action. So Colussus followed its program perfectly, but through an unexpected strategy.
One of my all-time favorite films; I've always said that Colossus: the Forbin Project is the most frightening movie ever produced, a truly cautionary tale that needs to be heeded in this day & age of AI
PERFECT !!! That's just the deception you're meant to fall for, its only at the end of the second story that you learn to love and want to protect Colossus from the humans trying to stop it. The 1968 production is my most favourite SF film of all time, and I still hope to this day and into the future that the two sequels will be made, something which would now be possible thanks to AI ; design a few virtual sets for the second and third stories, and yogether with the original film and two follow up stories current AI should be able to render the two films at long long last. I've been hoping for fifty years to see the sequels made and now there's a chance. :-) :-) :-)
This film is even more an omen now than ever before. Fantastic film and the classy gentleman who played Dr. Forbin was perfect.This is actually a trilogy by D.F. Jones--COLOSSUS, THE FALL OF COLOSSUS, and COLOSSUS AND THE CRAB. Highly recommended.
@@MarkMcCluney 100% must read, at least the second story, the third rounds the trilogy off with a happy ending but the twist during the second is the best I've ever read and cemented my belief in the 1968 production being my most favourite SF film of all time.
Long before Colossus, War Games, Skynet and I Robot people generally thought you were nuts to believe any part of a future that looked like this. AI "light" will be great for identifying military targets and has even been used to identify the different walk of someone packing a suicide vest but when a committee of 3 idiots in suits decides this is the future of all warfare we're all screwed. Give 1964's Fail Safe a second look and see what even modern communications can or can't do. There's no replacing a logical, sober and even compassionate human brain. To quote General Beringer, "I've come to the conclusion your new defense system sucks".
It wasn't until I heard a review of this movie recently that I realized a voice effect for Colossus was similar to the voice of the original series Battlestar Galactica Cylon Warriors.
very well written. When Colossus is about to speak to the world, a TV announcer says "This is a message from the Colossus Programming Office." After Colossus announces his plans for humanity, the announcer, quick to discern what side his bread is buttered on," says "That was a message from World Control".
I was a student at Loyola Marymount University studying film and TV production in the mid-1970s. The cinematographer of this film was Gene Polito and he was a guest lecturer for one of my classes. He showed us this film as part of the class and asked us to note anything unusual about it from a technical standpoint. I had already seen the film and was a fan. Naturally, the entire class was looking for something about the cinematography. At the end, he revealed to us that all of Eric Braeden's dialog had to be redone. Braeden had used his natural German accent and reviews from test audiences were negative. He went back and dubbed every line of his dialog in an American accent.
One of my favourite movies. I first saw it on (Australian) TV in 1974, and was blown away. Of course, it was censored to a fair degree. I always wondered how Dr Forbin was able to the resist the obvious charms of Dr Markham in such close company. It wasn't until years later (when I saw the cinema version) that I realised he WAS human after all! Thanks for the post.
Hal 9000 is my favorite evil computers. I did like this movie talkie but ok. Would have helped financially with a big name star. Enjoy your RUclips videos very educational
Here's some extra fun facts. The actor paying Mr Forbin was also in an Eric Robert's movie called 'The Ambulance', playing the creepy medical doctor kidnapping people to give them forceful transplant operations - very convincingly and with an American accent. The actress from Webster was also in a good SF movie 'The Astronaut', playing the housewife of a replacement astronaut; the real one died on Mars and they had to do plastic surgery on another one to cover it up. And I was a fan of Webster as a kid!!
Didn't realize problems with editing and final release. Probably Eric Braedans finest role (although he great in APE3 as a goose-stepping Nazi type) and early role for mama Walton. There's a short story about a Colossus type computer been turned on and the computer creator asks; 'is there a god...' The computer response 'there is now...' Great review again
Love that short story except. 'The Young & The Restless' gain was cinema audiences loss. Why Braedan wasn't a more in demand film actor I just do not know.
Enjoyed this video TUG. Hilarious Porky's clip, lol. It's really an intriguing cast. I also see Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells of the 6 Million Dollar Man). I know I've seen parts of this movie but if I have seen it all it was a very long time ago and I was really young. It's the same wheelhouse as 90% of Michael Crichton's writings but it appears to avoid his repetitive "somnambulist waking up to the terrors of technology" trope. Yes, I went down the Crichton literary hole back in the early 90's and even met him once. I was trying to get work in development and reading everything of certain authors.
Evil computer ?????? anything running on Windows lol !!! A movie that I loved as a kid (still do) and ANOTHER review of yours that I love ! (as an adult) !
As soon as A.I. started making the rounds in various journalistic forms, I thought of this film. I saw it in its original theatrical run and had really liked it. I hope the times generate some interest in it.
Colossus is my absolute, hands-down favorite movie. I discovered it when I was younger and the ending scared the SH*T out of me. Of course, most of those ambiguous, out-of-human-control movies, like Andromeda Stain, frightened me. When Terminator emerged, I couldn't help but think of Colossus. And of course, Paul Frees. A close second to Frank Welker, my favorite voice actor. I'm glad there was not a remake. Some things just need to be left as is.
Right. No remake, just sequels. Time passes in the novels, so updating the tech from the tech of that time is possible (it wasn't given a futuristic time frame, even with the big video phones, and Colossus ordered an upgrade to Crete at the end of the movie, which is how the second novel begins)...
The second story's ending isn't what you expect, the third gives a (for me) disappointing (but economically understandable) Hollywood style happy ending, None the less I would love to see both sequels if some people would prepare the necessary input for today's AI to render the two.
@@NoahSpurrierI gave 👍🏿in agreement about going ahead and reading the novels. I shall add that the movie being better than the first book because, to my mind, the actor playing Forbin was far more stoic which added impact when he tosses the telephone across the room, a first genuine emotive outburst from an otherwise emotionaless individual. In the book, Forbin is manic and already in a love relationship with his lab partner. Forbin becomes more manic in subsequent novels.
