On Watching Cyborg 2087 for the First Time: The First Viewing Chronicles, #1

Chapter One

The Preamble

We have here the introduction to the book. Or is it the introduction to a series of short books? I am not sure. It could be both.

What this book entails is me, Dave, watching the 1966 movie Cyborg 2087 and telling you about it. I have not seen this movie.

I stumbled upon it. I read that it was similar to Terminator 2. That made it interesting to me. I figured I would like to see it and write about the similarity, or the lack of similarity.

I plan to write about people who were involved in the movie. I will also happily go down strange rabbit holes. I will be going far afield. Some of them will be personal. Others will be about how we respect old movies, or treat them as things to be made fun of. Also, don’t be alarmed if we start going on about Orson Welles and one of his radio series.

For now, my rules for this book is that I will watch ten minutes of the movie and then write that chapter. I will continue that process until I am done with the last ten minute section and the last chapter. And then we will all dance.

Don’t be a stranger. I always include the means to contact me. I would love to hear if this was entertaining. :Let me know what could make this better.

Or just drop a line to say, hi.

David

Chapter Two

Cyborg 2087

Starring: Micheal Runnie, Karen Steele, Wendel Corey, Warren Stevens

Directed: Franklin Adreon

Written: Arthur C. Pierce

Produced: Earle Lyon

Music: Paul Dunlap

Distributed: United Pictures Corporation

Released: October 1966

Chapter Three

On Watching Cyborg 2087 for the First Time

MInute Minus One

Begun July 5, 2024. 11:30 AM

The movie is about to begin. There is no dilly dallying. There are no more commercials or previews of coming attractions. The movie is about to begin.

There are few words more exciting and nerve wracking than those :the movie is about to begin.

It is at that moment that you will find out if you made a good choice. You heard about this movie. You like science fiction movies. You like the actor in the movie. You read a review and though it was scathing, you sure the reviewers are wrong, because the reviewers are always wrong. They don’t like sitting and waiting and hoping.

Reviewers don’t appreciate the fear you feel as you wait for the movie to begin. Is it going to be great? Is it going to suck? Will there be cool kills and a lot of cleavage shots? These are the thoughts and dreams that go through your mind before that damned movie starts.

The best way to see a movie is wake up and as soon as your eyes open, a film begins. You know nothing about the movie. You don’t recognize any of the actors. The title is interesting but does not give you any idea of what you are about to see.

All you have is the movie starting before you and the time to watch it.

That’s the transaction. Sometimes you have to pay for the movie, but you can see most movies for free: from commercial TV to a friend’s DVD copy to watching it online on YouTuber or Tubi or whatever else you can see the movie free on. There are always ways to see a movie without financial transactions. Paying for a movie sounds downright quaint a notion. Look how cute, he actually paid for this damned thing.

That is not the transaction you are making with this movie.

The film is in front of your eyes. It will play from the beginning to the end. It might have commercial breaks or cuts for time or content, but the movie is there for you to see. The movie is doing its  part. What do you put into the middle of the table? What is your ante to this pot?

You have thrown in your time. You time that it will take to watch the movie. You can’t speed read a movie. You can’t have a friend tell you what you would have seen (you could, but that’s not seeing a movie. That’s not the transaction) You can’t glimpse in on the movie for a second and get an indea of it.

No. A movie goers gives their time. They invest a part of their limited existence to the act of  watching this here flick. You could be doing other things. You could be writing your novel. Go for a swim. Hit up a cute guy hanging out by the food court. There is a world of possibility. And yet you pick a 1966 movie that few people know about.

Is that why you are giving your time? Because it is obscure? Do you take umbrage in the idea that you only watching the most unknown, fringe movies that you can access? Everyone is watching Chritstopher Nolan movies, but you are deep diving into Mexican fairy tale movies for kids. Or you are finding a Michael Rennie movie where he travels back in time.

Most will ask two questions: why bother with a movie that