Premise: Sam Bell is a contractor on a three-year lunar mission when an accident occurs that changes his life.
Stars: Sam Rockwell
Story: Sam Bell is an astronaut on a three-year contract to extract helium-3 from the dark side of the moon. Helium-3 is a resource used by the company Lunar Industries that provides energy to the Earth. Due to the heavy automation on the base where he is assigned, Sam is the only human employee; he works with a sophisticated computer system named GERTY, that provides companionship. With Sam's contract nearing the end, he looks forward to leaving the base, but begins to hallucinate that he sees or hears other people in the base.
On an excursion to check on one of the automated crawlers that retrieve helium-3, an accident occurs and Sam is injured. He awakens on the base and makes a discovery that changes the nature of his mission.
Review: This is a great piece of science fiction. From the lunar base with its realistic interiors and exteriors to the equipment Bell uses to attempt to contact others, it enforces the sense of claustrophobia present in the film. Add in the lack of human interaction due to faulty communication equipment, and the isolation of Bell is clear to the audience.
Rockwell puts in another great performance - I honestly believe he's one of the best actors going today. From his performance as Guy in GalaxyQuest to roles in Matchstick Men and The Green Mile, Rockwell really knows his art. Here, Sam Bell's anticipation of going home, his frustration with the faulty equipment, the longing in missing his family are etched in his face and actions.
Likewise, after the discovery of how the base has truly been a one-man effort for years, the confrontation and conversations between Bell and his clone show the effect of isolation upon both of them. Without the typical hysterical blow-up that usually accompanies such self-realization and utter despair, Rockwell remains true to his character's strengths - rationality and dedication. He sets out to right the wrongs done in the name of science and industry, as well as save himself from the company agents coming to "clean up" the situation.
The film is a character study piece, but with the strengths of Rockwell's acting and the low-key nature of its message (until the end), it's a great piece to watch.
Overall: Good
Other Sites: Wikipedia * IMDb * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Premise: After Judgment Day, John Connor leads the human resistance fights Skynet and its army of terminators.
Stars: Christian Bale * Sam Worthington * Moon Bloodgod * Anton Yelchin
Story: After Judgment Day, John Connor (Bale) leads an army of human resistance fighters against the machines of Skynet. On one of his raids on a Skynet base, the human fighters discover experiments being done upon humans in order to create better infiltration units (the terminators of the previous movies). After Connor escapes, a lone survivor from the site stumbles out into the world.
Marcus (Worthington), the survivor, wanders until he ends up in devastated Los Angeles, where he is nearly attacked by a terminator. Saved from certain death by young Kyle Reese (Yelchin) and his companion, Marcus ends up traveling with the duo in an attempt to reach other survivors.
Meanwhile, Connor faces opposition to his plan to save humans being experimented on by Skynet from the leaders of the resistance, and works on rigging a signal designed to stop the terminators so that his team can stage a rescue.
Marcus and Connor cross paths after Reese is captured by the terminators and taken to the Skynet base. The stage is set for a showdown as it is revealed that Marcus is one of the prototypes for the cyborg terminators. However, the two reluctantly team up to save young Reese and to find out who made Marcus into a cyborg.
Review: Christian Bale has not expanded his repertoire. Capable of gritty and serious (Reign of Fire, Batman Begins) and borderline psycho (The Machinist, American Psycho) it appears that acting human has escaped Bale - although the writing doesn't leave much for him to expand in this direction. Bale's Connor is a grizzled, borderline psychotic action hero but has none of the humanizing qualities one looks for in a story such as this.
Instead, Marcus (Worthington) fulfills the role of the wandering mysterious hero - both human and different. He recalls Jean Claude Van Damme in the Cyborg movie - and bears more than a passing resemblance to the old action star. The bonding with both Kyle Reese and Blair Williams (Bloodgod) make the cyborg seem much more human than even Connor.
This dueling characterization - the machine as the hero, the hero as the machine - may seem to reflect an aim of the writers to make the movie more of a debate about the nature of heroism, but it fails. There is no bonding to the character of John Connor by the audience, and the forced ending kills much enthusiasm for the scant storytelling.
