Micro Men (2009 TV Movie) User Reviews

The rise and fall of the UK computer business

[trevorwomble · 7/10 · 8 October 2009]

Just saw this on BBC4. A very interesting take on how close the UK came to dominating the world computer development and manufacturing industry in the early 80s, only for it to all fall apart just 5 years later.

Despite some garish and unconvincing make-up, Armstrong shows he can do serious drama in his portrayal of Sir Clive Sinclair, the man who brought affordable computing to the masses. Martin Freeman is good (as always) as the confidante in Sinclair's company who, unable to understand Sinclairs bloody mindedness over what to concentrate their efforts on, leaves and sets up arch rival 'Acorn Computers' with an Austrian business partner.

The production team have done a solid job in displaying the drabness of the era. The mix of archive TV footage of the time inter-cut with this filmed TV drama works quite well. The background story of how the UK became a world leader in the home PC market, and then blew it, is a fascinating tale for anyone interested in recent history. At one point Freemans character turns to Sinclair and says 'We could have been the British IBM but you wouldn't listen to me' is very apt. Sinclairs obsession with the notorious C5 is also addressed. It does make you wonder what would have happened had there been more cohesion in the industry at the time rather than the arrogant self interest of the industry that resulted in the UK losing such a massive foothold.

A thought provoking drama that has just enough momentum to keep itself interesting despite some flaws.

Enjoyable, nostalgic and thought provoking

[sjm_maloney · 8/10 · 9 October 2009]

I watched this single piece drama last night on BBC4 and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

All the actors did a fine job and convinced - despite Mr Armstrong's (Sinclair) rather obvious makeover for the role. The mixture of archive footage and new filming hit a balance that was enjoyable.

The programme addresses the beginnings of the Home Computer industry in the UK and the roles & rivalries of Sinclair and Acorn in those early days. For those of us of a certain age it was extremely nostalgic stuff (even though I ended up getting a CBM 64)! A mixture of reality, light comedy and invention (some scenes were 'invented' according to the titles) kept me engrossed and actually rather disappointed that it had finished so soon; I think a 2 part show would have kept me interested.

Some of the most fascinating stuff for me was a reminder of some of the side issues, for instance the UK general public's initial reaction to the technology - those of us who bought them were considered 'hobbyists' at the time. However, on reflection possibly the most important side- effect was the fact that a public organisation like the BBC was allowed to pursue the making of its own branded model in an attempt to raise the nation's computer literacy above other's. The BBC model B sold widely in schools, this combined with the home market growth must surely have contributed enormously to the strength of the UK programming industry (of which I was part) in the formative years.

Whilst never rivalling IBM and HP in the end (as poignantly if somewhat mawkishly shown in the final scenes) this era and the people involved, must be considered as a time which generated huge revenue for the UK as well as a great platform for the public to get to grips with computers. Our programmers are still regarded as some of the world's most creative, despite financial difficulties; and this period ensured that as a nation we are not only regarded for older, but venerable, media such as the pop music & individual greatness in film & drama.

Highly entertaining as a drama, thought provoking if you care about the beginnings of the industry; I was entertained and amused throughout.

Recommended.

Not without flaws

[graspee · 7/10 · 8 October 2009]

This was a generally enjoyable watch and I'm grateful that anyone would make a programme on such a "niche" topic, however it was not without flaws. For a start, as has been mentioned by other reviewers, Sir Clive is painted as borderline psychotic with serious anger management problems, whereas Curry is some kind of super-good Luke Skywalker of the computing world. I'm sure it can't have been as clear-cut as this. It's also true that Alexander Armstrong's acting is very mannered and feels like something out of a comedy sketch show, while Martin Freeman gets to act much more naturally.

The second problem is really just an anachronism caused by poor library footage placement. At the computer fair/exhibition we see the team telling reporters about the capabilities of the new Acorn Atom, and we also see Clive Sinclair talking to the Sinclair User journalist about issues to do with the "new" ram pack for the ZX81. Even leaving aside whether these two events happened at the same computer fair, since blah blah artistic license etc., there are two pieces of library footage shown, as if they are taking place at the same event. The first piece of film shows some schoolboys using some computer that I can't identify from the clip, playing a game, then the next clip shows a man trying out an Amstrad CPC464. This computer wasn't introduced until much later: 1984 in fact and is really out of place. I don't know about other people but it caused me anguish seeing it.

Hilarious and great entertainment

[simon-jackson-602-806991 · 10/10 · 8 December 2009]

Thanks for such a great piece of entertainment.

There were lots of funny bits in this film, largely due to the acting of Sinclair.

It was also light-hearted with a feel good factor at the end with people making up to each other and with Sinclairs quotes about life - "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?".

Some great 80's music as well.

Even if you were'nt into home computers at the time, then this is still a good drama.

Pure nostalgic perfection

[Glyn-52-910242 · 10/10 · 21 July 2018]

I grew up in the era where myself and my friends were playing and swapping Sinclair Spectrum games with each other, as well as during the infancy of using BBC micros at school. If you are of that same era, then Micro Men will seem like it was written for you. It's just perfection! It's factual, funny, and jammed full of references to the 1980's computer era. Even the music fits perfectly with the theme and date of the story. Martin Freeman and Alexander Armstrong play their roles incredibly well, as do all the other characters. Some people may criticise the accuracy, but at the end of the day, it's a story about a 4 or 5 year period squashed into about 90 minutes, so some creative writing had to occur in order to make the story flow. But overall it tells the story very well and accurately. There are some parts that I actually remember myself from the day, such as the fight at the 'Baron of Beef' which I remember reading about at the time in 'Crash'. If you still have a fond spot in your heart for your old ZX Spectrum, then you'll love Micro Men. It's one of my top films/documentaries of all time, and I always find myself watching it every few months. I've oribsbly watched it 20 times now, and it never gets boring! I love it. :)

Acting let's it down...

