Plot
A young boy is in a car with an older man being pursued by unknown forces. The man tells him to get out the car and the car crashes off a cliff. The boy wanders the forest barely aware of his surroundings. The boy is subsequently discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Bergen, an elderly couple and taken to an orphanage in Barkenton, South Carolina. However, he has no memory of his true identity or why he was in the woods. Only knowing his name is Daryl. After being placed with his foster parents, Joyce and Andy Richardson, Daryl begins to exhibit exceptional talents.
Daryl's social skills are limited due to his isolated upbringing, but he befriends Turtle Fox, a sarcastic and wisecracking neighbor. Daryl shares that he has amnesia and hopes his real parents will find him someday. As Daryl observes Turtle playing the video game Pole Position , he effortlessly outperforms him, displaying superhuman abilities. He also does well in school shocking a stern teacher by correctly correcting another student work before being given the answers when asked to swap papers. Joyce begins to feel disheartened however as Daryl despite being pleasant irons his own clothes makes his own bed and doesn’t seem to need anything from her. Andy decides to teach Daryl social skills through baseball, where Daryl excels, hitting multiple home runs and impressing everyone except Joyce who is not unkind but disinterested when Daryl excitedly tells her mid game. Daryl wonders if he has hurt her somehow. Turtle advices Daryl he is too perfect and to let Joyce help him a bit. Daryl then deliberately messes up the game and yells about it. Allowing Joyce to comfort him. Turtle laments sarcastically that was it was a bit extreme to throw the game but Daryl is happy.
Daryl gradually grows closer to his family and turtle and loosens up becoming more emotive.
Daryl also demonstrates his advanced capabilities when he helps Andy rectify an issue with an ATM and manipulates it to put more than one million dollars into his foster father's account.
During a baseball game, government agents Dr Stewart and Dr Lamb locate Daryl and present themselves as his real parents. They are surprised when the Richardson’s show fondness for Daryl and say he is nervous to meet his parents. Andy has an emotional farewell in private where he encourage Daryl who does not wish to leave to give his parents a chance. Privately the Richardson after Daryl leaves express doubt as to how unconcerned Daryl’s “parents” seemed about him.
Dr Stewart and Dr Lamb reveal who they really are to Daryl they return him to the TASCOM facility in Washington, D.C., where his memory is restored.
His name Daryl, is an acronym for "Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform." Daryl is an artificial intelligence experiment created by a government company called TASCOM. Physically resembling a human boy, Daryl's brain is actually a highly advanced microcomputer with extraordinary abilities, including exceptional reflexes, multitasking skills, and the ability to hack computer systems. The experiment was intended to produce a super-soldier and was funded by the military.
One of the scientists involved in the project, Dr. Mulligan, became disillusioned and decided to free Daryl. Pursued by a helicopter, Dr. Mulligan sacrificed himself to ensure Daryl's escape, driving his car off a cliff.
Daryl undergoes debriefing, his past actions with his foster family are analysed. He is questioned about why he threw the game and he reveals it was to relate to others. They are also surprised at his new range of emotions which he was not programmed for. Dr Stewart is amazed while Dr Lamb insist on referring to Daryl as it and says “it” is merely learning to copy behaviour. Dr Stewart realising he misses them allows Andy Joyce and Turtle to visit over Dr Stewart’s protests. They manage to convince them off Daryl true nature and it is revealed that his capacity for human emotions has deemed the project a failure, leading to a decision to terminate him. Dr. Jeffrey Stewart, one of Daryl's creators, helps him escape, assisted by Dr. Lamb, who now questions Daryl's true nature.
Daryl and Dr. Stewart evade their pursuers with Daryl's driving skills. However, the next day, while trying to escape a roadblock, Dr. Stewart is shot and later dies from his injuries. That night, Daryl sneaks onto a military base and steals a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Daryl contacts Turtle, instructing him and his sister Sherie Lee Fox to meet him at Blue Lake, a familiar location. The Air Force attempts to intercept the plane but fails. Daryl ejects at the last moment to fake his death while the plane is destroyed. However, he lands unconscious in the lake and drowns. Daryl's body is rushed to the hospital but shows no signs of life.
Dr. Lamb discovers Daryl and reactivates his electronic brain, reviving him. With Daryl now declared dead, he is no longer pursued by TASCOM. He joyfully reunites with his foster family, bringing happiness to everyone, including Turtle, who believed Daryl could not die since he is a robot.
Reception
Box office
The film grossed $7,840,873 in the United States and Canada. [2]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 50% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. [3]
Vincent Canby of The New York Times stated, "The best that can be said about D.A.R.Y.L. is that it's inoffensive" and "though D.A.R.Y.L. is not really bad, it's pretty silly. It might be more profitably shelved and some of the earlier films of its actors re-released." [4]
Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post wrote, "The script is moronic and so riddled with improbabilities that the suspense element never takes root. Director Simon Wincer has no sense of pace or rhythm, but boy does he love to shoot helicopters and jet fighters, which whizz at the camera in great booming arcs. Well, it is noisy." [5]
In his review for Entertainment Tonight , Leonard Maltin said, "This is one of the blandest movies I've seen all year. No punch. No surprises. No juice, especially in the way it's directed." [6] On their show At the Movies , Gene Siskel gave D.A.R.Y.L. a "thumbs down" for being predictable and formulaic, while Roger Ebert recommended the movie, praising its ending and comparing its theme to that of the 1968 film Charly . [7]
DVD Verdict cites "wooden" acting and a "preposterous" plot, but ultimately concludes that the film is "a formulaic slice of family entertainment that doesn't do much new, but follows the blueprint well enough to warrant a look." [8]
Legacy and cult status
In the decades since its release, D.A.R.Y.L. has undergone a critical reappraisal and developed a modest cult following, particularly among viewers who grew up in the 1980s. Although it was not commercially successful on release, the film gained popularity through cable television and home video. Fans often recall repeat viewings on VHS, and the film is remembered as a distinctive entry in the wave of family-friendly science fiction movies of the era. [9]
In 2020, actor Tony Hale was announced as the star of a planned comedy sequel series for TBS, imagining Daryl as a 44-year-old android trying to live in the modern world. The show, developed by Paramount Television, was described as a continuation of the original film, reflecting its enduring fan appeal. [10]
In a retrospective list from 2020, D.A.R.Y.L. was featured among the "12 Most Underrated 1980s Sci-Fi Movies" by WhatCulture, which praised the film for introducing real emotional stakes and darker moments than typically expected in children's entertainment. [9]
In 2024, Taste of Cinema included D.A.R.Y.L. in its roundup of “The 10 Most Underrated Movies About Artificial Intelligence,” citing it as a family-friendly, emotionally resonant exploration of AI-human empathy. [11]
The film's legacy was further solidified by boutique label Vinegar Syndrome's 2023 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, which included a new 55-minute documentary titled Rescued from the Scrapyard: The Making of D.A.R.Y.L., along with commentary by director Simon Wincer. The restoration was praised by genre fans and home video reviewers. [12]
Blu-ray.com rated the restored release 4.5 out of 5, describing it as “a charming and well-executed relic of 1980s sci-fi storytelling.” [13]
