STEALTH

STEALTH. Rob Cohen, dir. W. D. Richter, script. USA: Columbia Pictures (major prod./dist.), 2005—see IMDb for details of production and distribution.

+Mostly a military movie, of interest for its very near-future SF elements. Premise includes "EDI" (pronounced "Eddie"): a highly advanced aircraft run by an AI quantum computer. EDI gets the handle "Tin Man" and gets hit by lightning (cf. SHORT CIRCUIT) and rebels, until he returns to the side of the good. Uses the mutiny of the computer HAL (pronounced "Hal") from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the threat of nuclear apocalypse from DR. STRANGELOVE—and gets some aspects of the voice of EDI (to Erlich's ear) and some politics from WARGAMES; DARK STAR can be seen as a "pre-existent satire" of STEALTH'S philosophical discussions involving EDI (and TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE—a wrong-headed but serious movie—can be seen as a pre-existent satire of STEALTH's political pretentions). The design of the stealth aircraft is of interest: EDI is a bit more pomo and Industrial than the somewhat more Modernist planes with human pilots. CAUTION: The film is a prime example of "[W'm H.] Hardesty's Law" that carrier warfare movies tend to be boring. Some critics have found the film militaristic, but such judgments may be taking the film too seriously.