With an $11 million budget, Screamers will never be considered a blockbuster. However, the director shows that good movies can be derived from a low budget. With good characters, cool backdrops, and a smooth story, Screamers will go down in my book as one of the most impressive sci-fi movies.

Unlike most sci-fi movies these days, the graphics in Screamers were subpar. They looked like something out of a computer game video clip - nothing real - or less. Luckily, the need for special effects are limited, and the movie is saved by impressive, and beautiful, horizons, giving the planet a true science-fiction feel. Furthermore, the buildings in Screamers give the area a desolate, abandoned aura, exactly what it was supposed to be.

While there were no star actors or actresses, the lesser-known people in this movie do a good job. None of the characters are really cliched... none are overly brave, none do one-liner after one-liner (except for the Screamers, of course). Becker, Roy Dupius's character, probably is the best out of all of them- he's a rookie, sort of stupid, but he's one of those people that you don't want to see die.

Screamers, though lacking some of the big special effects, provided a thrilling story, much along the lines of Blade Runner and Terminator. There were some seriously suspenseful parts and not until the end did you know which of the characters were Screamers, and which were humans... and which would die. Luckily, it wasn't too brutal, and only one person in the movie really gets "sliced and diced."

Screamers is a fun and suspenseful movie to watch, and a great sci-fi thriller.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.