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science fiction

Tomorrowland * Brad Bird (2015)

This huge Hollywood Disney-kid-fantasy-scifi production is actually very amusing. I am not totally sure what group this film aims at. The kids as main characters give the film too much of a teen-feel to me, but the story is relatively complex. Still there is an environmental message for the next generation, so perhaps adolenscents?

A boy and a girl both meet a little girl from the future. The little girl is recruting for something which proves to be a task for the future to prevent something from happening. The little girl’s ways are elusive, strange and elaborate. All this results in an adventure in which George Clooney with his fellow travellers set out to fix the future. This is packed in a descent story and told with a lot of humour, action and a couple of things to think about.

Not bad for a Disney film.

Ah yes, the film is also known under the title “Project T”.

Serenity * Joss Whedon (2005)

When I writing my review of the Firefly series, I checked IMDb to see what other productions some actors might be in. I noticed the title “Serenity”, the title of the ship in the series. That is odd. When I clicked on the title the film proved to be a scifi and I soon noticed that other actors of the series are in the film as well. Somehow, a few years after the withdrawal of the series (14 episodes have been filmed, 11 broadcasted and the DVD box has a sudden end, so episode 14 might not have been the planned last one) a film was made. With a bigger budget too it seems. Perhaps because of the success of “Buffy” that Whedon made in the meantime?

All major characters/actors of the series are in the film. The ship Serenity got a make-over, the Western elements are skipped and the title song replaced, but for the rest the film is mostly an episode of the series. More even, when the viewer does not know the series, (s)he might be puzzled by some characters and situations in the movie. The film watches like an episode after the last one (or perhaps the pre-last one?) of the series. Perhaps the director got the means to wrap up the story that he actually wanted to tell with his series? This is not entirely true either, because the film has a very open end.

The story then. It starts with a flashback explaining the story about River. That thread, which is not that ‘red’ in the series, makes up the basis for the film. We also learn more about “The Alliance” and some new twists are added to the story. The film is largely like the series. The relationships between the different characters, the sense of humour, it even has references to things that happened in the series.

I find both the series and the film a bit overrated on IMDb, but both make amusing views. The film is of the same ‘level’ as the series and might just as well have been added to it as an extended episode.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens * J.J. Abrams (2015)

Not the first Star Wars that I see, but “The Force Awakens” is the first Star Wars that I review. Apparently I do not remember a whole lot of the old films, because I did not quite understand which character is which and missed some apparent inside jokes.

Also I wonder where all the raving reactions and the 8.7 on IMDb come from, because I found the story to be rather thin, the acting not too great (however I must admit that I could stand Harrison Ford very well in this film) and the special effects are not really mind-blowing. The 3D does add something to the experience here and there, but when you watch this film on your own screen, I would not say you miss a great deal.

If I am not mistaken the two main characters are new to the story. Rey and Finn land in the battle between good and evil and help the resistance with securing a map that could lead to Luke Skywalker (a massive cliff-hanger). That is about the entire story. The bad guys are now called “First Order” and they go after the resistance to get the map, so a few space fights unravel, heroes are captured and saved, etc., etc. The stormtroopers and the guy in the black mask are suddenly very human which gave the director the possibily to add some drama that in my eyes does not add much to the film.

So, a space spectacle based on a old theme, but I do not have the idea that it comes anywhere near the older Star Wars films. Then again, I am of not a die-hard fan.

Mission To Mars * Brian de Palma (2000)

I had expected more of a director of the calibre of Brian de Palma. Much more! “Mission To Mars” is really a weak film. The 5,5 on IMDb is completely just in my opinion.

We start with a party of astronauts some of whom are going on a mission to Mars the next day. The trip is half a year flying, a year on Mars and half a year back. Something goes wrong on the first mission and another crew is sent to rescue the first and finish the job.

Apparently De Palma wanted a relaxed atmosphere to his film, but it turned out completely emotionless. The drama is not dramatic, tension not tense. The acting is very stiff. Even a death that is minutes in the making is just another passing event. There are shots in space that look corny. Did De Palma perhaps try to make a 1970’ies like scifi? In works neither way. The film does not have a classic feel, but as a modern film is looks outdated.
The only thing that is somewhat interesting to “Mission To Mars” is the enigma that the crew runs into on the red planet. This is not worked out too well, but at least something happens.

I sure am nog allergic to slow films with little content, but this approach simply does not work in “Mission To Mars”.

Firefly (series) * Joss Whedon (2002/3)

A science fiction series with a country song as soundtrack. That sounds like something different, not? I found these series on IMDb’s highest rated series list. 9.1 and a 12th place of 50. Just one season, so I gave it a try. “Firefly” sure is not a 9.1, but it is an amusing watch nonetheless. There is a strange story to the series too by the way.

The series in this box just stop like it was not finished. It appears that this is indeed the case. 14 Episodes have been filmed, 11 of them have been broadcasted. I supposed more were planned. Oddly enough the order in the box is very different from the order that IMDb has the episodes listed; probably the order in which they were broadcasted. What is strange too is that the series seem not to have had the success that was intended, a few years later, a full length film was made of it.

The series then.
A few centuries ahead a galaxial war is fought which is won by “the alliance”. Resistence veterans Mal(colm) and Zoë get themselves a spaceship (a “Firefly”) to make their living outside regular chanels. They smuggle and steal, but Mal and his crew are portrayed as good crooks. The crew is a varried bunch. A few episodes shed some light on the background of characters and how they got to work for Mal. For the rest there is little character development in the series, even though it watches a bit like a soap.

