Android Apocalypse 2006
Esam Rosado
Android Apocalypse (also known as Facing Extinction) is a 2006 science fiction film starring Scott Bairstow and Joseph Lawrence. The film was written by Karl Schiffman and directed by Paul Ziller for Sci Fi Channel as a television film. It is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth that is ruled by androids, and explores the relationship between a human, Jute (Bairstow), and an android, DeeCee (Lawrence) who is beginning to develop emotions.
On an android-controlled, post-apocalyptic Earth a human man named Jute (Scott Bairstow) is convicted of murdering an android. Dee-Cee (Joseph Lawrence) is an android who is beginning to develop human emotion, and is being transported to an android-run prison facility along with Jute. While in transit, their police vehicle is attacked. Jute and Dee-Cee escape and are forced into a strained alliance in order to survive in the harsh deserts of the world. As these two characters flee android authorities they stumble upon a genocidal plot being orchestrated by the leader of the androids, who hopes to rid the planet of human life forever.
Android Apocalypse was a television film produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. It was first aired on the 24th of June, 2006. Previously viewed DVD copies have been available at some Dollar Tree stores.
I'm a serious sucker for SciFi (or SyFy) channel movies and lately I've been on a real kick with them. Giant alien bugs, mutated crocodile-octopus-dinosaurs, and dozens of Henchman #3's from the channel's serial output of the Stargate franchise. Android Apocalypse is another ex-rental I picked up in a bulk lot and quickly shelved for a rainy day. Well it didn't rain today - far from it, it's excruciatingly hot here in Sydney - but I felt it was the right time for some SyFy.
It's a post-apocalyptic future and humanity's last survivors are walled up in the final city of Phoenix. As the air outside is mainly toxic, and roaming mining ships that have gone mental shoot at anything that moves, so androids have been invented to do all the heavy work. Not everybody appreciates their help and a new form of racism begins against these so called 'cogs'. One of these cogs, DeeCee (Joseph Lawrence) is ordered to rescue the son of a Phoenix executive who has wandered outside of the city. This he does, but he takes a hit from one of the roaming droids and needs to go Terminus to be repaired.
Jute (Soctt Bairstow) is a factory worker whose job gets taken by an android and takes his anger out on another droid, disabling it. This is treated the same as murder in the new society so Jute is shipped off to Terminus prison. He shares not only a prison truck with DeeCee, but is tethered to him as well. When the truck is attacked by roaming service robots and all other droids and prisoners killed (quite bloodily, in the DVD version of the film - think Benny in Total Recall), the two leg it through the sand dunes being hunted by a sort-of vigilante android team.
Oh, and there is a mad genius Varrta, played by Troy Skog, who unknown to his superiors is building an android army to take over the city. And he's turning himself into an android. And he does so by harvesting green fluid from the back of human people's heads. That's right, green brain fluid. Still, I was pleasantly suprised here. Many SyFy films you watch once, start getting a bit tired towards the end but stick through it before saying; "Well. There you go." Android Apocalypse I didn't check the time until 45 minutes in which is a great thing for a film like this. It moved at a swift pace for the most part and the handful of fight scenes involving Lawrence and Birstow were decent enough.
So let's just get this out of the way: Joseph Lawrence was in Blossom, the 90's teen series, and in 1994 was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in People magazine. How funny is that? So just how did this hunk do as an android? Pretty well actually. He echoed the 'nice' android that we've seen in Automatic and Solo - the kind of droid that knows how to find but doesn't like to. But when threatened - which happens quite a bit in the film - he will retaliate with much arse kicking. They didn't go all out to demonstrate that DeeCee is an android; no crazy on screen displays about power levels and targeting systems. He does get his arm lopped off at one point though and leaks green fluid.
Scott Bairstow does a fine job as the bitter man whose job is replaced by a 'cog'. It's the same relationship we've seen in plenty of sci-fi movies; Enemy Mine being a good example. Hatred turns to distaste turns to acceptance turns to friendship. At the same time, DeeCee does the same as Olivier Gruner in Automatic and learns to become more human. The relationship works well and the two team up to return to the city, which is when they discover what Varrta is up to.