With the lack of solid characterization on the part of the humans, the storytelling heavily relies upon the effects departments - sound and CGI. The world looks more like the setting of a video game - one can honestly pick out what levels the adventure takes place on - and the sound and violence is loud and explosive. Of course the audience is really looking for the terminators, the endoskeletons, what Skynet looks like, etc. And for the most part, the terminators are men in suits - clearly visible in a few scenes - or model robots - motorcycles, planes, and even snakes.
There are obvious shots that are throwbacks to the three earlier movies - the diesel tow truck here, the motorcycle there, even Guns & Roses 'You Could Be Mine' is heard, along with a surprise appearance near the end. It's like the writers had a checklist and went down the line, marking off the requisite effect.
Instead of this, it would have been more appealing to make a movie where the John Connor storyline is in the background, and focus on Marcus Wright. He's really the only character you begin to care about in this movie, and a well-written story centered on him would've easily been a more welcome entry in this franchise. As it stands, there is very little humanizing about the movie, and the obviously forced ending removes any appreciation for characterization. Including departures from the established Terminator storyline, the film feels like a further notch on the downward spiral since Terminator 2, the obvious high mark in this effects-driven franchise.
Overall: Bad
Other Sites: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Stars: Christian Bale * Sam Worthington * Moon Bloodgod * Anton Yelchin
Story: After Judgment Day, John Connor (Bale) leads an army of human resistance fighters against the machines of Skynet. On one of his raids on a Skynet base, the human fighters discover experiments being done upon humans in order to create better infiltration units (the terminators of the previous movies). After Connor escapes, a lone survivor from the site stumbles out into the world.
Marcus (Worthington), the survivor, wanders until he ends up in devastated Los Angeles, where he is nearly attacked by a terminator. Saved from certain death by young Kyle Reese (Yelchin) and his companion, Marcus ends up traveling with the duo in an attempt to reach other survivors.
Meanwhile, Connor faces opposition to his plan to save humans being experimented on by Skynet from the leaders of the resistance, and works on rigging a signal designed to stop the terminators so that his team can stage a rescue.
Marcus and Connor cross paths after Reese is captured by the terminators and taken to the Skynet base. The stage is set for a showdown as it is revealed that Marcus is one of the prototypes for the cyborg terminators. However, the two reluctantly team up to save young Reese and to find out who made Marcus into a cyborg.
Review: Christian Bale has not expanded his repertoire. Capable of gritty and serious (Reign of Fire, Batman Begins) and borderline psycho (The Machinist, American Psycho) it appears that acting human has escaped Bale - although the writing doesn't leave much for him to expand in this direction. Bale's Connor is a grizzled, borderline psychotic action hero but has none of the humanizing qualities one looks for in a story such as this.
Instead, Marcus (Worthington) fulfills the role of the wandering mysterious hero - both human and different. He recalls Jean Claude Van Damme in the Cyborg movie - and bears more than a passing resemblance to the old action star. The bonding with both Kyle Reese and Blair Williams (Bloodgod) make the cyborg seem much more human than even Connor.
This dueling characterization - the machine as the hero, the hero as the machine - may seem to reflect an aim of the writers to make the movie more of a debate about the nature of heroism, but it fails. There is no bonding to the character of John Connor by the audience, and the forced ending kills much enthusiasm for the scant storytelling.
With the lack of solid characterization on the part of the humans, the storytelling heavily relies upon the effects departments - sound and CGI. The world looks more like the setting of a video game - one can honestly pick out what levels the adventure takes place on - and the sound and violence is loud and explosive. Of course the audience is really looking for the terminators, the endoskeletons, what Skynet looks like, etc. And for the most part, the terminators are men in suits - clearly visible in a few scenes - or model robots - motorcycles, planes, and even snakes.
There are obvious shots that are throwbacks to the three earlier movies - the diesel tow truck here, the motorcycle there, even Guns & Roses 'You Could Be Mine' is heard, along with a surprise appearance near the end. It's like the writers had a checklist and went down the line, marking off the requisite effect.