[eskimosound · 7/10 · 6 November 2022]

The Acting is dreadful but the story is great. Being a Sinclair fan they have told the story very effectively although I highly doubt Sinclair was the forceful swearing personality he's portrayed as. But truly the acting is dreadful both leads can only do the one character, the same turning off camera head movements and stares. They should have chosen other actors but hey...it's not that important as they get the story right. Sinclair was a shy akward person but in this he's some machismo despot, it's very odd and I'm wondering why they didn't show that side of him. Still definitely worth a watch.

The computer programme

[Prismark10 · 9/10 · 24 January 2014]

Micro Men is an enjoyable docu-drama about the early days of the home computer revolution. I was there at the time reading computing magazines avidly and typing out the printed programmes which never worked because of typos. This was avid viewing.

It is Sinclair versus Acorn. Although you would not realise from this film that Clive Sinclair was better known as Uncle Clive, the genial, nerdy 1970s whiz kid who built cheap home computers with dead flesh keyboards.

The Acorn boys on the other hand built more stylish computers with proper keyboards and they even won the contract for the BBC computer.

In this drama, Clive Sinclair (Alexander Armstrong) is seen as a bad tempered bully (he was never regarded as such a person at the time.) Although he was later revealed to be a bit of ladies man, loved a flutter at the Vegas casinos and voted Tory.

Chris Curry (Martin Freeman) of Acorn Computers is the more lovable one. The nice, genial one with his more business headed Austrian partner.

The early 1980s British companies led the world of home computing, although Microsoft had plans for a uniform operating system.

Pitching Acorn v Sinclair is a great history lesson and drama. Unfortunately, both companies were also left picking up the pieces afterwards as Microsoft surpassed them a few years later.

A British spin on a tech history drama

[matvey-nt · 9/10 · 6 October 2021]

About a decade ago it was considered somewhat trendy to film movies about the creation of technology that continues to shape our lives to this day. Some of the prominent examples are The Social Network and Jobs, that tell the stories of people who ultimately succeeded in their aspirations. Unlike these two, Micro Men, a British TV semi-documental drama directed by Saul Metzstein in 2009, does not encourage any survivorship bias. It narrates the brief but thrilling history of home-grown British computer industry, toeing the line between comedy and tragedy.

The plot centres on the rivalry between Clive Sinclair (Alexander Armstrong), an inventor and entrepreneur with a passion for designing miniature electronics and electric vehicles, and Chris Curry (Martin Freeman), a colleague of his who goes on to start his own business. It is their tense competition that drives the adoption of personal computers in British schools, homes and offices. Most of the film's story is based on the actual events, with a few scenes invented. Numerous cuts to the relevant contemporary TV programmes and commercials (a wonderful touch, in my view) add to the "documentary" feeling.

Despite being set primarily in mundane office spaces, the story manages to keep the viewers' attention thanks to Armstong's expressive acting. His portrayal of Sinclair as an eccentric, self-assured and self-centred individual, short-tempered to the point of being laughable, yet insanely committed to his ideas, may seem overblown and unconvincing to some. However, it undoubtedly shifts the production in the even more comedic direction. Freeman gets overshadowed quite a bit, but still delivers a solid performance of a comparatively down-to-earth businessman, countering his overly exuberant co-star.

Micro Men features a totally fitting soundtrack of mostly electronic music, which was booming in the times depicted in the film. The screenwriters do not overwhelm the audience with technical details of any sort, but if you dig this kind of thing, I bet you won't be disappointed, too. Overall, though by no means a masterpiece, this production deserves the attention of tech lovers and everybody looking for a well-screened real-life story to watch.

Disappointing

[MtlDty · 2/10 · 10 October 2009]

What could have been an interesting docu-drama about the birth of the UK computer industry, instead turned into something unintentionally farcical.

In its efforts to create drama the film pitches Clive Sinclair as a cut-throat rogue, battling against one-time colleague Chris Curry (played by Martin Freeman). Freeman seems to be settling into being typecast into roles where he plays lovable harmless, guy next door types, and this film fits his role well.

Unfortunately, Alexander Armstrong struggles to make a convincing Clive Sinclair, no doubt hindered by the terrible prosthetic bald head/wig and ridiculous accent. Its possible the prosthetics may have prevented him from turning his head and his performance seems terribly stiff throughout. The viewer is left with an unfair impression that Sinclair was a humourless, uncharismatic maniac - flying off the handle at the slightest upset.

A lot of the comedy in the film (at least the intentional comedy) seems to come from situations which are unfortunately completely unbelievable. Clive screaming down the phone and then launching it (cordless apparently) through a door for example, or the ridiculous attempts to stall the BBC before the boffins at Acorn realise that the key issue preventing a computer from working is a huge wire that needs cutting in two.

Its a shame that the film hides the technical breakthroughs that were made in that period with mumbo-jumbo references to computer chips, and reduces the creativeness of these industry leaders to simply picking the right advertising poster to use.

Shallow disappointment

[brane212 · 5/10 · 19 October 2013]

Havily simplified, to the point of absurdity.

Clive is shown as a clown. They have shown his eccentric sides without representing his ingenuity. He is no mental slouch by any means.

Real dynamics around Sinclair Research was far more colorful.

Cliwe did not stick with C5 because he just couldn't see its flaws but because he was desperately trying to push it to some point where he could hit some market niche and make some money off it.

Anyone that has ever done some electronic projects, sold them and lived off that profit will tell you that sometimes you have to get creative to put bread on the table and some projects you do in some arrangements for the money.

Sinclair Research was not exception, rather the opposite.