Kyle Baxter is a teenaged hacker and video game enthusiast who excels at the virtual reality game "Evolver". Hoping to win a contest that provides the winner with an actual working robot modeled on the one in the game, he hacks into the Cyber-Tronix (the company that makes it) mainframe and changes the results to ensure he is the winner. Cyber-Tronix brings the game playing robot to the Baxter home and at first Kyle and his friends have fun playing with the robot. However, as the game continues, Evolver shows a competitive streak that is frighteningly intense and when one of Kyle's classmates is killed and another is horribly injured, Kyle thinks a secret program command in Evolver's database may have something to do with it...

A Sci-Fi Channel original movie, Evolver is a fun piece of cheese that exhibits a surprising level of competence in its direction, competence rarely seen in Sci-Fi Channel movies, which have a reputation for being low budget disasters.

The movie attempts to make the idea of the Evolver robot believable, an attempt that works quite well. The robot exists to play a game that is essentially laser tag, with the human participants using laser guns to shoot at targets on Evolver's chest while Evolver himself shoots Nerf balls at the players. The movie's creators understand what the look and feel of the robot should be, and were completely successful in creating a functioning robot that looks and acts like something you could purchase in a Radio Shack. It's not too hard to imagine seeing a product like Evolver in someone's home, and had the creators failed to create that impression this movie would have been a complete failure (Or, if you like your movies laughably awful, a complete success).

Of course, while the existence of Evolver is plausible, the idea that such a robot would go on a killing spree is ridiculous. The makers of Evolver also understand this, and while the material is presented somewhat intelligently, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and gives in to the corny fun that is the very soul of its premise. Imagine a scene where Evolver drops a car on one of his victims before menacingly saying; "Game over" and you understand the level of entertainment that Evolver succeeds at providing.

The movie has some decent performances, and none of the actors embarrass themselves or the movie during any point of the running. This is a small wonder, especially given the silliness factor that the actors have to carry on their backs. John de Lancie, who you may recognize as "Q" from Star Trek: The Next Generation, especially does a good job as Russell Bennett, the obsessive designer of Evolver.

Of course, the Evolver robot itself is the star of this movie, with much credit due to the people who designed and built the robot. Some due credit must also be given to William H. Macy (Fargo, The Cooler), for giving Evolver his charmingly robotic voice. (Vhs Caveman, 6/18/05)

Directed By: Mark Rosman.
Written By: Mark Rosman.

Starring: Ethan Randall, John de Lancie, Cassidy Rae, Cindy Pickett.