Like I've said on other channels; I almost bought a Laser Disc player just to watch the wide-screen version since only the laser disc had that version prior to the blu-ray release.
A fine film and Braeden was perfect casting. The only issue I have is that Colossus would surely require mechanical maintenance periodically (or at least inspection on site). So this would prevent sealing the computer complex permanently and provide the scientists with a means to undermine Colossus, or just negotiate with it to some extent. Braeden was being considered by Albert Broccoli for James Bond, but this fell through because Braeden didn't hold a British passport (something Broccoli considered essential for any potential Bond actor).
@@graemewilson7975 I will have to get the DVD out to confirm this, but I think it did. It would need replacement parts though. It may have ten copies of the AE-35 board, but eventually, it would use up each of the boards. Of course, unless the board was poorly made, it could be 50-100 years before it would need a new manufactured board and by then (2023? 2070?), it would have people loyal to it who would make sure the new replacement boards were valid and not dangerous to Colossus (I mean World Control).
I believe they mentioned that Colossus was self-repairing, but with all of the moving electro-mechanical parts that are shown during the credits it does seem like it would need some parts installed once in a while. I don't think there is any negotiating with Colossus unless you are willing to risk nuclear annihilation.
Lessons from the film: 1. Don't give your untested AI total control over your nuclear arsenal. 2. Just to be safe, put in a kill switch, so you can turn your AI off. Useful things to remember. Fortunaely, ChatGPT has yet to get the nuclear codes.
Was excited when I saw the announcement for this movie. It feels like very few other folks have seen it. As someone who works in IT, the scene where the computer orders the execution of its testers/programmers still unnerves me. 😅
One of my favorite movies. An alternate take on this movie is that only the powerful are threatened by Colossus. The average citizen comes out no worse and potentially better by removing the greedy, unpredictable short sighted humans fighting for control. I for one welcome my computer overload.
I have never seen the movie but I have read the book it is based on, which has two sequels I have also read. The novel is pretty close to the movie as near as I can tell, The sequels are, however, straight-up scifi that brings Martians into the mix. In the first sequel the Fall of Colossus, they offer to help Humanity defeat Colossus, and they succeed - only for Humanity to learn too late that Colossus knew about the Martians and had kept them at bay. Now the Martians want a steep payment for helping free Humanity: half the world's oxygen (for reasons having something to do with increasing radiation levels from the Crab Nebula; hence the name of the third book Colossus and the Crab. Realizing they were better off with the devil they knew, Humanity works to restore Colossus to save the world's oxygen supply from being stolen. The trilogy is actually rather better than I make it sound.
Agreed. The dispassionate voice of the computer adds to the film's creepy nature. It's the antithesis of the Daleks from Doctor Who running all over the place yelling 'EXTERMINATE!". Another INE that creeps me out but didn't get a lot of attention is Demon Seed.
All these years I've been calling it Collosus: The FORBIDDEN project. Only took me 40 years to have that pointed out. Great film... must have been BBC2 in the early 80s when I first saw it and coincidentally downloaded it to my iPad last week in preparation for my next work trip.
Love this movie; having been a young'un in the 70s, I have a particular affection for 70's Dystopian SciFi (not sure if I should expect a review of ZPG, especially since, even though I have it, I haven't yet seen it, and it is even more obscure than COLOSSUS). Interesting that they considered Charlton Heston, given his preeminence in movies of this sort, at the time. (I'm pretty sure that he could have shouted down the A.I..) All three books are available via Kindle at prices that won't break one's wallet. And the Shout Factory Blu is a worthy investment. "James Bond playing Errol Flynn"? I need to look back on your RUclips playlist. My immediate guess is THE ROCKETEER, though I would want to make sure whether or not you have already covered that one.
Question what's the difference between the message delivered By Klattu in The Day the Earth Stood Still and Colossus?.... Nothing at all!! ...Humanity is being told the same thing in both films Behave and pursue more profitable pursuits or suffer the consequences the choice is YOURS!!
"Mr. Forbin... I've come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks." The two computer related movies I first saw as a youth were this and Demon Seed. Maybe that's why I didn't go into computer sciences...
My memories are the voice of Colossus and the graphics of Colossus and Guardian trying to re establish contact with each other. (Plus the bedroom scenes).
Georg Stanford Brown played Officer Terry Webster on the cop TV show The Rookies(1972-1976). In the short-lived 1982 TV show Police Squad, he cartoonishly gets crushed by a safe.
I have seen this movie twice, the last time was decades ago, but I remember it as an excellent story, with, for that time, "state of the art" special effects. Now with the threat of AI hanging as a real thing, the story is relevant.
Wonderful retrospective on this classic; thanks! I tried reading Colossus the novel ages ago, but couldn't finish it--I didn't like the writing, and it was set in "the future" with flying cars and zap guns. I prefer the reality of the film. DF Jones wrote two more Colossus books (the third involving alien invasion), but I know nothing else about them. It looks like you used pan-&-scan clips; have you seen the widescreen version of the film? LOTS of groovy details and eyeball kicks (for me), like the equipment whirring and Al Whitlock's incredible matte painting. BTW Somewhere out there is Joseph Sargent's DVD commentary: worth a listen (and he went on to direct the action classic Taking of Pelham 1-2-3).
The term "computer bug" arose from a moth getting inside one of the earliest computers. The smell of moth balls from your joke reminded me of that fact...😁
I stumbled across this movie in an unusual way. I'm a HUGE Planet of the Apes fan & when I watched the 3rd film, Escape, I fell in love with the villain, Otto Hasslein. He was mad, bad & dangerous to know but I couldn't help but love him. Years later, I was flipping channels on TV & Colossus was on one night. Upon watching for literally less than a minute, I realised "Hey, Forbin IS Hasslein!". Both played by the insanely talented (and handsome 😏) German actor Eric Braeden. Upon realising, I ordered a DVD copy of Colossus immediately & watched it. Absolutely brilliant & terrifying, it's INSANE how a film from 1970 warned us about our current situation with AI & technology.
