movie review
Reviewing the best science fiction movies from the past, present, and future.
The Mightiest Motion Picture of Them All
After several years of production, design and location shooting, Walt Disney released his first Hollywood produced live-action motion picture in 1954. If the advertising was to be believed, it was in fact the mightiest motion picture of them all. Considering that the film was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, this is a credible claim.
Cory GrossPublished 7 years ago in FuturismWord-Worlds
Ted Chiang is among the greatest short story writers in the history of science fiction, and I've been recommending his work to students for years. That said, I was somewhat disappointed by Arrival, Denis Villeneuve's recent film adaptation of Chiang's masterful short story "Story of Your Life." The film, in my view, is too noncommittal genre-wise. It doesn't know what it wants to be—action-adventure or philosophical meditation, Independence Day or Ex Machina. I suppose there's a way to elegantly split that difference, but I don't think it happens here. To be fair, it's a tough story to adapt: high-concept, but cerebral and exposition-y. "Story of Your Life" features none of the fate-of-the-Earth-hangs-in-the-balance testosterone of Arrival; what's most interesting about it is the peculiar linguistics of the alien language, particularly the written script, which Chiang's narrator explores in depth. The film dumbs all this down. We get squiddy aliens ejaculating ideograms, and some montage-like scenes of Amy Adams' character trying to decipher them at her desk, but we're not really privy to her insights, and, though a major plot twist depends on it, we never get the full picture of how the aliens' language is a natural outgrowth and/or determinant (or both?) of their relationship to time, which is, or ought to be, the story's great payoff.
M. Thomas GammarinoPublished 7 years ago in FuturismStar Wars 'Things I Have a Bad Feeling About'
Star Wars is choke-full of absolutely astounding coincidences, which in the real world we can attribute to the scriptwriters wanting to move the story along. I get that...
Matt CatesPublished 7 years ago in Futurism9 Films You Should Watch if You Want to Work for Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos
Introduction Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) is finally making money and they turned a modest quarterly profit of $21,878,000 on 09/30/2016.
Alejandro Guillú MendozaPublished 7 years ago in FuturismSci-Fi's Obsession with the American West
I was once in Big Bend National Park and thought I’d stepped onto another planet. If you’ve had the misfortune never to have visited, it’s a mostly parched desert wonderland with the strangest flowers, succulents, and eerie hills that you can imagine. Toss in the sexy wild lawlessness of the historical American West and you can see why science fiction would create some of its most memorable works against such an awe-inspiring backdrop. From cartoons like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun to animated shows like Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr, science fiction clearly has a great big ol’ crush on the American West. There’s DC Comics’ Jonah Hex, a whole slew of terrible B-movies, and then there are the great ones: films like Westworld and Back to the Future Part III, books like The Gunslinger, and shows like Firefly (*sniff*). If you haven’t seen them yet, check out these incredible tributes to science fiction and the West all in one beautiful biomechanical horse meets pony-express package.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in FuturismThe Greatest Animated Films About Space Travel
With the many beautiful films about space that have awed us recently - Gravity, Interstellar, and The Martian all come to mind - it’s easy to forget the great animated films about space travel. They not only amuse us but also bring that incredible world to life for our kids. Each of these movies depict the dangers and delights of traveling among the stars with lovable characters, fascinating plots, and gorgeous backgrounds. Take a break from the more serious adult live-action space films and enjoy some of the best animated films about space that have ever been created.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in FuturismSci-Fi's Obsession with Ancient Egypt
At first it sounds contradictory; isn’t science fiction all about what the future holds? But in looking back to a time before toothbrushes and iPads and breakfast cereal, you can get really philosophical without all the minutia that threatens to dominate life today. (Notice that I said you can, not that you have to - some of these films are just here to have fun.) If you love Ancient Egypt AND aliens and spaceships and futuristic weapons, now you can have both in one magical sandy pyramid-shaped package.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in FuturismFlesh Gordon
Since aliens from outer space are constitutionally way ahead of us puny Earthlings in everything from interstellar technology to galactic government, it was merely inevitable that they should have the edge on us in the dubious field of pornography. And it was equally inevitable that America's favorite space-age hero (or a near facsimile) should go getting himself involved in battling this erotic menace from distant worlds. Such cosmic combat is the main theme in a sci-fi spoof Flesh Gordon, a Graffitti production, directed by Mike Light-Veteran and produced by Bill Osco and Howard Ziehm, who apart from producing the hardcore entertainments of Mr Light were also involved in Hollywood Blue. With the million dollars they made from these three porn movies, Messrs. Osco, Ziehm and Light decided to risk all on an X-rated space movie, the first of its kind in the world (or any other world), and the most outrageous interpretation of the science-fiction ethos since Barbarella, one of the best sci-fi cult classics of all time. Playing the principal role of Flesh Gordon is 24-year old Jason Williams, with Suzanne Fields, a 35-23-36 green-eyed blonde, as Dale Ardor, his female lead.
Eddie WongPublished 8 years ago in FuturismThe Story of Dune
Dune is one of those rare stories that transcends the tastes and interests of a particular decade or generation. It takes us very, very far away from the ordinary concerns of life today to a place more than ten thousand years in the future, a time when human beings have spread far across the galaxy.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in Futurism'Star Trek' Booze: 50 Years Of Drinking With The Starship Enterprise
For the proud accomplishment of lasting half a century, a 50th anniversary is golden. It deserves a celebratory toast for any species in any part of the galaxy, and in the latest Trek film, fans get a fun tip of the glass after a fashion. Early on in Star Trek: Beyond, director Justin Lin’s action packed entry in Paramount Pictures feature film franchise, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Bones (Karl Urban) share a rare quiet moment by drinking together in Enterprise’s officer’s lounge. The two friends and Starfleet officers take the time to down a little Saurian Brandy—an alien drink all too familiar to fans from way back in the day of the start of the original series.
Will StapePublished 8 years ago in FuturismScariest Movies Set in Space
Grab your blanket, a partner, and some popcorn and settle in for some horror in the silence of space. These titles range to include the absurd to the all too possible. From classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Aliens, the second installment of the Alien franchise to space vampires in Lifeforce, they all share themes of humanity’s fear of the unknown and the desolation of space. There’s something so isolating about the idea of space that makes horror set in it so much more terrifying. It might just be the perfect setting for exploiting our fears. Prepare yourself for the scariest movies set in space.
Lindsie PolhemusPublished 8 years ago in FuturismCraziest Sci-Fi Movie Fan Theories
Are you prepared enough to hear some of the most absurd, mind-boggling, craziest sci-fi movie fan theories? I guess if there ever was a fertile ground for weird and over-imaginative theories to flourish and gain a lot of popularity it was only logical to happen among the fans of the sci-fi genre. I mean, if you enjoy watching movies in which reality is by definition a pretty flexible concept, why wouldn’t you also enjoy stretching it a little bit more? Anyway, some of these craziest sci-fi movie fan theories actually have some solid arguments, so why not hear more about them?
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in Futurism