Anna to the Infinite Power (1982)

Movies from the 1980s may not be as painfully dated as some from the 1970s but they may still evince a certain whiff of cheesiness. Bearing this in mind, the production values of Anna to the Infinite Power are mainly passable with low notes evident in the soundtrack (with frequent sound-chamber echo overtones) and acting (esp. the four principals in the first half). Martha Byrne as ten-tear-old Anna in particular is a one-note brat during the first half but becomes more reasonable and intriguing as she figures out what is going on and what she is going to do about it. Our story begins as Anna has a nightmare about calling "Mother" to a strange woman before their plane crashes (then later learns a plane crashed at the same time she awoke from the dream). Anna has a brilliant scientific mind and is already being groomed to become a famous scientist by her mother, who with a mysterious team of doctors insists on an aggressive curriculum of math and science, pooh-poohing anything artsy offered by Anna's musician father. Anna soon forces the issue and learns she was adopted even as her mother more fervently reassures her that she has a "great destiny." As more Annas come to light, so does the true nature of what has been kept under tight wraps (and must be kept so or made to go away). Anna to the Infinite Power is noteworthy since it broached the subject of genetic engineering in 1982 (same year as Tron). The story line is marginally captivating. (I had to rent this title from a competing service since it has been a Save title on this service for as many years as I can recall.) I would have given it 3 stars if the acting and production values had been in the same league (satisfactory) as Melinda and Melinda. Regrettably, I am giving it a lesser grade (mediocre) of 2.5 stars. (2-11-11 posted 2-24-11)