D.A.R.Y.L.

Audience Reviews

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Ron W Jan 31, 2019 Yes, it's dated, but I liked it in the 80s and I still enjoyed it. It's a fun movie! A.I. Artificial Intelligence may be a more sophisticated film, but the ending for this flick is more satisfying. See more

Hermione R Jan 22, 2019 A calm and reserved young child, whom doctors consider to be suffering from selective amnesia, is placed in foster care where they discover he is a super genius at everything he does. But there's more to the young boy than his foster parents are prepared to deal with when they uncover the truth about his past. Any film that starts off with a reckless driver accompanying a confused youngster through the woods while being chased by a helicopter has to be a grade 'A' adrenaline rush, right? Well . . . after that heart-pumping opening sequence, things level off a bit into the kind of adolescent morality play Disney live action films of the same period would be proud to produce, right down to the corn pone sentimentality of its faux Americana score, courtesy of the usually reliable Marvin Hamlisch who delivers a rare miss on this occasion. When Daryl's real parents pick him up at his foster home, things become mildly more interesting, although the film itself can't really decide what genre it wants to be. At heart, it tries to belong to the science-fiction community. However, there are so many complexities in the following storyline (once it's been revealed Daryl is a product of government experimentation in artificial intelligence) that aren't adequately explored, ultimately rendering this as nothing more than a mere children's drama. So many artificial intelligence-based films are filled with doom and gloom and renegade computers who want to take over the world so it would have been refreshing to see a different take on the genre had it succeeded. After "The NeverEnding Story," this film, and its immediate follow-up "Cocoon," star Barret Oliver could have parlayed his appearances into a lengthy career focused on strange loner types, particularly in his teenage years. It's a wonder why he never continued on his cinematic path after the Eighties. Unfortunately Barret doesn't have any strong supporting actors to play off of in this instance, which affects the film as a whole. Michael McKean is present but I never really cared for him in straight man roles. His talents were better served as the wild and crazy breed such as David St. Hubbins in "This is Spinal Tap" and Lenny Kosnowski on "Laverne and Shirley." Overall, this is a nice attempt to do something unconventional in sci-fi cinema but it's just not put together properly to be either fully engaging from an entertainment standpoint or solidly scientific to generate real discussion on the subject matter. See more

Han S Jul 13, 2018 So much of this movie made no sense, it's hard to know where to begin. Overly schmaltzy and artificially sentimental. Very little of DARYL's potential as a data analyzing robot was used. Good performances but lousy directing. See it, but don't expect brilliance. See more

Harry S May 23, 2018 Although the script of the film is somewhat incomplete and there are some parts of the film that could be improved; I even found the film quite good, with good actors, good special effects and the history of the film is quite original. Of course it's not the best movie ever (it's a long way from being), but I still liked the movie anyway. Highly recommend. See more

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D.A.R.Y.L.

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