Instead of this, it would have been more appealing to make a movie where the John Connor storyline is in the background, and focus on Marcus Wright. He's really the only character you begin to care about in this movie, and a well-written story centered on him would've easily been a more welcome entry in this franchise. As it stands, there is very little humanizing about the movie, and the obviously forced ending removes any appreciation for characterization. Including departures from the established Terminator storyline, the film feels like a further notch on the downward spiral since Terminator 2, the obvious high mark in this effects-driven franchise.
Overall: Bad
Other Sites: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Friday, May 29, 2009
Star Trek (2009)
Premise: Return to where it all began. Kirk. Spock. McCoy. Sulu. Uhura. Chekov.
Stars: Chris Pine * Zachary Quinto * Eric Bana * Karl Urban * Leonard Nimoy * Zoe Saldana * Bruce Greenwood * Simon Pegg
Story: A young boy grows up without his father, a captain who died when he was born. Another young boy grows up as a child of two worlds, one alien, one human. Their futures entwine when they both go to Starfleet, one as an instructor, the other as a cadet. Their paths cross, the stage is set as they both end up on the Enterprise, the new flagship of a spaceborne United Nations. Unfortunately, a villain from the future has entered the current reality hellbent on revenge, including destroying the homeworlds of both Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Quinto).
Review: The acting is pretty much spot-on for all actors involved. Pine is arrogant and brash, but has that intelligence and wit to prove he's capable of leadership. Quinto does a great job portraying the conflict within Spock (I've never heard a better placed 'Fuck you' as when Spock says 'Live long and prosper' in one pivotal scene.) as his emotions roil beneath a calm exterior. Urban does homage to DeForest Kelley's performance as Doctor McCoy, with mannerisms, statements, and profundities that pay tribute as well as establish his bona fides as a character actor. Pegg plays Scotty, in a role that seemed destined for the star of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. The rest of the cast plays well in supporting roles, providing depth and characterization to the re-imagined Star Trek universe.
The only acting disappointment is Bana as the villainous leader Nero. Coming across as more like a spoiled child than a tortured grieving victim, it's easy to see that the writing concentrated on the main acts - the Enterprise crew - and let other pieces fall where they may.
Story-wise, the plot is simple: Bad thing happened in the future, Nero and Spock Prime (Nimoy) travel into the past via accident, Nero sets out for revenge, setting the stage for a confrontation with our heroes. Meanwhile, our heroes have to cover a little background history, set up a confrontation between the two main stars (Kirk and Spock), and let the final showdown resolve the issues in a somewhat predictable manner.
There are holes in the writing - matters of inconvenience are papered over for expediency (Kirk and Spock Prime meeting in a fortuitous ice cave, Nero somehow being able to predict within minutes where Spock Prime would appear in space, a few others), some logic was sacrificed for impressive effects (massive ships being built in farm country planet-side as opposed to in space, the future has robot/android police, why not robot/android military figures?) - and the pacing does seem uneven.
There are plenty of Easter eggs in the movie referencing the different television series as well as most if not all of the ten previous movies. It's easy to geek out over this movie, and I must admit that the first time I watched it, I clapped at the end. (A little golf clap.)
I'm not a fan of J.J. Abrams' use of the kinetic shooting method - the camera moves from eye level to close-up to farther away over the course of a few frames too often for my taste - but it is muted in many spots and doesn't distract in the way that it did in Mission Impossible III or the Abrams-produced Cloverfield.
However, the story does stay true to some aspects. Star Trek was never about space battles - at least not until the big screen and the later series. Trek was always about character first and foremost. It's about who we are, where we're going, and what one man - Gene Roddenberry - thought was the way it could be done. As one planet. As one people. Among many other peoples. Thinking before fighting, but fighting when necessary. And that's what Trek boils down to. Abrams may have created this film based on Roddenberry's vision, but it holds true. It may anger some fans, but it most certainly delighted this one.
