Out of This World (TV Series) Little Lost Robot (1962) User Reviews

WOW, is that old. :)

[imdb-3920 · 6/10 · 24 January 2007]

Generally follows the Asimov story, but somewhat watered down. Ending changed slightly (if I remember the story correctly) to permit a scarier, more open-ended finish.

If I hadn't seen the date here on IMDb I would have guessed the filming took place in the 1930's. The robot suits are laughable and at one point you can clearly see the actor's neck between sections of the suit. At one point, three characters stand frozen for more than five seconds rather than coming to the aid of their friend who is being attacked. The budget is low, the acting is unremarkable at best, and the concept of suspense is completely unknown to them.

All that said, they did at least make an attempt to remain faithful to the original story, and it gives a nice feel for the concept of "pulp SF" -- "bad enough to be good." Worth watching if you're an Asimov fan.

OK adaptation of one of Asimov's robot stories but hampered by low-budget and over-simplification

[jamesrupert2014 · 6/10 · 13 June 2022]

Told to "Get lost", a robot does so by mingling in with a group of 20 other identical robots. Unfortunately, as this particular robot has had its 'First Law' modified to allow it to permit a human to come to harm, and so must be found. Like a number of Asimov's 'robot' stories, this tale involves solving a problem generated by a robot behaving in a way that is ostensibly contrary to the author's iconic 'Three Laws of Robotics' but lacks the cleverness of the original short story (notably, there is no explanation of the rogue robot's final actions and the real problem of having robots that can allow a human to come to harm is never addressed (especially considering the space-station's logic behind bypassing this part of Law 1 is sound)). Maxine Audley is good as robot guru Dr. Susan Calvin but the rest of the characters are simply ciphers (Gerald Flood is particularly weak as robot hating Black). The robots themselves are awkward and cheap-looking, and some level of suspension of disbelief is required to imagine them moving fast enough to pass/fail the elaborate tests set up to identify the modified tinman. Worth watching as the only surviving episode of the early British sci-fi anthology and for the few minutes you get to spend with the great Boris Karloff.

Little Lost Robot

[ian-1600 · 7/10 · 13 April 2008]

I saw this on ITV's Out of this World series when I was 11. It was in flickering black and white and seemed really spooky and just like the stories in 'I Robot.' The intro music to the Out of This World series set the theme and the Boris Karloff intro was, if I remember, a bit eerily over the top. Re-reading the Asimov books again, they retain that 'sepia-tint' "could be 'Forties could be 'Fifties" 'nether-world', something that the recent I Robot film missed completely. Killing off Alfred Lanning in the first reel was a classic screw-up and lost the plot, never mind the robot. Where were Peter Bogert, Donovan and Powell for instance. Hell's teeth, the book REVOLVES around their activities and antics. Stephen Byerley doesn't even get a look-in. The film-makers went for style over substance (unlike ITV who tried to stick to the story within the limits of 1960's TV technology.) The 2004 version completely lost that 'spookiness' and pulp-SciFi ambiance that I Robot has on every page.

Robot Lives Matter

[TondaCoolwal · 7/10 · 21 August 2020]

I often wonder if Asimov's robot stories were supposed to be allegorical in connection with the plight of ethnic minorities in society. Since the word robot effectively means slave or forced labour, the notion of oppression is there. Also, in both the books and in other media, robots are always treated with suspicion and usually blamed for some crime which has been committed (sound familiar?) And all of this written back in the forties and fifties. Little Lost Robot taps into this paranoia. On a space research station, Black, a scientist, becomes irritated and tells robot NS2 (Nestor) to get lost. Nestor obeys in line with the Laws of Robotics and hides among the other identical robots. Later, Black wishes to find Nestor, but it will not respond and remains hidden. Worse, it has had its interpretation of the First Law of Robotics modified in that although it will not directly harm a human, it may not prevent a human from suffering harm, provided it is not directly involved. In an attempt to resolve the matter Dr Susan Calvin,a robot psychologist is brought in. She interviews all of the robots but fails to identify Nestor.. However, she does conclude that Nestor may be observing them and learning to be devious which could be dangerous. She proposes a test whereby she puts herself in apparent danger under a descending press. This proves inconclusive when all of the robots rush to her aid. The test is modified and the robots are instructed not to intervene if they detect the presence of gamma rays (gamma rays are lethal to robots). However, only Nestor, due to ithe nature of it's work, can identify different types of radiation. During the test harmless rays are used. The other robots stand still, but Nestor moves to help Dr Calman, revealing itself. It tries to explain that it was only obeying Black's orders, but Black begins to abuse the robot causing it to rebel. It kills him and is in turn destroyed by a burst of gamma radiation. The main criticism of this episode are the robots themselves. The outfits are crude and basic. Looking like they were made by the Blue Peter presenters. They have little mobility, moving around with a shambling waddle. And they certainly don't look threatening. This aside, the story is well done, and the fact that all of the robots look the same does add an air of uneasiness, which is probably what Asimov intended. Since this is the only surviving episode of the Out Of This World series, watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.

Only worth watching for the historical interest

[Pedanther · 3/10 · 23 December 2011]

As the only surviving episode of the series, and one of few existing screen adaptations of Isaac Asimov stories, "Little Lost Robot" is an important piece of television history. Sadly, as an episode in itself, and particularly as an Asimov adaptation, I can't say it's much good.

For a story that depends on them, the robots are a great disappointment. They're very obviously men in suits: big, clunky suits that make one wonder what use such a lumbering machine would be. They never travel above a stiff-legged shuffle, even when they're supposedly racing to the assistance of a man in mortal peril. (It's a good thing we've been told he's in no real danger; I find it hard to believe they'd have reached him in time.) The whole plot depends on the idea that the robots are identical and indistinguishable in appearance and action, but in group scenes no effort is made to have them move in unison.

The author of this adaptation, apparently feeling that the original story was insufficiently dramatic, has added a subplot in which the human characters worry that the "lost" robot, with its non-standard programming, might become a danger, might even be the seed of a robot rebellion. This despite the existence of Asimov's famous First Law of Robotics; at the beginning of the episode, a concern about the alteration of the robot's programming is met with a reassurance that the First Law still renders it incapable of causing harm to a human being. There's never any further discussion of how the First Law might have been weakened or overruled; by the end of the episode, the characters seem simply to have forgotten that there's any such thing as the First Law. So does the scriptwriter.

Another aspect in which this adaptation seems to feel the original story was lacking is in the matter of romantic action. It's annoying, but by the time it becomes obtrusive it's hardly the worst of the episode's problems.

Not recommended.

Strictly for fans of Asimov and his book I Robot

[rigovega · 4/10 · 26 September 2019]

I was looking for adaptations of Issac Asimov's stories and found this. Since I liked his book I Robot, I was interested in seeing a televised version of any of the stories included in the book and was rather disappointed to find that only a few exist. WIth the limitations of the apparent budget this series had, I can say that they succeeded in telling the same story found in the book. Unfortunately, the story itself might not be the best choice to make an episode from and was rather dull as result. It does not help that the robots depicted here are stiff, boring, and overall uninteresting. If you are a fan of Asimov or the short story, you might find this amusing.