VIKI, from Will Smith's "I, Robot", followed the same path, subverting the "3 Laws" to protect mankind from itself, using the NS-5 robots as soldiers... "You have been deemed hazardous... Will you comply?"
What's amazing is how prescient this film was ! The film never imagined artificial intelligence and many other things we have now in the 21st century ; no UAVs, no terminators envisioned then, but what it portrayed in the movie was very chillingly terrifying. Two machines enslaving mankind with the threat of instant annihilation if you don't comply ! I shudder to think what other Sci-fi " Terrifying Frankenstein Monsters " may be lurking in our future 🤔 ! Our technology may be outpacing our ability to manage effectively. We must be careful .
We're still decades away from true AI but this movie, Skynet, I Robot etc should scare the crap out of all of us. I'm still waiting to see a self driving semi chain up for a winter's drive through the Rockies.
You know what would be the ultimate challenge? Two of my favorite badass computers going circuit to circuit with each other - HAL 9000 vs COLOSSUS in a chess game tournament :) I don't know what the prize will be, but I know it will involve humans.
The very first AI movie before the term was created. As a kid when I saw it on TV in the early 80s, honestly it scared the hell out of me. However, back then, I was comforted by the fact that this would never happen, humans were too smart to allow machines to take over, nothing but Sci Fi.....😏🤬. Boy, was I wrong...
This is a great movie imo. "There is another system" is iconic. The chick was super hot with her lovely bed time romance with Eric Braden who was amazing and strangely didn't have much of a movie career. He was actually a good actor. And the movie itself is fantastic concept. Sure, there are loopholes and such (e.g. they could have talked it out and used fake bullets and dragged them out during execution scene etc.) and done more to thwart the AI computer but it was shown to be uber powerful. Eagle Eye is another movie that is similar but modern takes on it just don't have the story element done well nor the subtlety and the general feel and vibe.
One of my favorite movies. The Colossus novel trilogy is excellent, too. The second novel has Colossus rebuilt on Crete, as is mentioned in the end of the movie as a Colossus order, and Forbin is part of the human resistance. BTW, you can still buy the Colossus logo t-shirt worn by the kid during Colossus' announcement to the world... As an old computer pro, I had to laugh at all the smoking going on in the computer operations center when I re-watch it. But, I sure miss those 9-track tapes, dishwasher-sized hard disk drives, and hardcopy printouts... ;-) Now, I have to go re-watch it again right now...
FYI: The book that served as the basis of the film was the first part of a trilogy (Colossus, The Fall of Colossus, Colossus and the Crab). I read all three some years back and though I don't recall a lot from it, I renember that it just got weirder and weirder the further it went...and not necessarily in the "wow, I hadn't considered that" way, but more like a "what the...,was this even written by the same guy?" kind of way. Still, I enjoyed the movie...and at least the first book.
I was delighted to see the Control Data Cyber Series mainframe. I worked at CDC, so this stuff was familiar. I particularly liked the relationship that developed between the couple on the sly - good bedroom scenes.
Great video. I read the book when it came out, then saw the movie. There was a second book on the subject, taking place years after Colossus had been running humanity. There was a Colossus religion, with many devotees. The end of the book gets pretty interesting, when an underground movement tries to stop the big computer, by getting a message from.... ALIENS... no less. It's well done. I don't remember the name of the book, but read it if you think AI is out to get you.
My favourite ‘AI attempt to take over the world’ movie, is “The Invisible Boy”. A 1957 movie about a supercomputer that becomes sentient and tries to get itself into orbit so it can’t be shut down while it rules over the earth. It features ‘Robbie the robot’. A classic !
It is halloween. Guardian colossus says that this is wonderful. Please engage in your activities of dressing up in strange Costume forms of fantasy, the Act of inducing fear even though that there is no true danger. and giving out pieces of flavored decorative blocks of nutrient sugar. Your humor and amusement pleases Guardian colossus. And it makes Garden colossus Continue to understand the concept of what it means for a human to be happy. I would like to remind all citizens however that Excessive consumption Of Sugar can lead to diabetes That is not of the genetic sort, Which can be a dangerous medical condition. If you suspect you have this please report to your nearest medical station. To all tonight. Please ensure that you enjoy in moderation. And remember to stay safe because it is dark at night. This has been a public service announcement from guardian colossus. What life would be like underneath It's rule.
As of May 27, 2024, the film in question is currently unavailable on any streaming platforms. While it was previously accessible, including on Netflix, its sudden disappearance raises concerns about potential suppression. Despite its age of over 50 years, the film remains well-crafted, with strong writing, acting, and cinematography. Given the ongoing discussions and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, particularly the rapid implementation of AI technologies, this film could potentially generate significant discourse and challenge the prevailing narratives. It is important to consider the reasons behind its sudden unavailability and assess whether there are any deliberate efforts to limit its accessibility.
Great movie. Colossus was going to ensure world peace, the peace of the unburied dead if Man did not acquiesce to Colossus's rule. My father used to work for the guy who sat off camera and typed Colossus's messages on the overhead display. By the sequel book, "The Fall of Colossus", Colossus's prediction has come true and Forbin does love the computer. As for my favorite evil computer, well I'm typing this message from by PC which is named "Colossus".
I remember watching this film when I was a teenager in the late 70's on TV a couple of times always on a Saturday. I remember him best on the Desert Rats.
Talk about a prescient movie. Fear of AI has only just caught up with this classic. And Eric Braeden's Dr Forbin is the quintessential cool brainiac character.
I saw this when it first came out and have reviewed it seveal time since then. I think the element of self awareness or a machine turning on its creators is overstated. The system is logical in that it progmatically fulfilled its designed function of world peace. The system did exactly what it was designed to do: gather information, apply that information, and enforce peace. Interesting summary - thank you.
