Short Circuit
Something wonderful has happened... No. 5 is alive.
1986 • 98 min • Science Fiction · Comedy · Family
Synopsis
After a lightning bolt zaps a robot named Number 5, the lovable machine starts to think he's human and escapes the lab. Hot on his trail is his designer, Newton, who hopes to get to Number 5 before the military does. In the meantime, a spunky animal lover mistakes the robot for an alien and takes him in, teaching her new guest about life on Earth.
Our family guide
Best from age 7- 66 Audience · 1652 · 100%
After a lightning strike, a military robot gains sentience and escapes. Its creator tries to reach it before the military does, while the robot is taken in by a kind woman who believes it's an alien. They teach it about humanity as it tries to evade capture.
- Violence & peril
- 3/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 0/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 0/10
- Scary moments
- 2/10
Heads up
- Some comedic chase scenes
- Mild peril when the robot is pursued
What it models well
- Empathy and understanding
- Protecting life
- The meaning of humanity
- Curiosity and learning
Talk about it after
- What makes someone alive or human?
- How do we treat those who are different?
- The ethics of artificial intelligence
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Short Circuit. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
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Top billed cast
Director: John Badham • Crew: Brent Maddock
Trailers & clips
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Details
- TMDB audience
- 6.6/10 (1,652)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $10,000,000
- Box office
- $40,697,761
- Franchise
- Short Circuit Collection
- IMDb
- tt0091949
