| Short Circuit 2 | |
|---|---|
Promotional one-sheet poster. |
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| Directed by | Kenneth Johnson |
| Produced by | David Foster Gary Foster Lawrence Turman |
| Written by | Brent Maddock S.S. Wilson |
| Starring | Tim Blaney (voice) Fisher Stevens Michael McKean Cynthia Gibb Jack Weston Tim Blaney |
| Music by | Charles Fox Jim Steinman (song: "Holding Out for a Hero") |
| Cinematography | John McPher |
| Editing by | Conrad Buff |
| Studio | The Turman-Foster Company |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 6, 1988 |
| Running time | 110 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | US$21,630,088 (domestic)[1] |
Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 comedy science fiction film, the sequel to 1986's film Short Circuit. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi[2] (whose surname has inexplicably changed from Jabituya in the first film), Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney as the voice of Johnny 5 (the main character – a friendly, naive, self-aware robot). Filming for this film took place in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Benjamin Jahrvi (Fisher Stevens) has moved to New York City where he is selling toy versions of Johnny 5 on the street. Struggling department store buyer Sandy Banatoni (Cynthia Gibb) sees the toys and orders 1,000 units. Ben is helped by con artist Fred Ritter (Michael McKean) with the project. Fred borrows money from a loan shark for equipment, hires temporary workers and rents a warehouse to build the toys.
Unfortunately, the warehouse is the base of operations for a couple of thieves hired by bank teller Oscar Baldwin (Jack Weston) to tunnel into the bank vault across the street. They plan to steal a set of jewels known as the Vanderveer Collection, worth $37,862,000.17. The thieves try to scare off Ben and Fred, trashing their equipment and chasing away their temps which makes it impossible to meet the deadline.
A large crate arrives from Ben's friends Stephanie and Newton, containing Johnny 5, sent to help Ben with his business. Johnny can build the toys rapidly, giving Ben time to study for his U.S. citizen's test. Considering Johnny's thirst for data, Fred is sworn not to reveal their location to Johnny, believing that the robot would go nuts if he knew he was living in a major metropolis.
When Fred accidentally lets it slip to Johnny that he is in the city, the robot leaves the warehouse to explore the city, and inadvertently makes friends with Oscar himself.
Fred, having learned that Johnny is worth $11 million, tries to sell the robot to a few businessmen. When Johnny learns that Fred plans to sell him, he escapes and wanders through the city. Johnny soon realizes just how lonely he is because of his inability to convince anyone that he is alive. Johnny is later found and retrieved by Ben from the NYPD's stolen-goods warehouse. The two have a heart-to-heart conversation, and Johnny encourages Ben to ask Sandy out on a proper date. After an awkward start, Ben and Sandy make a connection.
The thieves, pressed for time, lock Ben and Fred in the freezer of a Chinese restaurant, while Oscar persuades the overly trusting Johnny to help finish the tunnel leading to the bank. Johnny completes the tunnel, breaks into the safe, and unlocks the safe deposit box that holds the Vanderveer Collection. Johnny figures out Oscar's true intentions, but after being chased through the city, he is savagely attacked and severely damaged by the thieves.
Although Johnny manages to get away, he is leaking battery fluid and losing power. Ben and Fred manage to escape from the freezer with Sandy's help, but when they return to the warehouse, Ben and Sandy are captured by the police mistaken them as robbers for the robbery. Fred escapes, though, and attempts to find Johnny. After a long search, Fred finds Johnny in an alleyway. Fred is startled by how damaged Johnny is, and helps patch him up enough to reconnect his main battery and memory, just enough for Johnny to make the remaining repairs himself. It isn't until Johnny learns from Fred that he and Ben were locked up in a freezer, that the robot becomes enraged at the fact that they were simply locked up and he was attacked by Oscar's gang after being merely used and seeks vengeance on Oscar.
Despite his injuries, Johnny is determined to bring Oscar and his gang to justice. After a chase he corners them at a construction site near the Hudson River. Oscar's gang is captured, but Oscar himself flees by stealing a boat. Johnny uses a crane to capture Oscar from the moving boat, who is then arrested and the diamonds are returned. The effort drains Johnny's remaining power reserves and kills him, causing Ben (who was release along with Sandy by two police officers who found Johnny after hearing the police arrest the wrong suspects) to frantically use a defibrillator in an effort to save Johnny. Ben succeeds, and manages to keep the robot running long enough to make full repairs.
The final scenes show Johnny has become a celebrity, his face on the front pages of newspapers and magazines everywhere. As a result of this newfound fame, his look-alike toys have become a hot commodity, allowing Sandy, Ben, and Fred to go into business for themselves. The film concludes with Ben becoming a US citizen, which he shares with a newly-restored and gold-plated Johnny, officially recognized as a living, thinking citizen with all the associated rights and privileges. Asked how he felt about his new status, Johnny enthusiastically jumps into the air, shouting that he feels "alive!"
Siskel & Ebert gave the film "two thumbs up" and called the film "even better than the original."[3] In a 1988 Los Angeles Times article, the review noted that "Wilson and Maddock have improved considerably here....Their construction is more deft, their dialogue is better, and they make Number Five come more alive..."[4] Rita Kempley of the Washington Post scored the film 6/10 saying, "...[Director Kenneth] Johnson pulls heartstrings with the best of them—or the worst, if you hate that sort of thing... if you're a kid, or an adult with an Erector Set, you might just enjoy this summer-weight caper."[3] It is rated 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.[5]
Short Circuit 2 was re-released on DVD on April 24, 2007,[3] which included a "making-of featurette" on actor Fisher Stevens. In 2010, the film was released once again with alternative cover-art. A Blu-ray disc of the film was also released in April 2011, though no extras were included.
Hot Cars, Cold Facts, made in 1990, is a short educational film featuring the Johnny 5 character, voiced by Russell Turner. It also starred Gina Revarra as Lisa, John Hugh as Officer Dave and Donald Bishop as Howard. The film takes place after Short Circuit 2.
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