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In 1982 Steven Speilberg changed the world of film forever. E.T - The Extra Terestrial was a phenomenon, a box office
smash packed with imagination and wonder. Children and adults alike adored the story of Elliot and ET and today it remains
one of the seminal films of all time. It had themes that resonated with us all; innocence, friendship, loyalty and love AND
it had kids using BMX bikes and a speak n' spell to save the stranded nature loving E.T!! It was a movie to
cherish and families across the world enjoyed it together, I still remember sitting down at my aunt's house to watch it. In
Hollywood every major studio wanted its own E.T. and D.A.R.Y.L, released only two years later in 1984, certainly owes
an awful lot to Spielberg's classic.
We first meet Daryl ( Barrett Oliver) at the scene of a car accident in which the driver has been killed apparently
attempting to outrun a helicopter. The young boy has no memory of his family or where he is from, only that his name is Daryl.
After spending a few nights in a fostering centre he is quickly housed in the beautiful suburbs into the perfect American
family of Joyce and Andy Richardson. Daryl immediately fits in and is the perfect son, even ironing his own shorts according
to his foster mother who begins to believe all cannot quite be right as Darly is just too perfect a child. He excells at everything
and is well loved by everyone around him. Then, his idyllic life is shattered as two strangers appear claiming to be his parents
and take him "home" which turns out to be a top secret military research facility. You see, young Daryl isn't a boy after
all, he is D.A. R.Y.L (Data Analysing Robot; Youth Lifeform). Yeah, I thought they had really had to strain that anacroynm
too!
When The Pentagon and men in suits hear that their new super droid actually feels human emotions like fear, they order
the whole program closed down and Daryl terminated. But the scientists can't be murdering the little fella so they stage an
elaborate fake death for our hero, and as he miraculously appears from beneath the backseat of Dr. Stewart's car, the chase
is on. Ah, resurrection scene! I am watching a remake of E.T. after all! Daryl steals a prototype fighter jet and makes his
way home to Joyce and Andy and his best friend, Turtle.
D.A.R.Y.L is a perfect film for conservative America. It has fantasy subburban life where the kids play little league
and dad's have barbeques in the yard. Life is very simple; dad works in construction whilst mum makes chocolate cake and teaches
kids piano. They are happy people and they love their children, exactly what the target audience is looking for and for that
reason alone kids won't be disappointed with the film. It has frienship, a robot boy and a happy ending for heaven's sake!
As family entertainment, it is excellent.
Like football, this is a two halved affair. The film is initially quite slow as we learn to love Daryl believing him
to be a young boy with amnesia, but as the film suddenly changes form and car chases and stolen super jets enter the equation
it quickens towards a slightly mediocre ending as Daryl once again returns from the dead and goes home. Hey, that's TWO resurrections
for the boy, even Jesus didn't manage that.
The film has moments of pathos and it does have a brief look at the morality of Artificial Intelligence but generally
stears clear of any seriousness in favour of gadgets and what now look like appalling special effects.The sequence in which
Daryl's memory is restored bust have been astonishing back in 1984, neural pathways suddenly exposed in 3D neon colour, but
today it looks a bit like a chicken tikka masala the morning after seven pints of snakebite.
It is predictable but entertaining family fare and for a nostalgic late twentysomething like me, its a treat
to look back. But I can imagine the first question a child today would ask; "daddy, when Dayrl and Turtle were playing computer
games, why were the racing cars made of big squares?"
It gets an icepirateship 3/5
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