Overall: Good
Other Sites: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Stars: Chris Pine * Zachary Quinto * Eric Bana * Karl Urban * Leonard Nimoy * Zoe Saldana * Bruce Greenwood * Simon Pegg
Story: A young boy grows up without his father, a captain who died when he was born. Another young boy grows up as a child of two worlds, one alien, one human. Their futures entwine when they both go to Starfleet, one as an instructor, the other as a cadet. Their paths cross, the stage is set as they both end up on the Enterprise, the new flagship of a spaceborne United Nations. Unfortunately, a villain from the future has entered the current reality hellbent on revenge, including destroying the homeworlds of both Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Quinto).
Review: The acting is pretty much spot-on for all actors involved. Pine is arrogant and brash, but has that intelligence and wit to prove he's capable of leadership. Quinto does a great job portraying the conflict within Spock (I've never heard a better placed 'Fuck you' as when Spock says 'Live long and prosper' in one pivotal scene.) as his emotions roil beneath a calm exterior. Urban does homage to DeForest Kelley's performance as Doctor McCoy, with mannerisms, statements, and profundities that pay tribute as well as establish his bona fides as a character actor. Pegg plays Scotty, in a role that seemed destined for the star of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. The rest of the cast plays well in supporting roles, providing depth and characterization to the re-imagined Star Trek universe.
The only acting disappointment is Bana as the villainous leader Nero. Coming across as more like a spoiled child than a tortured grieving victim, it's easy to see that the writing concentrated on the main acts - the Enterprise crew - and let other pieces fall where they may.
Story-wise, the plot is simple: Bad thing happened in the future, Nero and Spock Prime (Nimoy) travel into the past via accident, Nero sets out for revenge, setting the stage for a confrontation with our heroes. Meanwhile, our heroes have to cover a little background history, set up a confrontation between the two main stars (Kirk and Spock), and let the final showdown resolve the issues in a somewhat predictable manner.
There are holes in the writing - matters of inconvenience are papered over for expediency (Kirk and Spock Prime meeting in a fortuitous ice cave, Nero somehow being able to predict within minutes where Spock Prime would appear in space, a few others), some logic was sacrificed for impressive effects (massive ships being built in farm country planet-side as opposed to in space, the future has robot/android police, why not robot/android military figures?) - and the pacing does seem uneven.
There are plenty of Easter eggs in the movie referencing the different television series as well as most if not all of the ten previous movies. It's easy to geek out over this movie, and I must admit that the first time I watched it, I clapped at the end. (A little golf clap.)
I'm not a fan of J.J. Abrams' use of the kinetic shooting method - the camera moves from eye level to close-up to farther away over the course of a few frames too often for my taste - but it is muted in many spots and doesn't distract in the way that it did in Mission Impossible III or the Abrams-produced Cloverfield.
However, the story does stay true to some aspects. Star Trek was never about space battles - at least not until the big screen and the later series. Trek was always about character first and foremost. It's about who we are, where we're going, and what one man - Gene Roddenberry - thought was the way it could be done. As one planet. As one people. Among many other peoples. Thinking before fighting, but fighting when necessary. And that's what Trek boils down to. Abrams may have created this film based on Roddenberry's vision, but it holds true. It may anger some fans, but it most certainly delighted this one.
Overall: Good
Other Sites: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Links: IMDb * Wikipedia * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
Premise: A kid from a trailer park can save the galaxy.
Stars: Lance Guest * Catherine Mary Stewart * Robert Preston * Dan O'Herlihy
Review: One of the best science fiction films from the 80s. Introducing computer graphics on a larger scale than seen previously, all space effects were done on computer. While they seem dated now, they were ahead of their time and are still fun to watch.
Obviously inspired by Star Wars, the film follows a young kid who ends up doing what he's dreamed of - leaving behind the life in the trailer park. He is recruited by an interstellar defense force that is attempting to defeat a galactic-level threat in the Kodan Armada. When he initially rebuffs the group, he returns home, only to discover that the bad guys have followed him - and have killed the rest of the defense force. He's alone, with an alien co-pilot, and has to take on the entirety of the Armada by himself.
Robert Preston - of the Music Man - is delightful as the recruiter Centauri. O'Herlihy - the Old Man from the Robocop series - is equally delightful as Grig, the alien co-pilot. As for the humans, Lance Guest & Catherine Mary Stewart are satisfactory as the young hero & his girlfriend.
