We're in this current timeline where, seemingly now more than ever, there's been a focus on artificial intelligence. Mostly through art, which of course is mostly theft, which I've been trying not to support. It seems like we're in this weird push for and against AI as a replacement for human effort. So, of course with a lot of this happening just as I'm about to start a blog, of course I could use this to my advantage. And my choice was to go with probably one of the best examples of the "AI" future, involving one of the more bizarre creations from the 1980s. Let's talk about Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future.
Right off the bat, I'm curious as to how many people remember Max Headroom specifically beyond being a pitchman for New Coke then Pepsi, or the now more infamous "Max Headroom Incident" in which two Chicago stations in 1987 were hacked by an unknown hacker wearing a Max Headroom mask. I think the legacy of the incident has now overshadowed the character and his origins. So, for the uninitiated, let's talk about what the hell Max Headroom is. Max Headroom was an "AI" character portrayed by Matt Frewer. Max was presented as an artificial intelligence host, whose stuttering, computer generated backgrounds, and physical form of a rigid, blocky body, became a hit thanks to hia witty commentary while presenting music videos, often involving him mentioning plenty of then-current events. The world's first AI television host. Even though, he technically wasn't, but semantics.
Max Headroom was the creation of George Stone, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton. The latter two names I know best from the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie and yeah, I can see that. Dystopian future concepts with unique special effects seem to be their bread and butter. Headroom was created to be the host of a music video show for the UK's Channel 4. The Max Headroom Show aired from 1985-1987 with a total of 29 episodes and one Christmas special. Max served as the AI Veejay in a similar vein to what MTV was providing at the time, only less artificially intelligent. But how do you sell a Max Headroom? How do you even explain what the hell this whole thing is? Well, that was the job of a TV movie that aired before the premiere of The Max Headroom Show. The one hour film, Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future.
In the near future, the world's getting pretty dystopian. Made no better by mysterious explosions. Reporter Edison Carter (Frewer) tries to get an answer as to what's going on, only for the network he works for, the shadowy Channel 23, to try and stop him at every turn. The reason behind the secrecy is that Channel 23, in a bid to have full ratings control, have begun to implement advertisements known as "Blipverts" created by teenage genius Bryce Lynch. Blipverts work as quick 3-second advertisements meant to blast a person's mind with the subliminal advertising and cut back on potential channel changers. The problem however is that the human body can't take the effects of Blipverts and are prone to spontaneous combustion. Despite the potential dangers of Blipverts, the shady head of Channel 23, Grossman, wants to push ahead regardless.
With the help of expert hacker Theora Jones, Carter infiltrates the Channel 23 building and discover the grisly truth behind Blipverts. However, Bryce sends a pair of shady hitmen try to catch Carter first. Carter tries to escape by stealing one of the hitmen's motorcycle but Bryce manages to hack into a ramp in the parking garage, causing Carter to smash into a barrier that says "Max Headroom 2.3m". And there's where the name comes from. Carter is still alive, but due to the possibility of losing his top reporter, Grossman tries to get Bryce to fix the matter, to which he creates an AI copy of Carter's mind into an AI. But a frustrated Grossman has Bryce get rid of it. Bryce's goons take Carter's body to a morgue and give the device containing the Carter copy to a pirate TV channel known as Big Time Television. The ones in charge, Dominique and Blank Reg, manage to bring the AI to life, which becomes Max Headroom, witty and bizarre music video host. Carter survives and along with Theora work to expose the truth about Blipverts, all while Max Headroom becomes a ratings hit.
It's always interesting to look at movies, especially ones for TV, that take shots at corrupt media conglomerates. Like, you rarely ever saw Network airing on TV and that thing was as much of an ultimate "media evil" movie that you can get. So, it's always bizarre to pull one of these off at all. But given the more cyberpunk nature of the film, I guess it makes the most sense to do it this way. And it's definitely a cyberpunk film. I like how they present the Channel 23 building as this giant monolith that overlooks the land. Its foundation literally shaped like a cross for likely added symbolism. And while this is UK in origin, it does feel like a perfect sendup of the deregulated 1980s television landscape which did feel like this bizarre form of corporate mind control. And even now that still feels true. Only without the insta-kill three second ads.
And I think it gives us the most realistic ending ever for a movie about a computer man who pitches music videos. When Carter finally catches Grossman and Bryce to reveal the truth about Blipverts, Blank Reg and Dominique get bored and just turn on Max instead. The movie does a lot well that still holds up today, but presenting how easily distracted people make themselves instead of learning the dark truth about something might be the purest genius of a pretty genius movie.
Minor gripes, I will say that if you went into this movie wanting a lot of Max, you really don't get much. The beef of the story is the build to the origin of the Max AI after all. Thankfully the movie always keeps moving and is interesting to watch so that considerable lack of the character they're trying to sell the audience on doesn't feel like a massive hinderance. Matt Frewer is great as both Edison Carter and Max Headroom. While Carter isn't the most overly witty character, more focused and headstrong, it works for making Max Headroom more interesting. Being a copy of Carter's mind, this is essentially the other side of Carter that manifests within him. The charismatic TV host in pure form. I like the rest of the cast as well. Especially Nikolas Grace as Grossman who does feel like enough of a skeezy villainous TV exec willing to let people die for the sake of ratings.
My other semi-gripe is that the movie is neat and all, but given that Max Headroom was intended as a music video veejay, all of this feels like really interesting filler. If you go through all this build and this isn't the show, then it's cool to look at but lacking in the punch it intended. Fortunately there was a Max Headroom series focused around this similar concept. Once the character made it stateside and soon became a product pitchman, ABC took interest in adapting the 20 Minutes Into the Future movie into a television series that lasted two brief seasons. Much of the movie's plot remains intact with a few changes like Bryce not being an actual villain in this one. I've not seen the whole show, but after watching this movie pilot, I'm at least intrigued enough.
Also, I love the look of Max Headroom. Everything from his suits, his blonde hair, the neon backgrounds. You couldn't find a more perfect poster child for what people's nostalgia paints the eighties as. Props to Matt Frewer, the makeup and effects to give off what is still a strong enough illusion of an AI character. A literal talking head. Again, I really wish the movie had a chance to do more with him. But I guess that's also the point? The little you get of Max is intended to make the viewer more interested in him once the show aired. So I guess it works. I'm now more intrigued in watching a bunch of old Max Headroom clips on Youtube, which is where I found this movie, posted a few times there so as of this writing, it's not a hard movie to find.
So yeah, I liked Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future. Best rating I'd give it is a three and a half star rating. Partially on my enjoyment while acknowledging that there are a few clunky bits and things like, for example, some of the dated effects might detract new watchers (also the whole scene with Bryce in the small tub raised an eyebrow because why?) but I do think most of what it does and attempts to do, it does quite well. Whether or not AI will truly overtake everything remains to be seen. It's a worrisome situation for creatives especially. And you could argue the even bigger concerns that the movie gives us a gray area when it comes to if Carter would take issue with his likeness and mind being used without consent, which is already becoming a massive worry involving AI. But for a simple and easy TV movie, it's a decent time. And Max Headroom is coming back as a reboot series is in the works with Matt Frewer back in his iconic role. Which is good because, especially as we enter the kind of future that the pilot movie presented, it's needed now more than ever.
RATING: ***1/2
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