Review of Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) by Keenan S — 25 May 2018

Colossus: The Forbin Project is a brilliant, riveting, and criminally underrated science-fiction film that is not only relevant in its depiction of its era, but frankly, feels even more relevant in this day and age.

Dr. Charles Forbin and his team have created the ultimate supercomputer that handles the missile defense system for the United States. Upon celebrating this monumental achievement, Colossus notifies the team that there is another supercomputer like it.

The Soviets later confirm its existence, which puts both countries in a dangerous position with such powerful machines. Strangely, Colossus asks to communicate with the other supercomputer. By agreement of both countries, it is allowed.

At first the machines communicate with math equations, but as they communicate more, they soon begin to communicate in a language unknown to their human creators. Alarmed at the potential information being exchanged, the countries sever communications between the two machines.

Colossus demands the link be restored, but when the request is denied, both machines launch missiles at each other's countries. The link is restored and the U.S. is saved, but an oil field and a town in the Soviet Union are annihilated.

Colossus and the other machine begin to develop greater sentience, even ordering the killing of the Soviet creator of the other computer, so that Dr. Forbin is the only mediator between man and machine.

As the machines develop and begin to hold the world itself hostage, both countries try to collaborate to find a way to stop them. But Colossus is watching every move and trying to outsmart a machine smarter than any human is quite a task.

While some will decry the film as dated with its effects (It's the latest and greatest tech of 1970. What the fuck are you expecting?), I think the film holds up incredibly well. It's not only a brilliant commentary on the Cold War, but remains a timeless film about man vs machine and when we become too dependent upon machines to do our bidding.

Especially in this day and age when we're all guilty of being so dependent upon machines, Colossus: The Forbin Project strikes a chilling chord that doesn't seem too far off. What do we do when our machines created to do our bidding turn against us? Especially when they are given such monumental tasks as handling our wars and disputes? It's thrilling, nail-biting in intensity, and compelling.

It's one of the great, underappreciated masterworks of sci-fi genre that should be more widely seen.