As a kid, I loved the movie and watching it recently I remembered those days. As I noted earlier, the effects seem dated today and the Rylos base interiors reek of early set stages, but the movie still grabs today.
Overall: Good
Premise: A kid from a trailer park can save the galaxy.
Stars: Lance Guest * Catherine Mary Stewart * Robert Preston * Dan O'Herlihy
Review: One of the best science fiction films from the 80s. Introducing computer graphics on a larger scale than seen previously, all space effects were done on computer. While they seem dated now, they were ahead of their time and are still fun to watch.
Obviously inspired by Star Wars, the film follows a young kid who ends up doing what he's dreamed of - leaving behind the life in the trailer park. He is recruited by an interstellar defense force that is attempting to defeat a galactic-level threat in the Kodan Armada. When he initially rebuffs the group, he returns home, only to discover that the bad guys have followed him - and have killed the rest of the defense force. He's alone, with an alien co-pilot, and has to take on the entirety of the Armada by himself.
Robert Preston - of the Music Man - is delightful as the recruiter Centauri. O'Herlihy - the Old Man from the Robocop series - is equally delightful as Grig, the alien co-pilot. As for the humans, Lance Guest & Catherine Mary Stewart are satisfactory as the young hero & his girlfriend.
As a kid, I loved the movie and watching it recently I remembered those days. As I noted earlier, the effects seem dated today and the Rylos base interiors reek of early set stages, but the movie still grabs today.
Overall: Good
Sunday, June 29, 2008
WALL-E (2008)
Resources: IMDb * Wikipedia
Premise: A lonely robot falls in love and saves the world.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Stars: Ben Burtt, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Fred Willard
Review: Amazing. The film depicts a lonely robot, the last living thing on an abandoned and polluted Earth. Humanity abandoned the planet to its toxic nature, with the intention of returning once it has been reclaimed.
WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) has evolved over that time to show care and compassion - he has a pet cockroach that he takes care of, he keeps small treasures that spark his curiousity, and he watches an old Hollywood musical, Hello Dolly. He still toils at cleaning mountains of trash, occasionally repairing himself from his long-deceased fellow units. While performing his duty one day, a ship lands and discharges a probe named EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) who is like nothing WALL-E has ever seen; he is instantly smitten with the fellow robot and sets out to introduce himself - albeit cautiously as she has a strong sense of self-preservation and nearly kills him.
WALL-E introduces EVE to his home and treasures, and when he shows her a plant that he found in an old refrigerator, her automatic programming takes over - she seizes the plant and calls her ship for recovery. WALL-E, distraught over possibly losing the only other living being he's met, follows her and hitches a ride on the ship. The pair return to a large spaceship which houses thousands of people and their caretaker robots. Humanity has evolved to have little bone mass, giant baby-shaped bodies, and have all their needs met by robots and little viewscreens through which they talk to each other - even when side-by-side. As WALL-E follows EVE, he encounters a couple of individuals, sparking their awareness of their surroundings.
While on board the starship - the Axiom - WALL-E encounters fellow robots, including M-O, a little cleaner droid, larger versions of himself called WALL-As (Axiom-class trash compactors), and other little droids that have malfunctioned. He also encounters an AI named AUTO that is the ship's autopilot and a little robot named GO-4 which serves him - these two serve as the primary antagonists in the third act of the movie. These encounters serve to highlight the plot, which moves from WALL-E proving his love to EVE serving her function as proving that Earth's biosphere has begun to move beyond the toxic levels that have dominated the past 700 years. AUTO and GO-4 work to prevent the Captain from returning to Earth, and nearly succeed, except for WALL-E's love and EVE's dawning awareness.
Many reviewers focus on the excellent first half of the movie, in which the only words spoken are electronic or from a viewscreen hundreds of years old. The robots do not talk, act, or look human - their actions show their personalities, from task-oriented to comical. The menace from AUTO and GO-4 are not overblown sinister like Maximilian from The Black Hole, nor are they humans in a shell like C-3PO from Star Wars. The move is to create a very sublime picture, with cute overtones and an arresting beauty.
