This week’s retro trailer is for the classic 1985 AI sci-fi drama thriller D.A.R.Y.L. This a movie that I haven’t watched since I was a kid, and after rewatching this trailer, it’s a film that I’ve got to revisit!
With artificial intelligence currently taking over the world, it will be interesting to revisit this film and see what the vision of AI was like back in the 80s.
D.A.R.Y.L. centered around a young boy named Daryl (Barret Oliver), who is discovered wandering aimlessly and suffering from amnesia.
He is taken in by a kind foster family, the Richardsons, who name him Daryl after the acronym found on his identification bracelet: Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform. Initially, Daryl appears to be a normal, albeit exceptionally gifted, child.
He excels in academics and sports, demonstrating extraordinary abilities that soon raise suspicions about his true nature.
As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Daryl is not an ordinary boy but a sophisticated government experiment—a human-looking android with advanced artificial intelligence.
When the military learns of his whereabouts, they seek to reclaim Daryl, viewing him as valuable property rather than a sentient being with emotions and relationships.
Daryl’s foster parents and newfound friends must then band together to protect him from the authorities. The film has elements of a heartwarming family drama with thrilling action sequences, making it a memorable piece of 1980s cinema.