I actually quite liked the little universe that the producers made in this film and the use of limited sets worked well. As well as the normal androids you have 'police' droids that dress in motorcycle helmets that reminded me of the ones in THX-1138. The oversaturated lighting for the outisde shots did well to demonstrate the near toxic air that Jute had so much trouble breathing. A lot of the city interiors were quite cool with all the bright lights and flashing colours you expect from 'the near future'. The only real downfall was the pretty lame excuse for the mine, which was just a glorified sandpit, and the mineral was.. well, just sand.
All in all, a decent little sci-fi actioner that's a bit more sci-fi than action. If you get the DVD version you will get the sporadic moments of gore as well that I imagine are not included on the SyFy channel transmitted version, hence the US dvd subtitle "Extended Version". Oh and hey, Director Paul Ziller gave us Bloodfist IV and Shootfighter II. Recommended.
Androids have the best starting physical stats and are completely immune to psionics. Their physical stats, particularly accuracy, will be surpassed by human soldiers that manage to live long enough, but their immunity to psionics and Brainsuckers can give them a place in your roster even after you have a roster full of experienced humans. Their high strength, immunity to brainsucking and psionics and the very unlikely chance of them going berserk due to their high bravery combine to make them perfect candidates to carry heavy weapons, since it's almost impossible to subvert an android to turn its weapon against you.
They are highly dependable and very durable (and some with a more macabre outlook on life would say, expendable. A human rookie is easier to replace than an android, but an android is easier to replace than an experienced human). Androids can go so far as becoming body shields to protect their other training comrades, because they are incapable of using training facilities so time spent in the medical bay doesn't disadvantage them. As such, androids make excellent shock troopers and are ideal for sending into UFOs first.
As androids are mechanical in nature, they are mostly ignored in the field of psionics, which means that though they cannot use it, they are also immune to it. That maxed out Psi Defense stat is just for show, as psi-capable enemies ignore them completely. Androids are also not considered legitimate targets for brainsuckers (though they still cause brainsucker pods to hatch). Brainsuckers seem to behave variably around androids, sometimes fleeing and sometimes charging up to their feet and then sitting there. If there is a suckable target near the android it won't hesitate to jump on them though. It is technically possible to get an android brainsucked if they leap in the way of a jumping brainsucker, but this happens incredibly rarely in practice.
Creating all-android squads or even using them exclusively for your ground teams has advantages and disadvantages. An all-android squad is less versatile, but has no weak links to exploit in its immunities. A brainsucker who makes it to a mixed squad can still brainsuck someone, while it's completely neutralised against an all-android squad. Similarly a Psimorph can't control the android members of a mixed squad, but if it can control any agents then it's infinitely more dangerous than if it can control none. A mixed force of androids with other races can use the android as an advance scout, putting to use its high speed and stamina to get around, toughness to weather surprise attacks, and spotting brainsuckers and psionics for the rest of the squad while remaining safe from them. In some terrain androids can screen the rest of the squad from brainsuckers by blocking a door or corridor, which is very important in TB mode, because brainsuckers are a much greater threat than in RT.
Homo Sapians have been around since well before recorded history. Humans are the most common of the three races available for hire.
Human recruits have no political dependencies. Any company, allied to hostile, willl have new recruits available.
Hybrids are the result from inter-breeding Humans with the Sectoid alien race. Physical traits include baldness, short stature, weak muscles, and the obvious almond-shaped eyes. Mental (psionic) traits are elevated.
Hybrids are politically associated with Mutant Alliance. An activist group that promotes the welfare of Mega Primus's half human - half sectoid citizens.
Hybrids can be hired only if Mutant Alliance is neutral, or better, in relations with X-Com.
Androids are robotic, human shaped entities which have become self-aware. Physical traits cannot change but are generally stronger than other races whereas psionics are non existant.
Androids are politically associated with S.E.L.F.. An activist group that promotes the welfare of Mega Primus's robots who identify as sentient humans.
Androids can be hired only if S.E.L.F. is neutral, or better, in relations with X-Com.
A "neutral" rating can be slightly postive or negative. New hires will only appear when the neutral rating is slightly positive. It may happen that you have a neutral disposition but Hybrids or Androids still won't appear in the hire screen... Increase your relations to more positive!
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