The second half, occurring as it does on the Axiom, where humans are present and robots are everywhere, is manic and reminiscent of the quick-moving portions of other Pixar films (Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story 2 come to mind). Humans begin to be aware of their surroundings and each other, the love between EVE and WALL-E is expressed in a beautiful dance between the two, and the struggle over the future of humanity takes place.
The animation is nearly picture-perfect, the presentation is amazing, the story of WALL-E and his fight for love is great. The film wears its heart on its sleeve, from the first moment WALL-E notices the stars beyond the clouds to when EVE desperately tries to save him.
It's kid-friendly but the writing and art will clearly appeal to adults as well.
My only issue: Given that humans have apparently evolved to have lower bone density by living in outer space, how can they stand up in Earth's gravity?
Overall: Good
Premise: A lonely robot falls in love and saves the world.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Stars: Ben Burtt, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Fred Willard
Review: Amazing. The film depicts a lonely robot, the last living thing on an abandoned and polluted Earth. Humanity abandoned the planet to its toxic nature, with the intention of returning once it has been reclaimed.
WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) has evolved over that time to show care and compassion - he has a pet cockroach that he takes care of, he keeps small treasures that spark his curiousity, and he watches an old Hollywood musical, Hello Dolly. He still toils at cleaning mountains of trash, occasionally repairing himself from his long-deceased fellow units. While performing his duty one day, a ship lands and discharges a probe named EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) who is like nothing WALL-E has ever seen; he is instantly smitten with the fellow robot and sets out to introduce himself - albeit cautiously as she has a strong sense of self-preservation and nearly kills him.
WALL-E introduces EVE to his home and treasures, and when he shows her a plant that he found in an old refrigerator, her automatic programming takes over - she seizes the plant and calls her ship for recovery. WALL-E, distraught over possibly losing the only other living being he's met, follows her and hitches a ride on the ship. The pair return to a large spaceship which houses thousands of people and their caretaker robots. Humanity has evolved to have little bone mass, giant baby-shaped bodies, and have all their needs met by robots and little viewscreens through which they talk to each other - even when side-by-side. As WALL-E follows EVE, he encounters a couple of individuals, sparking their awareness of their surroundings.
While on board the starship - the Axiom - WALL-E encounters fellow robots, including M-O, a little cleaner droid, larger versions of himself called WALL-As (Axiom-class trash compactors), and other little droids that have malfunctioned. He also encounters an AI named AUTO that is the ship's autopilot and a little robot named GO-4 which serves him - these two serve as the primary antagonists in the third act of the movie. These encounters serve to highlight the plot, which moves from WALL-E proving his love to EVE serving her function as proving that Earth's biosphere has begun to move beyond the toxic levels that have dominated the past 700 years. AUTO and GO-4 work to prevent the Captain from returning to Earth, and nearly succeed, except for WALL-E's love and EVE's dawning awareness.
Many reviewers focus on the excellent first half of the movie, in which the only words spoken are electronic or from a viewscreen hundreds of years old. The robots do not talk, act, or look human - their actions show their personalities, from task-oriented to comical. The menace from AUTO and GO-4 are not overblown sinister like Maximilian from The Black Hole, nor are they humans in a shell like C-3PO from Star Wars. The move is to create a very sublime picture, with cute overtones and an arresting beauty.
The second half, occurring as it does on the Axiom, where humans are present and robots are everywhere, is manic and reminiscent of the quick-moving portions of other Pixar films (Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story 2 come to mind). Humans begin to be aware of their surroundings and each other, the love between EVE and WALL-E is expressed in a beautiful dance between the two, and the struggle over the future of humanity takes place.
The animation is nearly picture-perfect, the presentation is amazing, the story of WALL-E and his fight for love is great. The film wears its heart on its sleeve, from the first moment WALL-E notices the stars beyond the clouds to when EVE desperately tries to save him.
It's kid-friendly but the writing and art will clearly appeal to adults as well.
My only issue: Given that humans have apparently evolved to have lower bone density by living in outer space, how can they stand up in Earth's gravity?
Overall: Good
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