Science Fiction

Guilty Pleasure – Krull

  • Title: Krull
  • IMDb: link

Flashback Friday takes us back to 1983, a young king, a captured queen, a motley band of heroes, a quest across a desolate landscape, some questionable special effects, a monstrous beast, a prophecy, and a fortress that relocates across the planet at every dawn. A sword-and-sorcery epic with sci-fi trapping such as alien soldiers with laser rifles, Krull introduces us to Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) whose marriage will unite two warring kingdoms against an invading alien force until they steal the bride on her wedding day. 

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

  • Title: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • IMDb: link

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most kinetic, edge-of-your-seat, visually bonkers popcorn movies of the past decade. Exploring the origins of the film’s breakout star (played in Fury Road by Charlize Theron), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is… largely fine. More structured, less zany, and with far fewer surprises, Furiosa still provides plenty of crazy stunts and action against the backdrop of the dystopian world, and Anya Taylor-Joy, taking over the Furiosa role, proves she can carry a film with minimal dialogue.

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Doctor Who – Joy to the World

  • Title: Doctor Who – Joy to the World
  • wiki: link

While the larger story of “Joy to the World” involves a the creation of a man-made star capable of destroying the Earth being handed off to innocents transformed into brainwashed couriers, the latest Doctor Who Christmas episode is most notable for the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) being force to stop running, for an entire year, and wait. The episode plays on similar themes to “The Power of Three” when the Doctor (Matt Smith) stayed with Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) for an extended period on Earth, but this time the Doctor is forced to make his own fun with some Christmas trappings thrown in as well.

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Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin

  • Title: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin
  • wiki: link

Still searching for their home world, the crew’s robot steers them to what was likely once very similar to At Attin but now is a post-apocalyptic hellscape (or the Disney equivalent where nothing remotely violent happens on-screen). The crew spends a single episode on At Achrann with the kids and Jod (Jude Law) each joining opposing warbands until they meet up again with the crafty pirate captain having crafted a fix for all of them. The end of the episode teases clues to the real At Attin until it’s revealed SM-33 (Nick Frost) has been programed to forget about his experience with the former planet. When those memories are unlocked by Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) his orders to kill anyone asking about the planet are revived as well.

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Skeleton Crew – Way, Way Out Past the Barrier / Very Interesting, As an Astrogation Problem

  • Title: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Way, Way Out Past the Barrier / Very Interesting, As an Astrogation Problem
  • wiki: link | link

The second and third episodes of Skeleton crew provide the first experience of space for Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and KB (Kyriana Kratter) who find themselves lightyears away from home. Taken to a nearby pirate space station by the ship’s droid, who recognizes Fern as captain, the foursome discover trust is a commodity in short supply, although Wim does make the acquaintance of the marginally Force sensitive imprisoned former pirate captain (Jude Law) who he mistakes for a Jedi (and is all to willing to let that misconception stand). Escaping the port together, Jod, Silvo, Captain Jack, or whatever you want to call him, agrees to help the kids find their home believing the legends of treasure to be found on the lost planet of At Attin.

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