To say that "Moontrap" suffers from some plot holes is an understatement : it comes close to being one king-size plot hole. It is also not unduly interested in logic and plausibility. Imagine NASA recovering two stunning, mysterious objects (one of them a mummified corpse and the other one a strange egg-shaped contraption, both of them of alien origin) and then leaving those objects in a non-secure environment without a permanent watch. In real life, objects such as these would be supervised, guarded and shielded just as closely as the heart of a nuclear reactor ; moreover, they would be treated according to stringent protocols.
There are also a lot of story strands which go nowhere. One of the astronauts, for instance, turns out to be divorced father with a friendly teenage son. A scene mentions the divorce and introduces the son, and that's it, both elements disappear into the Big Nowhere. The movie might just as well have told us that the astronaut likes Chinese poetry and has a deaf neighbour.
Yet "Moontrap" is not without qualities. It may have had a small budget but it has a lot of drive, heart, ambition. It also creates strong, striking images. There's many a million dollar sci-fi blockbuster that has less individual character.
So I'd say : invite a few friends over for beer and enjoy the movie, it's fun.
Finally it needs to be noted that one of the main premises of "Moontrap" may be eerily predictive. In the movie, mankind gets threatened by robots capable of adapting and repairing themselves by using a variety of metal, electronical and biological resources. A few years ago, it was said that the American army was developing a killer robot to be used on the battlefield. The robot was supposed to "feed" itself by feasting on new resources, which, presumably, included the remains of its victims. Now there's a thought to refresh the soul : a robot that kills, eats its prey, kills, eats its prey, kills, eats its prey, kills...
There are also a lot of story strands which go nowhere. One of the astronauts, for instance, turns out to be divorced father with a friendly teenage son. A scene mentions the divorce and introduces the son, and that's it, both elements disappear into the Big Nowhere. The movie might just as well have told us that the astronaut likes Chinese poetry and has a deaf neighbour.
Yet "Moontrap" is not without qualities. It may have had a small budget but it has a lot of drive, heart, ambition. It also creates strong, striking images. There's many a million dollar sci-fi blockbuster that has less individual character.
So I'd say : invite a few friends over for beer and enjoy the movie, it's fun.
Finally it needs to be noted that one of the main premises of "Moontrap" may be eerily predictive. In the movie, mankind gets threatened by robots capable of adapting and repairing themselves by using a variety of metal, electronical and biological resources. A few years ago, it was said that the American army was developing a killer robot to be used on the battlefield. The robot was supposed to "feed" itself by feasting on new resources, which, presumably, included the remains of its victims. Now there's a thought to refresh the soul : a robot that kills, eats its prey, kills, eats its prey, kills, eats its prey, kills...