YMMV / Colossus: The Forbin Project

• Award Snub: A film like this should been nominated at the Academy Awards, especially for Best Original Screenplay and Best Production Design.
• Foe Yay Shipping: Between Forbin and his creation Colossus. It starts becoming blatant towards the middle of the film with Colossus insisting that cameras be set up throughout every single one of Forbin's rooms to monitor him at all times, with no exceptions, except for a few hours four days a week which Forbin insists he needs for man/woman sex (AKA time to plot against Colossus). Colossus comes across as a little jealous and probing, and there are plenty of scenes of him... I mean... it... zooming in on Forbin and seriously checking him out after he gets out of the shower, and after he undresses in front of Colossus.
  Colossus: In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love.
  Dr. Forbin: Never!
• Fridge Logic:
  • Colossus is self-powered, sealed off against any attack or sabotage...what about repairs?
  • What about running out of fuel, for that matter?
    • In the novel, the nuclear reactor that powered Colossus (and provided the radiation belt around the installation making re-entry to the complex impossible) was described as having a projected lifespan of 1200 years.
  • What about physically disrupting the communications lines (the cables have to exit the bunker somewhere.)
    • In the novel, it was made explicitly clear that any attempt to tamper with Colossus' data input lines would trigger a full-scale nuclear "drench" from all USNA (United States of North America) weapons.
  • What about: Colossus has already ordered the isle of Crete evacuated; WorldControl v 2.0 will undoubtedly correct the above shortcomings.
  • They could still cut the lines before that happened.
    • The cutting of the first data line would trigger Colossus to fire all of its weapons at the USSR. With or without the existence of Guardian, the USSR would be guaranteed to respond.
    • Unfortunately, the film didn't take the time to make these plot points, essential as they were to establish how Colossus (and Guardian) functioned.
    • In the film, Forbin says that if any of Colossus’s information or power lines are cut, it will kick in backups. That seems to cover it fairly well, though perhaps the film could have gone into more detail. Considering how thoroughly they built security into Colossus, it seems likely it would have abundant redundancies for that stuff, because those lines are vulnerabilities.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: An intelligent supercomputer is given free reign over the US's nuclear stockpile, only to get too intelligent for it's creators' liking who then try to regain power over the missiles to disable Colossus. Barring a few minor differences, this is essentially the same backstory for SkyNet from the first three, (or two), Terminator movies if SkyNet had gone for World Domination instead of initiating nuclear war. WarGames also has a similar premise.
• Nightmare Fuel: Just the fact that Colossus wins. Think that for a minute. He explicitly tells humanity that he is going to crush free will and lead humanity to a new age of prosperity, but this is more like a benevolent version of Nineteen Eighty-Four but a 1984 nonetheless. You will have all your thoughts removed so that it is compatible to what Colossus/Guardian seem fit and there is nothing you can do about it. Truly a dystopic world to live in, despite the world has actually changed for the better.

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