In a possible not-so-distant future, an element of America’s fight against terrorism has taken a terrible turn for the worse.
Under the newly instituted Freedom of Observation Act, Eyeborgs, high tech surveillance robots, have been created to monitor all human activity 24-7. If you are inclined to believe that a camera can’t lie, think again.
Eyeborgs as a story reminds me of Walt Kelly’s (Pogo comic strip) famous quotation, “we have met the enemy and he is us.” In a frighteningly believable but overzealous attempt to offer its citizens more protection from terrorism, the government has passed the Observation Act bill.
Instead of protection, unfortunately the results may be the end for humans. This act allows an army of Eyeborgs, robot “witnesses” of varying types to be set up to monitor every second of human action. In a world where this type of surveillance already exists, such as England’s CCTV, it is not difficult to imagine the next step, where the robot cameras not only “see” and record, but can “react” to the situations they observe.
If the Eyeborgs perceive the action as subversive or threatening to the national security, they may react with extreme physical force.
Action/adventure star Adrian Paul plays R. J “Gunner” Reynolds (name intentional as the film was made in North Carolina?) Gunner originally believed in the government surveillance plan, but is beginning to see some things that make him question not only the veracity of the Eyeborg’s recordings but also who or what group is behind their alterations.
And more importantly, to what purpose are these changes and acts of violence leading. He feels that his duty to protect his country includes the discovery of where the Eyeborgs have gone wrong, and putting a stop to it. Megan Blake as television reporter Barbara Hawkins joins Gunner as they try to uncover the truth.
Eyeborgs is an entertaining robot versus human adventure. The machines run the gamut from small and sneaky almost cute little cameras, to very scary large quadruped creatures that can suddenly morph into bipeds with killer details, like a fist full of rotating blades the better to puree their prey.
There an element of broken trust issues, as these machines which were meant to be of service suddenly turn sneaky, and unexplainably brutal. Do they possess sentience, or are they following the directions of another master, perhaps one with a hidden agenda. Excitement, shock, some bloody moments, an interesting story, and skillful acting make this a film that fans of science fiction, action adventure and horror should enjoy.
The tension is real, and the interplay of references to familiar political, social and economic events pitted against the situation of an idea carried too far makes an interesting “what-if” tale.
Eyeborgs DVD is presented on single disc in widescreen format. It has a running time of 102 minutes. Special features include a making of featurette which is entertaining and informative, deleted scenes and a trailer.
For a small budget production there is much to like and admire in Eyeborgs, and it should be popular as a rental or to add to science fiction or adventure DVD collections.
For my taste the hand held camera in most of the scenes makes the picture a bit too jerky for comfortable viewing, but others find it adds to the grittiness of the film, and increases the air of reality and suspense.
Actors and crew obviously believe strongly in this production, and that care comes across to the viewer.
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