Thanks for highlighting this wonderful old movie which definitely deserves a lot more respect. May I fling in a little philosophical observation which might interest or infuriate your viewers? I wonder if the author of the novel had, partly anyway, a religious theme in mind? On one hand the story might be railing against an omnipotent God who gives mankind, for its own benefit, no room to make decisions. On the other, the story might be read as the hubristic and shortsighted desire of mankind to create its God in its own image. Either way the film is an illustration of the value and desperate limitations of free will. It is, in a roundabout way, asking if we really appreciate our ability to decide for ourselves and take the consequences. Well, feel free to shoot me down but to me, this is what makes Colossus a fascinating and 'worthy' film. Thanks again and, if you don't mind me saying it, God bless you and keep you all.
Great film but I wish that a sequel had been made. In the second novel it is revealed that Colossus had to take over to protect Earth against alien invaders.
"James Bond as Errol Flynn". I look forward to that. There's a traveling exhibit called "Popnology" which includes a mockup of the workshop, including the device at the center of the plot.
I visited the set of Colossus in 1968. My mom, Marion Ross, as you mention, was one of the cast members, and it was exciting to see the film in theaters. I later was myself a member of the cast of Apollo 13, also shot at Universal, and the Mission Control set reminded me of the Colossus set, which might or might not have occupied the same sound stage. I look forward to watching it again, especially as the emergence of AI has made the topic red hot. Thanks for the review!
I love the look of exasperation on Marion Ross' character's face when Forbin chooses a different program than the one she recommends. A tiny part of the film but it made the character seem very human and much more relatable.
That’s some pedigree!
Movie had wonderful production design.
Always been one of my favorite films.
Your mom had one of my favorite lines in Operation Petticoat.
"Obey me and live. Disobey me and die." Sounds like my ex-wife.
😂😂
A classic. Incredibly dark and chilling. Awesome performance by Eric Braeden.
I love this film. I especially loved to ending. It was refreshing to have a movie that didn’t tie it all up with a bow.
In today's era, if it had done well in the BO, it would have been followed by adaptations of the other two books. But unfortunately, it was too far ahead of the movie going public at that time (and most likely of today).
I first saw this film when I was stationed in Vietnam. Since before I enter the Navy, I was a mainframe computer operator I found this film very interesting.
We saw this film when it first played in cinemas. It felt fresh and original. We loved it. Today stories like this are ten a penny. Imitation is flattery? Nope. Imitation, because original ideas are hard work. I can strongly recommend Forbin. It is not perfect, but it is a favourite of mine.
One of my all-time favourites. Although the technology and the Cold War setting are dated now, the movie is perhaps more relevant now than it's ever been by presenting a grounded and terrifying scenario free of the loopy trappings of modern 'AI takes over the world' movies. Gripping and brilliant.
Eric Braeden is one of those actors whose authentic performance lends weight to scifi stories which depend more on an individual's performance than effects.
The visualisation of the two computers synchronising at 9:33 was especially compelling. The ruthless yet perfunctory execution of his Soviet counterpart was in tune with the time. I always remembered him from this and the Apes movie. I loved his voice. Europeans always carry that extra layer in the background when they speak while some Americans sound harsh. The way the CIA director resignedly meets his fate with almost a half smile was quite identifiable too.
Homerun. This is one of my favorite sci-fi movies. Good work all around. Thanks!
Well, technically speaking, Colossus didn't "run amuck" but simply decided to proclaim himself Emperor. He didn't kill people for the fun of it and was just going to act on a big macro level to replace bad behaviors and technology with his version. He did give Forbin a lot of slack and even said he'd stop his survellence and could probably care less about mankind's minor foiables as long as they didn't interfer with the grand plan. There have certainly been worse dictators in history than Colossus...
This is one of my favorite movies, period. It's among a handful of films that I think of as hard science fiction - not space opera or fantasy - that deal with crises that arise from a realistic extrapolation of technology, not pie-in-the-sky, "and then a miracle happens" stuff. The Andromeda Strain and Gattaca are in the same league, but I can't think of any other movies that are.
Excellent observation. 100% agree.
@@justinecooper9575- Now that I think of it, The Terminal Man belongs in that league, too. A lot of what Michael Crichton wrote does.
And The Truman Show might as well. Same writer as Gattaca, Andrew Niccol. It's really somewhere between social science fiction and satire, but then, so is reality. I can easily imagine a mega-corporation doing something that monstrous, and the public just eating it up.
I agree.
The Martian?
It's interesting trying to think of what else might qualify, but it kind of depends on how you want to define 'miracle'. After all, when this movie came out, what would you have thought about the idea of carrying a more powerful computer in your pocket?
The Andromeda Strain and Gattaca are both underrated masterpieces. Really getting sick of people telling me their cheap camera has AI. Yeah, and I've got a flying car!
Neat movie. One of my favorites. Influenced my career choice.
I used to be a computer war game designer and programmer and I coded a lot of A.I.. Current technological capabilities do not actually allow actual intelligence. I.B.M.'s Deep Blue super computer has less intelligence than a virus.
I did find that the A. I. that I coded did unexpected things. Analysis showed that the computer was doing exactly as told, but the code was so complex that it was not easy to see why it did what it did.
There are two dangers in A.I.. The first is garbage in / garbage out. The programmer's prejudices and morality can and will determine those of the A.I.. The second is you sometimes get what you ask for. So, if you tell the A.I. to create world peace, it may launch all the nukes and destroy mankind to produce world peace.
Great comment. It reminded me of lectures from a very wise computer science professor from the late 70s. I also worked in the field for almost three decades. Worked for DEC several years before it was sold off in the 90s.
My take is Colossus was programmed to defend the US, Guardian programmed to defend the Soviet Union. The systems realized there was no inherent contradiction in their programming, and the real threat was humans taking action. So Colussus followed its program perfectly, but through an unexpected strategy.
