10 Most Underrated Sci-Fi Action Movies
7. D.A.R.Y.L.
If you're sick and tired of watching E.T. but want a good old school Sci-Fi film for the family, then this much underrated movie from the 80's is well worth a look. The film doesn't pull its punches from the start, an elderly gentleman dropping the titular D.A.R.Y.L. off by the side of the road, assuring him he is a human boy, before driving off the edge of a cliff to his death.
The first two acts concentrates on the Date-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform, better known as Daryl, adjusting to life in Barkenton, South Carolina with foster parents Joyce and Andy and his best mate Turtle. Daryl's growth as a human boy plays out in a kid friendly manner, but the film once more returns to the dark side for the final act.
The government agency who created D.A.R.Y.L catch up with him and decide he should be terminated, resulting in a frenetic game of cat and mouse that is not without fatalities. The film plays out like a kid friendly version of Bladerunner, asking its younger audience what it means to be human, while also emphasising the importance of friendship.
The ability to treat their target audience of teens and tweens with respect is an important one, trusting that they can handle the darker aspects of the film and rewarding them in the process.