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Colossus: The Forbin Project

Play trailer Poster for Colossus: The Forbin Project PG 1969 1h 40m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Tucked away in a secret location in the Rockies, Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden) has developed a massive computer system, dubbed "Colossus," that is supposed to ensure the nation's safety against nuclear attack. But when Colossus connects to a similar Russian computer, "Guardian," the intelligent machines begin conducting a private dialog. Nervous as to what they might be plotting, Forbin severs the connection, only to have Colossus threaten a nuclear attack if the link isn't restored.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Tom Milne Time Out After an excellent beginning, the craven script (based on DF Jones' novel Colossus) develops cold feet, injects some tiresome comic relief, and gradually begins to drag the whole thing down. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times The movie is full of marvelous, absurd dialogue. Rated: 4/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Above-average science fiction. Apr 9, 2005 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand The hardware may be dated but the intelligent screenplay from James Bridges constructs a sophisticated, continually surprising thriller that pits man against a globally connected computer network which couldn’t be more contemporary. Oct 6, 2023 Full Review TV Guide Taut, well-made sci-fi thriller about a massive computer. Rated: 3/4 Dec 14, 2010 Full Review Ian Berriman SFX Magazine A crisp, well-crafted movie that achieves its effects by calmly stating the facts, with the bare minimum of histrionics. Aug 2, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (154) audience reviews
Blobbo X Pale, silly, slow-moving, mostly Canadian imitation of Wargames, which came years later, so how is that possible? hahaha. Machines cannot feel or want. Computer voiced by Paul Frees --- naturally. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked this film. Calm, reasoned scientists trying to figure out how to defeat an empowered computer that is ready to take over the world. Clever dialogue, firm acting. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member This is an old movie, back when computers were in their infancy. Yet it is totally unsettling and should be watched as computers take more and more power in our lives. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Thank God for Myspace. Let me explain; so back when MySpace was still in it's peak, I was following a band called Does It Offend You, Yeah?. I don't remember the exact context, but they used clips from this video (or maybe it was a trailer) and it piqued my interest. A bit of digging led me to the movie itself, and almost ten years later it's still one of my favorite films. One of it's more unique features to me are all the in-depth character interactions. Most movies will generally gloss over small talk and banter, which is not a bad thing. While I do enjoy this movie, I can imagine it feels a bit slow to some people. However, I feel like it helps make the characters feel like real people. Watching Forbin's team interact with each other gives you a sense that these people have worked with each other for a long time and know each other quite well. The back and forth between the President and Forbin showcases that while there is a sense of trust between the two, there is still tension between a man who's creation is slowly escaping his control to a man who must decide to stand up and protect his people, or submit to the whims of a rogue AI. The only downside of this movie is that it is part one of a trilogy, and we'll never see a sequel in film form. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member not as great as you'd think slow, overly-talky, and the ending was unsatisfying I guess you could call this a pre-'War Games' but trust me that is far superior to this not my cup of tea Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a really cool concept here, one that I should love. But my God.... it was excruciatingly dull! It actually took me three tries to get all the way through this, without falling asleep.... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/20 Full Review Read all reviews
Colossus: The Forbin Project

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tucked away in a secret location in the Rockies, Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden) has developed a massive computer system, dubbed "Colossus," that is supposed to ensure the nation's safety against nuclear attack. But when Colossus connects to a similar Russian computer, "Guardian," the intelligent machines begin conducting a private dialog. Nervous as to what they might be plotting, Forbin severs the connection, only to have Colossus threaten a nuclear attack if the link isn't restored.
Director
Joseph Sargent
Producer
Stanley Chase
Production Co
Universal/Universal Int
Rating
PG
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Nov 23, 2004
Runtime
1h 40m