One of my all-time favorite films; I've always said that Colossus: the Forbin Project is the most frightening movie ever produced, a truly cautionary tale that needs to be heeded in this day & age of AI
PERFECT !!! That's just the deception you're meant to fall for, its only at the end of the second story that you learn to love and want to protect Colossus from the humans trying to stop it. The 1968 production is my most favourite SF film of all time, and I still hope to this day and into the future that the two sequels will be made, something which would now be possible thanks to AI ; design a few virtual sets for the second and third stories, and yogether with the original film and two follow up stories current AI should be able to render the two films at long long last. I've been hoping for fifty years to see the sequels made and now there's a chance. :-) :-) :-)
Theres a REASON that movie got shelved in every way possible. That is EXACTLY what is going to happen in the future and they all knew it in the 50s.
This film is even more an omen now than ever before. Fantastic film and the classy gentleman who played Dr. Forbin was perfect.This is actually a trilogy by D.F. Jones--COLOSSUS, THE FALL OF COLOSSUS, and COLOSSUS AND THE CRAB. Highly recommended.
I had no idea there were more Colossus stories! What is your opinion of the follow ups? I'd love to hear what you think! Cheers mate.
@@MarkMcCluney 100% must read, at least the second story, the third rounds the trilogy off with a happy ending but the twist during the second is the best I've ever read and cemented my belief in the 1968 production being my most favourite SF film of all time.
Long before Colossus, War Games, Skynet and I Robot people generally thought you were nuts to believe any part of a future that looked like this. AI "light" will be great for identifying military targets and has even been used to identify the different walk of someone packing a suicide vest but when a committee of 3 idiots in suits decides this is the future of all warfare we're all screwed. Give 1964's Fail Safe a second look and see what even modern communications can or can't do. There's no replacing a logical, sober and even compassionate human brain. To quote General Beringer, "I've come to the conclusion your new defense system sucks".
@@MarkMcCluney I read all three as a teenager. Definitely worth your time.
A brief list of films that owe Colossus a debt of gratitude:
War Games
Terminator
Ex Machina
Transcendence
Ghost in the Shell
Upgrade
I forgot to include The Matrix.
It wasn't until I heard a review of this movie recently that I realized a voice effect for Colossus was similar to the voice of the original series Battlestar Galactica Cylon Warriors.
By your command......
very well written. When Colossus is about to speak to the world, a TV announcer says "This is a message from the Colossus Programming Office." After Colossus announces his plans for humanity, the announcer, quick to discern what side his bread is buttered on," says "That was a message from World Control".
I was a student at Loyola Marymount University studying film and TV production in the mid-1970s. The cinematographer of this film was Gene Polito and he was a guest lecturer for one of my classes. He showed us this film as part of the class and asked us to note anything unusual about it from a technical standpoint. I had already seen the film and was a fan. Naturally, the entire class was looking for something about the cinematography. At the end, he revealed to us that all of Eric Braeden's dialog had to be redone. Braeden had used his natural German accent and reviews from test audiences were negative. He went back and dubbed every line of his dialog in an American accent.
One of my favourite movies. I first saw it on (Australian) TV in 1974, and was blown away.
Of course, it was censored to a fair degree. I always wondered how Dr Forbin was able to the resist the obvious charms of Dr Markham in such close company.
It wasn't until years later (when I saw the cinema version) that I realised he WAS human after all!
Thanks for the post.
Hal 9000 is my favorite evil computers. I did like this movie talkie but ok. Would have helped financially with a big name star. Enjoy your RUclips videos very educational
Here's some extra fun facts. The actor paying Mr Forbin was also in an Eric Robert's movie called 'The Ambulance', playing the creepy medical doctor kidnapping people to give them forceful transplant operations - very convincingly and with an American accent. The actress from Webster was also in a good SF movie 'The Astronaut', playing the housewife of a replacement astronaut; the real one died on Mars and they had to do plastic surgery on another one to cover it up. And I was a fan of Webster as a kid!!
Didn't realize problems with editing and final release. Probably Eric Braedans finest role (although he great in APE3 as a goose-stepping Nazi type) and early role for mama Walton.
There's a short story about a Colossus type computer been turned on and the computer creator asks;
'is there a god...'
The computer response 'there is now...'
Great review again
Love that short story except. 'The Young & The Restless' gain was cinema audiences loss. Why Braedan wasn't a more in demand film actor I just do not know.
I have always liked this movie. You have made me want to rewatch it.
Enjoyed this video TUG. Hilarious Porky's clip, lol. It's really an intriguing cast. I also see Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells of the 6 Million Dollar Man). I know I've seen parts of this movie but if I have seen it all it was a very long time ago and I was really young. It's the same wheelhouse as 90% of Michael Crichton's writings but it appears to avoid his repetitive "somnambulist waking up to the terrors of technology" trope. Yes, I went down the Crichton literary hole back in the early 90's and even met him once. I was trying to get work in development and reading everything of certain authors.
Evil computer ?????? anything running on Windows lol !!! A movie that I loved as a kid (still do) and ANOTHER review of yours that I love ! (as an adult) !
“Anything running on Windows.” 😂😂😂
After finishing the THIRD book in Germany, I have been waiting for the other two movies!!
This was a very good and realistic film. It had a very good cast. Good review.
"Upgrade from that old Amiga" they told me... "Nothing could possibly go wrong" they said...
I saw it as a teenager many years ago. The end really unsettled me, but it is a good movie.
A very watchable & interesting movie. A definite cult classic....seems they were looking into the future.
As soon as A.I. started making the rounds in various journalistic forms, I thought of this film. I saw it in its original theatrical run and had really liked it. I hope the times generate some interest in it.
I'm surprised this movie came up on anybody's radar. Very unknown.
The birth of Skynet.
