Android (film)
A 1982 sci-fi film about an android learning humanity.
Android (1982) is an American science fiction film directed by Aaron Lipstadt, with Don Keith Opper and Klaus Kinski in the lead roles. The plot centers on a scientist and his assistant who run an unauthorized android project from their laboratory aboard a deep-space station. Although *The Age* named it the Best Science Fiction Film of 1983, critical and audience reactions were divided.
The story is set in 2036. On a remote space station live the android Max 404 and his creator, Dr. Daniel. Max, though a machine, becomes increasingly curious about human experiences, particularly sex. Daniel notices this shift and, in a recorded log, speculates that Max’s growing defiance could lead to a rebellion similar to the “Munich Rebellion” on Earth, after which androids were banned. Despite this, Daniel is secretly building another android, Cassandra One, a superior female-form machine.
Max intercepts a distress call from a ship and, hearing a woman’s voice, allows it to land. The vessel is actually a prison transport, and its pilots—Maggie, Keller, and Mendes—are escaped convicts who killed the real crew. Daniel is furious but, after meeting Maggie, invites her to dinner. The meal goes poorly when a jealous Max sabotages it with pranks. Daniel then asks Maggie to link sexually with Cassandra to transfer experiences; she refuses. Daniel later records that once Cassandra is complete, Max should be deactivated due to “Munich Syndrome.”
While the convicts repair their ship, a TerraPol police cruiser arrives, detecting the transport’s active transponder. Max denies the fugitives are aboard and destroys the police ship with a laser. He then confesses to Maggie that he knows she is a fugitive, saved her, and wants to leave with her. Maggie later meets Max in the lab for an intimate encounter, but Cassandra activates and reveals Max is also an android.
Mendes, furious at Maggie’s absence, beats her. Keller tries to intervene but is knocked out. When Keller wakes, he finds Maggie dead and attacks Mendes, who kills him. Max finds Maggie’s body and, after discovering a misplaced flashlight, realizes Daniel killed her, not Mendes. Daniel reprograms Max to kill Mendes, which Max does as more police ships arrive.
Returning to the lab, Max finds Daniel making advances on the now-active Cassandra. When Max refuses to obey Daniel, the two androids tear off Daniel’s head, reveali
- Release Year
- 1982
- Country
- United States
- Director
- Aaron Lipstadt
- Starring
- Don Keith Opper, Klaus Kinski
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Budget
- Less than $1 million
- Runtime
- 80 minutes
Lore & Background
The film is set in 2036 aboard a remote space station, where android Max 404 and his creator Dr. Daniel reside. Max develops a growing interest in human behavior, especially sex, and begins showing insubordinate traits that Daniel fears could lead to a revolt like the Munich Rebellion, after which androids were outlawed. Daniel is illegally working on a superior female android, Cassandra One. When a distress call brings a prison transport carrying escaped fugitives Maggie, Keller, and Mendes to the station, events spiral into murder and revelation.
Reader's Guide
Android gained a cult reputation largely due to its success on a shoestring budget, filmed in four weeks and edited in three more. Producer Roger Corman test-marketed the film in 1982 but lost interest after poor early bookings; producers Rupert Harvey and Barry Opper bought the rights in 1983 and opened it in London, where The Observer called it 'the sleeper of the year.' The film's significance lies in its exploration of android consciousness and humanity, with Max 404 portrayed as a sympathetic, learning machine. Critics praised Don Keith Opper's performance and Klaus Kinski's creepy turn as Dr. Daniel. The film's twist—that Dr. Daniel is also an android—and its ambiguous ending, where Max and Cassandra pose as humans to return to Earth, contribute to its enduring cult status.
Did You Know?
- The film was completely filmed in four weeks and edited in a further three weeks.
- The film cost less than $1 million to make.
- In the closing credits, Max 404 plays 'himself,' and the technical credits maintain the conceit that the character is played by an actual android.
- The film was voted Best Science Fiction Film in 1983 by The Age.
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