The original title of this fun Jim Wynorski sci-fi/horror mash-up was Killbots. I think it was originally intended to be a sequel/reboot of Wynorski’s Chopping Mall (which was also alternately titled Killbots), but the title was changed shortly before release. I have to assume original Chopping Mall producer, Roger Corman denied Wynorski and producer Charles Band the rights to the title. It’s not a big deal either way as there is very little connective tissue linking the two films (aside from a throwaway line of dialogue). In fact, it shares more DNA with Tourist Trap (another Band production) than Corman’s Chopping Mall as it focuses on a group of teens trapped in a ghost town.
Wynorski’s long-time muse, Rocky DeMarco stars as the titular creation, a sexy cyborg who becomes self-aware and escapes the desert laboratory where she was created. She plans to hook up with a computer server and take over the world using AI. On her journey, she stumbles upon a one-horse town and kills the few remaining citizens. Meanwhile, a van full of teens stops in town for gas and comes face to face with the robot menace.
Murderbot reminded me a lot of the Terminator rip-offs of the mid-to-late ‘90s. The shots of DeMarco’s Heads Up Display and her glowing red eyes would look right at home in a DTV Don “The Dragon” Wilson sci-fi/action flick. Wynorski also lends the film a Spaghetti Western vibe as DeMarco often struts down the empty streets of the desolate ghost town like a lone gunfighter in a Sergio Corbucci movie. Then of course, there are the uniquely Wynorski touches that are impossible to resist (such as the fact that all the scientists in the top-secret underground desert facility are sexy buxom women), and the inclusion of his regular supporting players (such as Becky LeBeau, Lisa London, and Lauren Parkinson) will make Wynorski fans rejoice.
Murderbot is only forty-four minutes long, which is good news when you’re trying to watch 365 movies on Tubi in 365 days like I am. However, Wynorski die-hards will probably wish he was given a little more time to flesh things out. (I would have particularly liked more scenes with the sexy scientists.) The flipside of that is the film wastes no time getting down to business, and when it heats up, the action doesn’t stop.
The kill scenes are solid too. There’s a decapitation via car hood, exploding heads, and brain splattering, just to name a few. Some of the characters are annoying (like the nerd who’s always playing the trumpet), but I did love the hilarious scene where the Gen Z teens can’t call for help because they have no idea how to use a payphone. Little moments like this help make Murderbot a blast from start to finish.
AKA: Killbots.
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