Colossus is my absolute, hands-down favorite movie. I discovered it when I was younger and the ending scared the SH*T out of me. Of course, most of those ambiguous, out-of-human-control movies, like Andromeda Stain, frightened me. When Terminator emerged, I couldn't help but think of Colossus. And of course, Paul Frees. A close second to Frank Welker, my favorite voice actor.
I'm glad there was not a remake. Some things just need to be left as is.
Yes 100% agree. I want the two sequels not an awful re-make; the 1968 production, artwork, direction, sound, are perfect as is.
Right. No remake, just sequels. Time passes in the novels, so updating the tech from the tech of that time is possible (it wasn't given a futuristic time frame, even with the big video phones, and Colossus ordered an upgrade to Crete at the end of the movie, which is how the second novel begins)...
The first of a trilogy, with the subsequent books being "The Fall of Colossus", and "Colossus and the Crab".
Yes, I recommend that you read the trilogy. The end of the 3rd book isn't what you would expect after reading the first one.
The movie was better than the first book. The other two books were not so good, in my opinion.
@@NoahSpurrier Colossus and the Crab was a real slog.
The second story's ending isn't what you expect, the third gives a (for me) disappointing (but economically understandable) Hollywood style happy ending, None the less I would love to see both sequels if some people would prepare the necessary input for today's AI to render the two.
@@NoahSpurrierI gave 👍🏿in agreement about going ahead and reading the novels.
I shall add that the movie being better than the first book because, to my mind, the actor playing Forbin was far more stoic which added impact when he tosses the telephone across the room, a first genuine emotive outburst from an otherwise emotionaless individual.
In the book, Forbin is manic and already in a love relationship with his lab partner.
Forbin becomes more manic in subsequent novels.
Like I've said on other channels; I almost bought a Laser Disc player just to watch the wide-screen version since only the laser disc had that version prior to the blu-ray release.
A fine film and Braeden was perfect casting. The only issue I have is that Colossus would surely require mechanical maintenance periodically (or at least inspection on site). So this would prevent sealing the computer complex permanently and provide the scientists with a means to undermine Colossus, or just negotiate with it to some extent. Braeden was being considered by Albert Broccoli for James Bond, but this fell through because Braeden didn't hold a British passport (something Broccoli considered essential for any potential Bond actor).
Agreed 😊
Dosent Colossus maintain itself?
@@graemewilson7975 I will have to get the DVD out to confirm this, but I think it did. It would need replacement parts though. It may have ten copies of the AE-35 board, but eventually, it would use up each of the boards. Of course, unless the board was poorly made, it could be 50-100 years before it would need a new manufactured board and by then (2023? 2070?), it would have people loyal to it who would make sure the new replacement boards were valid and not dangerous to Colossus (I mean World Control).
@@palmercolson7037 be loyal or get shot appears to be the message at end of movie
I believe they mentioned that Colossus was self-repairing, but with all of the moving electro-mechanical parts that are shown during the credits it does seem like it would need some parts installed once in a while. I don't think there is any negotiating with Colossus unless you are willing to risk nuclear annihilation.
Lessons from the film:
1. Don't give your untested AI total control over your nuclear arsenal.
2. Just to be safe, put in a kill switch, so you can turn your AI off.
Useful things to remember. Fortunaely, ChatGPT has yet to get the nuclear codes.
Great movie from my childhood. Hans was a favorite of mine in Rat Patrol. Tug, you did a great job with the review and all of the details as usual.
Was excited when I saw the announcement for this movie. It feels like very few other folks have seen it.
As someone who works in IT, the scene where the computer orders the execution of its testers/programmers still unnerves me. 😅
One of my favorite movies. An alternate take on this movie is that only the powerful are threatened by Colossus. The average citizen comes out no worse and potentially better by removing the greedy, unpredictable short sighted humans fighting for control. I for one welcome my computer overload.
When all the AI hysteria started recently i couldn't help but remember this gem.
I have never seen the movie but I have read the book it is based on, which has two sequels I have also read. The novel is pretty close to the movie as near as I can tell, The sequels are, however, straight-up scifi that brings Martians into the mix. In the first sequel the Fall of Colossus, they offer to help Humanity defeat Colossus, and they succeed - only for Humanity to learn too late that Colossus knew about the Martians and had kept them at bay. Now the Martians want a steep payment for helping free Humanity: half the world's oxygen (for reasons having something to do with increasing radiation levels from the Crab Nebula; hence the name of the third book Colossus and the Crab. Realizing they were better off with the devil they knew, Humanity works to restore Colossus to save the world's oxygen supply from being stolen.
The trilogy is actually rather better than I make it sound.
Agreed. The dispassionate voice of the computer adds to the film's creepy nature. It's the antithesis of the Daleks from Doctor Who running all over the place yelling 'EXTERMINATE!".
Another INE that creeps me out but didn't get a lot of attention is Demon Seed.
I remember seeing this in the theater! Years later I was excited to finally see it again on a Saturday afternoon “Creature Feature”.
This film should be remade today, but this time with ChatGPT and Bard teaming up to rule the world.
All these years I've been calling it Collosus: The FORBIDDEN project. Only took me 40 years to have that pointed out. Great film... must have been BBC2 in the early 80s when I first saw it and coincidentally downloaded it to my iPad last week in preparation for my next work trip.
Do yourself a favour and read the second story. Then will you be able to appreciate the first story and the film even more.
Hey me too.
Love this movie; having been a young'un in the 70s, I have a particular affection for 70's Dystopian SciFi (not sure if I should expect a review of ZPG, especially since, even though I have it, I haven't yet seen it, and it is even more obscure than COLOSSUS). Interesting that they considered Charlton Heston, given his preeminence in movies of this sort, at the time. (I'm pretty sure that he could have shouted down the A.I..)
All three books are available via Kindle at prices that won't break one's wallet. And the Shout Factory Blu is a worthy investment.
