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science fiction

Dr. Who and the Daleks – Gordon Flemyng (1965)

Between 2021, when I reviewed “Daleks’ Invasion Earth” and now, we started to watch the second incarnation of the BBC series. I still have not figured out what the whole ‘Dr. Who universe’ looks like. There were BBC series between 1963 and 1989 (!). In the meantime several films were made. The series were recreated in 2005 and Wikipedia and IMDb.com do not have an ‘end year’, so I guess the series are still running. There are also movies called “Doctor Who”, there appear to be other series, spin-offs and what not.

The present title was released a year before “Daleks’ Invasion” and is from the same director with the same actor for Dr. Who. I remember the 1966 film to be quite amusing, this 1965 is somewhat amusing, but looks a bit dated.

In the 1965 movie, Dr. Who just created his Tardis and when he wants to demonstrate it, he lands on a desolate planet which proves to be inhabited by both Daleks and “the thals”. We learn that Daleks are creatures that created their robot costumes to prevent themselves from self-inflicted radiation.

With some minor adventures, Dr. Who and three others save the thals from the Daleks.

The stages look good, the acting reminds a bit of old time family television.

Star Trek: Picard (series) – Beyer / Chabon / Goldsman (2020-2023)

There have been many Star Trek spin-offs. I do not really follow them. When looking for a bit of a quiet series to watch, I gave this one a try. This spin-off -of course- has Patrick Steward return to the Star Trek franchise.

There are three seasons with a variety of stories. Picard has retired and lives on a wine farm. We are in some time in the future in which several of the kinds of beings that we know from earlier Star Trek material coexist. Usually picard is asked for help, he has to talk his way back into Starfleet to obtain a ship, is confronted by missteps in his past, but manages to go on his mission.

There are references to earlier Star Trek films (and series?), old characters return and in a way “Star Trek: Picard” is a bit of a reunion.

There is more action than I remember in other Star Trek material that I know. The series are fairly predictable, but alright watching.

Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace – Farhad Mann (1995)

A couple of years after the original, another director took up the Lawnmower Man concept. Actually, Mann picks up where Leonard left off.

The simple minded Jobe was turned into a genious by means of virtual reality. He keeps evolving and tries to take over the virtual world. In the first movie, an attempt is made to stop him.

In this second film, Jobe did not die, but was wounded. He is healed, again by means of virtual reality, by a commercial company that intends to launch an all encompassing virtual world and rule it. Jobe has other plans.

Mann uses concepts such as the internet in which all is connected, hacking, gaming, virtual reality.

I found the first film more interesting. 2 Is still somewhat amusing as well though.

The Lawnmower Man – Brett Leonard (1992)

Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) investigates the possibility to enhance knowledge with the use of virtual reality. His investigations are picked up by a company that is more interested in the possibilities for warfare. When Angelo’s test-monkey dies, he tries to turn his career into a less warlike direction. His new subject becomes his lawnmower man, the simpleminded Jobe Smith.

Even with the equipment in Angelo’s own basement, results are astonishing. Jobe really does become smarter. Taking the next step in the laboratory of his employer, things skyrocket and Jobe not only develops lightening speed in learning, but he also develops psychic abilities.

Using 1990’ies computer graphics to show the virtual world and the games that Angelo also develops, a picture is painted of technology that develops too fast. The result is a descent film which also has a few warnings for our own time.

Spaceman – Johan Renck (2024)

A slow, minimalist, somewhat surrealistic and interesting science-fiction drama.

A strange, purple cloud is visibe in the night sky, somewhat near Jupiter. Apparently, a mission has been sent there to investigate. When the film starts, Jakub Prochazka has been on his way on this solo mission for half a year. He is getting closer to the strange cloud.

Slowly losing his mind due to the loneliness of his job, Jakub encounters a strange, spider like fellow passenger on his ship. “Hanus” seems to be an alien life form who is interested in the human condition. Hanus not only becomes some sort of psychiatrist to Jakub, but he also explains what the cloud actually is. In the meanwhile some drama is added when Jakub’s pregnant wife, who remained on earth, has second thoughts about their relationship.

In story and atmosphere, “Spaceman” perhaps holds the middle between “Interstellar” (but not as good and not that complex a story”) and “Ad Astra” (but better).

Prometheus – Ridley Scott (2012)

An alright science fiction film in which two investigators think to have discovered where mankind originates. They form a team and fly to the planet where they think the “Engineers” who created man came from.

After two years in hybernation, the team wakes up and only then learn what their mission is about. The noses do not really point in the same direction, but immediately on arrival, the team starts to explore the planet and find what they are looking for. Needless to say they did not find what they hoped for and a bit of an “Alien” type story unfolds in which the crew is decimated by the inhabitents of the planet.

The story is descent, but has a few holes. The atmosphere is good. All in all a fair film.

Pixel Theory – Carpintero, Delgado & Dharma (2013)

Six short films, together spanning almost 90 minutes. Now do I list this as “short”? I guess not, since the shorts combined appear to tell one story, or perhaps different approaches to the same theme.

“The Program” appears to stand for AI. It started creating art not-yet-made, was predicted by Carl Jung, turns people into killers and we look back from the future in which “Gúgól” was the first computer.

The idea was to raise questions about our use of algorithms and the like. The result are six quite different and mostly fairly amusing short films.

Columns The Movie – Gustavo Garrafa (2022)

I did not manage to finish this 34 minute short. It is a science fiction. The visuals are weird. I kept wondering if it was just-not-good-enough animation or just bad acting and filming. It appears to be the latter. The Italian language sync is off, characters move ‘woody’, I did not even get to following the story which ‘on paper’ sounds somewhat interesting or register the special effects which have been complained about.

I guess this is an low budget scifi which did not turn out too well.

Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver – Jack Snyder (2024)

I thought this was a ‘big story’ told in two parts, but part two ends with a big cliffhanger, so I suppose there will be another (few) Rebel Moon movie(s).

Since the introduction of the story is the opening sequence of part one, part two just begins with the troupe having returned to the planet Veldt thinking that they defeated the enemy. It is clear that the enemy is not defeated and that they have to prepare for another battle.

Needless to say that the fight is hard, but the good guys win.

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire – Jack Snyder (2023)

Snyder took a stab at the genre of science fiction epic. Two movies of over two hours (with 3+ hours director cut versions) and a ‘grand story’.

Kora is hiding on a farmer’s planet. A branch of the authoritive rulers of the universe visit the planet (aptly looking like 1940’ies Germans), which makes Kora decide to become the rebel that she already was. She gathers a crowd to go after the rulers of the “Motherworld”.

Part I beging with a complex story, but -as happens more often in such films- what follows is basically a ‘good guys vs bad guys’. Not bad.