Colossus: The Forbin Project (Dir. Joseph Sargent, 1970)

I had the misfortune of watching this movie in the wrong aspect ratio since they cropped the DVD. Cropped pictures are always a misfortune, but with this movie you really miss the largeness of the sets, the modern empty spaces in the 4:3 aspect ratio. Yes, this does bother me.

The movie, however, was not excellent. The US government sets up a supercomputer to monitor the world in hopes for worldwide peace. Interesting, the President also admits his relief at no longer being responsible to the actions of America and the world. This supercomputer is a “superior” being, “infallible”, and “unstoppable” basically warning of our desire as humans to use technology as an ultimate god being. I know that today we have been warned over and over by science fiction about the pitfalls of technology, but apparently this 1970’s government had not yet seen Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey or they might not have been so willing to put complete faith in a computer.

Not surprisingly, as soon as they give complete control to the computer, things start to go wrong. This is not what is wrong with the movie, however. The biggest problem I have with the movie is the fact that the computer is the main character, and we watch and listen to this supercomputer for the entire 90+ minutes and never get a sense of unified character. This computer is no Hal. This computer is human, fallible, demanding, insecure, judgmental but at times logical. Yes, like a person. But how was it endowed with these human gifts/ fallacies? In the end, it claims to have a rational need to destroy all those that disobey, but when did the computer show reason before? Certainly not when it demanded that it keep watch over Forbin day and night. Why does it decide to act certain ways and should we be able to predict some over it movements even if it is a superior being? As is, all we could do was wait for our opportunity to strike and fortunately for the plot (and I suppose humankind) that moment came sooner than later.

My question is why do humans have to type to the computer in the first part of the movie when the computer can hear Forbin as he walks around his quarters? I might have missed that part. I know they designed a voice for the megalomaniac computer who proclaims its divinity, but I don’t think it explained why the typing was necessary and then not necessary. Again, I might have missed something. Oh, and the sexist spy mistress thing was totally unnecessary since they were able to get intel about Colossus without it. But hey, this was the 70’s!

We gave this computer power over all weapons so that the world would finally see peace and it became a weapon itself. There were advantages to using this machine. mathematical and physics equations were solved instantly but the disadvantages to this advance in technology were soon clear. It seems absolute power corrupts absolutely even in the case of technology. Humans be warned.