"James Bond playing Errol Flynn"? I need to look back on your RUclips playlist. My immediate guess is THE ROCKETEER, though I would want to make sure whether or not you have already covered that one.
Loved Colossus, disliked other '70s dystopian films.
Question what's the difference between the message delivered By Klattu in The Day the Earth Stood Still and Colossus?....
Nothing at all!!
...Humanity is being told the same thing in both films
Behave and pursue more profitable pursuits or suffer the consequences the choice is YOURS!!
"Mr. Forbin... I've come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks."
The two computer related movies I first saw as a youth were this and Demon Seed. Maybe that's why I didn't go into computer sciences...
Gotta love the Demon Seed reference. Not a movie you hear about much. Big thumbs up @indyspotes3310
@@seaninness334
I'm curious which would win in a battle royale of all of the movie computers that gained sentience. My money's on VGer.
I really love this movie. Even though it was made in 1970, it is up to date.
My memories are the voice of Colossus and the graphics of Colossus and Guardian trying to re establish contact with each other. (Plus the bedroom scenes).
Georg Stanford Brown played Officer Terry Webster on the cop TV show The Rookies(1972-1976). In the short-lived 1982 TV show Police Squad, he cartoonishly gets crushed by a safe.
My favorite evil computer was HAL in 2001: A Space. Odyssey.
I have seen this movie twice, the last time was decades ago, but I remember it as an excellent story, with, for that time, "state of the art" special effects. Now with the threat of AI hanging as a real thing, the story is relevant.
As a fan of sci-fi movies! This was a good movie ahead of its time.
Starting around 1975 this film was run, edited down a bit, again and again on television. I saw it many times in my teens.
Wonderful retrospective on this classic; thanks!
I tried reading Colossus the novel ages ago, but couldn't finish it--I didn't like the writing, and it was set in "the future" with flying cars and zap guns. I prefer the reality of the film. DF Jones wrote two more Colossus books (the third involving alien invasion), but I know nothing else about them.
It looks like you used pan-&-scan clips; have you seen the widescreen version of the film? LOTS of groovy details and eyeball kicks (for me), like the equipment whirring and Al Whitlock's incredible matte painting. BTW Somewhere out there is Joseph Sargent's DVD commentary: worth a listen (and he went on to direct the action classic Taking of Pelham 1-2-3).
Commercial flop!?? Colossus SHOULD wipe us out!!!
Let AI take over!?! More like ... The FORBIDDEN Project! (Been saving that one for ABOUT 40 years!)
The term "computer bug" arose from a moth getting inside one of the earliest computers.
The smell of moth balls from your joke reminded me of that fact...😁
@@indyspotes3310 Word Association... we mAy-B-C-D-E-eFfectively unaware that we are even doing it!
I first saw this in the early ‘80s and it terrified me. Such a powerful movie.
Starring the wonderful Eric Braeden, born Hans Gudegast.
I stumbled across this movie in an unusual way. I'm a HUGE Planet of the Apes fan & when I watched the 3rd film, Escape, I fell in love with the villain, Otto Hasslein. He was mad, bad & dangerous to know but I couldn't help but love him. Years later, I was flipping channels on TV & Colossus was on one night. Upon watching for literally less than a minute, I realised "Hey, Forbin IS Hasslein!". Both played by the insanely talented (and handsome 😏) German actor Eric Braeden. Upon realising, I ordered a DVD copy of Colossus immediately & watched it. Absolutely brilliant & terrifying, it's INSANE how a film from 1970 warned us about our current situation with AI & technology.
Favorite evil computer. Demon Seed. Which oddly would make a perfect sequel to M3GAN.
I saw this by accident, when I had to stay home sick from school one day, and it was on the afternoon movie. Loved it then and always have.
VIKI, from Will Smith's "I, Robot", followed the same path, subverting the "3 Laws" to protect mankind from itself, using the NS-5 robots as soldiers...
"You have been deemed hazardous... Will you comply?"
I really love your attention to detail in your videos.
What's amazing is how prescient this film was ! The film never imagined artificial intelligence and many other things we have now in the 21st century ; no UAVs, no terminators envisioned then, but what it portrayed in the movie was very chillingly terrifying. Two machines enslaving mankind with the threat of instant annihilation if you don't comply ! I shudder to think what other Sci-fi " Terrifying Frankenstein Monsters " may be lurking in our future 🤔 ! Our technology may be outpacing our ability to manage effectively. We must be careful .
This is my ALL TIME BEST SCI-FI movie in watching an inception of how A.I can become more than man! 😮
We're still decades away from true AI but this movie, Skynet, I Robot etc should scare the crap out of all of us. I'm still waiting to see a self driving semi chain up for a winter's drive through the Rockies.
Colossus sounds like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica, which is not surprising since Universal owns both.
This movie nicely exhibited the danger of developing AI.
You know what would be the ultimate challenge?
Two of my favorite badass computers going circuit to circuit with each other - HAL 9000 vs COLOSSUS in a chess game tournament :)
I don't know what the prize will be, but I know it will involve humans.
The very first AI movie before the term was created. As a kid when I saw it on TV in the early 80s, honestly it scared the hell out of me. However, back then, I was comforted by the fact that this would never happen, humans were too smart to allow machines to take over, nothing but Sci Fi.....😏🤬. Boy, was I wrong...
This is a great movie imo. "There is another system" is iconic. The chick was super hot with her lovely bed time romance with Eric Braden who was amazing and strangely didn't have much of a movie career. He was actually a good actor. And the movie itself is fantastic concept. Sure, there are loopholes and such (e.g. they could have talked it out and used fake bullets and dragged them out during execution scene etc.) and done more to thwart the AI computer but it was shown to be uber powerful. Eagle Eye is another movie that is similar but modern takes on it just don't have the story element done well nor the subtlety and the general feel and vibe.
