Screamers (1995) ***

Remember that Peter Weller movie where weaponized robots run amock? Nope, I'm not talking about the 1987 classic “Robocop.” I'm referring to 1995's “Screamers,” which is not exactly a classic, but might be a cult classic.

Weller plays Joe Hendricksson, commander of a military outpost on the mining planet Sirius 6B, where two rival, human organizations have been at war for years. Joe's side, which represents the mining company, has achieved success with a new type of weapon, an automated buzz saw that will hunt and kill anything alive that isn't wearing a special immunity bracelet. To make sure there are plenty of these killer robots to go around, they have built an automated factory that cranks them out without any human input. Brilliant idea, right? Sounds like nothing could go wrong. As if that original plan weren't flawed enough, things really take a left turn when the robots start evolving.

“Screamers” is adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, who has had his share of adaptations (“Bladerunner” “Total Recall” “Minority Report”), and it explores a recurrent theme of his: What happens when man's creations escape his control? I wouldn't call the movie great, or even good, but I enjoyed it, and it does have the ingredients of a cult classic: a bold premise, full commitment, and, of course, Peter Weller. When Buckaroo Banzai is in a movie, you definitely have to give it a chance!

3 stars out of 5