Runaway

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Runaway is available on streaming right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Tom Selleck leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

There is a reason Runaway keeps coming up in conversation. Runaway treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... And his son becomes a target. Tom Selleck and Cynthia Rhodes lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1984. Runaway resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Runaway a chance. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch for Tom Selleck in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.