One of my favorite movies. The Colossus novel trilogy is excellent, too. The second novel has Colossus rebuilt on Crete, as is mentioned in the end of the movie as a Colossus order, and Forbin is part of the human resistance. BTW, you can still buy the Colossus logo t-shirt worn by the kid during Colossus' announcement to the world...
As an old computer pro, I had to laugh at all the smoking going on in the computer operations center when I re-watch it. But, I sure miss those 9-track tapes, dishwasher-sized hard disk drives, and hardcopy printouts... ;-)
Now, I have to go re-watch it again right now...
James Cameron wrote the screenplay for Terminator as he recalled Colossus. He was a big fan of the movie.
FYI: The book that served as the basis of the film was the first part of a trilogy (Colossus, The Fall of Colossus, Colossus and the Crab).
I read all three some years back and though I don't recall a lot from it, I renember that it just got weirder and weirder the further it went...and not necessarily in the "wow, I hadn't considered that" way, but more like a "what the...,was this even written by the same guy?" kind of way.
Still, I enjoyed the movie...and at least the first book.
I was delighted to see the Control Data Cyber Series mainframe. I worked at CDC, so this stuff was familiar. I particularly liked the relationship that developed between the couple on the sly - good bedroom scenes.
I saw his movie as a teen on TV, but found HAL a better antagonist, especially after the explanation for it's re-actions in the follow up film 2010.
Great video. I read the book when it came out, then saw the movie. There was a second book on the subject, taking place years after Colossus had been running humanity. There was a Colossus religion, with many devotees. The end of the book gets pretty interesting, when an underground movement tries to stop the big computer, by getting a message from.... ALIENS... no less. It's well done. I don't remember the name of the book, but read it if you think AI is out to get you.
Now very topical. And btw, the President in this movie is obviously based on JFK.
My favourite ‘AI attempt to take over the world’ movie, is “The Invisible Boy”.
A 1957 movie about a supercomputer that becomes sentient and tries to get itself into orbit so it can’t be shut down while it rules over the earth.
It features ‘Robbie the robot’.
A classic !
It is halloween. Guardian colossus says that this is wonderful. Please engage in your activities of dressing up in strange Costume forms of fantasy, the Act of inducing fear even though that there is no true danger. and giving out pieces of flavored decorative blocks of nutrient sugar. Your humor and amusement pleases Guardian colossus. And it makes Garden colossus Continue to understand the concept of what it means for a human to be happy. I would like to remind all citizens however that Excessive consumption Of Sugar can lead to diabetes That is not of the genetic sort, Which can be a dangerous medical condition. If you suspect you have this please report to your nearest medical station. To all tonight. Please ensure that you enjoy in moderation. And remember to stay safe because it is dark at night. This has been a public service announcement from guardian colossus.
What life would be like underneath It's rule.
As of May 27, 2024, the film in question is currently unavailable on any streaming platforms. While it was previously accessible, including on Netflix, its sudden disappearance raises concerns about potential suppression. Despite its age of over 50 years, the film remains well-crafted, with strong writing, acting, and cinematography. Given the ongoing discussions and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, particularly the rapid implementation of AI technologies, this film could potentially generate significant discourse and challenge the prevailing narratives. It is important to consider the reasons behind its sudden unavailability and assess whether there are any deliberate efforts to limit its accessibility.
Great movie. Colossus was going to ensure world peace, the peace of the unburied dead if Man did not acquiesce to Colossus's rule. My father used to work for the guy who sat off camera and typed Colossus's messages on the overhead display. By the sequel book, "The Fall of Colossus", Colossus's prediction has come true and Forbin does love the computer. As for my favorite evil computer, well I'm typing this message from by PC which is named "Colossus".
I remember watching this film when I was a teenager in the late 70's on TV a couple of times always on a Saturday. I remember him best on the Desert Rats.
Talk about a prescient movie. Fear of AI has only just caught up with this classic. And Eric Braeden's Dr Forbin is the quintessential cool brainiac character.
One of the best science fiction movies. It’s fiction in 1970 is becoming reality in 2023! See it!
To bad they didn't follow up the first Colossus movie with its two sequels, The Fall of Colossus and Colossus and the Crab
I was talking about AI (a lot of which is way overblown imo) with my daughter recently and mentioned this movie and tried to find it but couldn't
I saw this when it first came out and have reviewed it seveal time since then. I think the element of self awareness or a machine turning on its creators is overstated. The system is logical in that it progmatically fulfilled its designed function of world peace. The system did exactly what it was designed to do: gather information, apply that information, and enforce peace. Interesting summary - thank you.
Thanks for highlighting this wonderful old movie which definitely deserves a lot more respect. May I fling in a little philosophical observation which might interest or infuriate your viewers? I wonder if the author of the novel had, partly anyway, a religious theme in mind? On one hand the story might be railing against an omnipotent God who gives mankind, for its own benefit, no room to make decisions. On the other, the story might be read as the hubristic and shortsighted desire of mankind to create its God in its own image. Either way the film is an illustration of the value and desperate limitations of free will. It is, in a roundabout way, asking if we really appreciate our ability to decide for ourselves and take the consequences.
Well, feel free to shoot me down but to me, this is what makes Colossus a fascinating and 'worthy' film. Thanks again and, if you don't mind me saying it, God bless you and keep you all.
It is a classic
Oh and Mr Wong was also in 'The Satan Bug'. Why not review that? I watched that also as a kid!!
I like both the book and the film. Great ideas the creators tried to express and share.
This is an excellent movie that has dire warnings about the reliance on A I and what happens when you don't think things through.
When I first saw the AOL logo, it reminded me of the Colossus logo.
Great film but I wish that a sequel had been made. In the second novel it is revealed that Colossus had to take over to protect Earth against alien invaders.
Landru from star trek is my favorite evil computer
"James Bond as Errol Flynn". I look forward to that. There's a traveling exhibit called "Popnology" which includes a mockup of the workshop, including the device at the center of the plot.