All planets and moons that spaceship “Serenity” flies to, look a lot like our own earth. Besides the inside of the ship and some cheap-looking space shots, there is not all that much scifi about the series. Often the crew just finds itself in some American looking desert with horses and cows. Hence the country music soundtrack I suppose and the description “Sci-fi Western” that you may find here and there.

There is not really a red thread through the series. The episodes stand more or less on their own, but there are episodes that give the viewer some background information. The episodes themselves can be amusing or somewhat standard, but most have some witty dialogues that are amusing. There are also some pretty ladies and good findings.

“Firefly” makes alright series. Not a waste of time, but not really a must-see either.

Dredd * Pete Travis (2012)

So how did this film come on my watchlist? Not the director or any of the actors it seems. Hm… I’m not sure. It should not have come on my watchlist certainly. “Dredd” is a typical and fairly boring Hollywood scifi action. More even, it seems to come in the “Judge Dredd” series, or would it be a remake? Anyway, Judge Dredd and a rooky end up in a massive building ruled by Ma Ma and her drug gang. The buildig gets locked up the the two judges hunted down which results in massive shootouts and a lot of lost lives. And there you have the entirity of the film. Save yourself an hour and a half and watch something else.

Mutant Chronicles * Simon Hunter (2008)

Man man, what a weak film. I think I found this title because Ron Perlman is in it (and John Malkovich). “Mutant Chronicles” is a sci-fi action spectacle with a far too elaborate story.

It starts in the past with Druids or so who guard a secret. Then we jump to 2707 with a war that looks very much like WWII. A few characters are introduced and also the problem they are going to face. Some zombie-producing 10.000 year old machine that was buried beneath the earth until the mentioned war. This part of the film looks a bit like the story of a massive book had to be compressed into a 15 minute introduction. Then the pace drops extremely when we start to follow a group of people setting out to destroy the machine. Ron Perl is brother Samuel who has a book, a “chronicle”, fortelling events and he believes it also tells him how he can make an end to things. The group travels through tunnels and abandonned cities perpertually chased by armies of zombies with swords-for-arms.

The film is unconvincing, not exciting, not really tense and the bloody action looks corny. Besides a few fair jokes and ideas (a steam-engine space ship for one), “Mutant Chronicles” is rather awfull. The balance makes is just quite weak.

Jupiter Ascending * Andy & Dana Wachowski (2015)

So even the Wachowski’s can make films without much of a story. “Jupiter Ascending” is a rather brainless sci-fi spectacle.

Jupiter Jones has a troubled youth. Her father dies when her mother is still pregnant of her and Jupiter gets born while her mother flees the country. Her life consists of cleaning houses. Then there is the story of an intergalactic capitalist family who argue over whose inheritance the fertile planet earth falls under. Of course Jupiter fits into the story. She gets chased through space for the capitalists to get want they want.

That is about what the story involves. It is mostly a hangup for spectacular scifi action. The special effects look great, but there you have most of the positive news about the film. The acting is dull, the events not too interesting and an atmosphere is mostly lacking.

Not a film to watch when you like the Wachowski’s earlier films for their more ‘elaborate’ films.

Divergent * Neil Burger (2014)

Another film that does not rise above the level of average. “Divergent” opens with an elaborate description of the world in which everything but one city is destroyed. In this city a rigid system reminding of the Hindu varna-ashrama is created to maintain peace. The biggest difference with the Hindu system is that youngsters who turn adolescents can switch “virtue”, but this is not common.

We follow Beatrice/Tris who switches “virtue”. All the before is used to make a film of Tris’ hardships in her training for her chosen “virtue”. Of course Tris is different, falls in love with one of her leaders and proves brilliant after a difficult start of her education. Nothing surprising here.

The film gets a 6.9 on IMDb. A way too high rating in my opinion. “Divergent” is again a teen/youth film and I guess it is mostly the same ago who rate films and apparently like films about people of the same age.

In any case, like I say of many films recently, “Divergent” is not bad or boring, but neither a film that needs to come up anywhere at the top of you to-see-list.

Terminator Genisys * Alan Taylor (2015)

“Terminator Genisys” was as much fun as the first two Terminator films (from 1984 and 1991) back in the days. Perhaps it is for the better that I did not yet know that “Genisys” is not exactly part three. Only now do I see that there has been a part 3 in 2003 (different director, but with Schwarzenegger) and a 4 in 2009 (again a different director and no Schwarzenegger).

Action is not really my genre, but we felt like seeing a film on the big screen and “Terminator Genisys” seemed like an option. It sure was! The film is great fun, perhaps even more so for people who know the old films to which dozens of references are made. Also Schwarzenegger is back acting like we like him and the writers of the film even managed to write his growing age into the story.
This story revolves around the first two films (and perhaps the other two, but I cannot say anything about that) -which is well done-, but also has a story of its own. Not the most brilliant story, but is functions as a rack for typical Terminator action with fluid robots, car chases, shootouts and exploding helicopters. The 3D did not add much, but the big screen probably added to the fun.

Not a film that you have to see on the big screen, but when you like the good old Terminator films, you might enjoy this latest Schwarzenegger too.