Science Fiction

Gravity

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Gravity
  • IMDB: link

GravitySpace and underwater films offer the unique juxtaposition to explore both vastness and claustrophobia simultaneously. With Gravity writer/director Alfonso Cuarón offers a tense thriller, a moving character study centered around a single performance, and a roller-coaster that provides some of the best action scenes of this year. The result is a thrilling 91-minute thematic experience which easily ranks as one of the year’s best films.

Seeing the film in 3D IMAX, Cuarón’s vision is breathtaking. Although George Clooney has a supporting role as a throwback larger-than-life astronaut who would have been right at home during NASA’s heyday when astronauts were the country’s greatest heroes, Sandra Bullock carries nearly the entire film. And she does it well. As Dr. Ryan Stone,  a scientist sent to work on the Hubble Space Telescope, Bullock becomes untethered and lost in the vastness of space miles above Earth when debris from a Russian satellite rips through the shuttle and leaves her without anyone to rely on other than herself.

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Star Wars #10

/ / Comics

Star Wars #10The latest issue of Star Wars touches on all the ongoing stories and Leia comes face-to-face with the man who handed the Empire the weapons which destroyed her homeworld, Han and Chewbacca narrowly escape the clutches of Boba Fett while finally getting out of Coruscant, and Luke and Wedge buy time while preparing their escape from the Devastator after successfully finishing their mission.

In the bowels of the Star Destroyer, Luke and Wedge share a nice moment discussing the still painful losses at the Battle of Yavin and Luke’s not-so-secret relationship with Prithi. The sequence works in reinforcing the time of the current series as well as the emphasizing the losses the Rebellion suffered during their greatest victory.

Prithi may not be able to wait long enough to help her friends escape, but her quick thinking alerts the Rebel Fleet to the impending Imperial attack led by the overconfident Bircher which just may be the key to reuniting the two pilots with their friends. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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The Tomorrow People – Pilot

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Tomorrow People – Pilot
  • IMDB: link

The Tomorrow People - Pilot

Based on the British sci-fi shows of the same name, The Tomorrow People stars Robbie Amell as troubled high school student Stephen Jameson who discovers his odd behavior and bizarre sleep walking has an even more bizarre explanation. Stephen is approached by a secret group of genetically advanced individuals known as the Tomorrow People with the abilities of teleportation, telekinesis, and telepathy – abilities all of which Stephen also possesses and only unconsciously has begun to tap into.

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Star Wars #9

/ / Comics

Star Wars #9Although we get glimpses of Han and Chewie‘s continued escape from Coruscant and Luke and Wedge fighting off barrage of Stormtroopers while searching for answers on-board the Star Destroyer Devastator (which attracts the attention of a certain Dark Lord of the Sith), most of Star Wars #9 focuses on what Leia finds in the shattered remains of her homeworld aboard a ship hidden in the asteroid field of what once was Alderaan.

After realizing just who the collector of the remaining vestiges of Alderaan truly is, and what he’s responsible for, Leia is left at an impasse as to what do with the shell of the man whose expertise allowed the destruction of her world.

Making Tag Ragaren a sympathetic character is a nice twist for the issue, although I could have done with a little less of Leia’s tale and more of an equal focus on Luke slicing through Stormtroopers with his lightsaber and Han and Chewie continuing to try and evade a some very persistent bounty hunters and make it off the Imperial homeworld in one piece. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Pitch Black Deja Vu is Riddick-ulously Familiar

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Riddick
  • IMDB: link

RiddickHow much do you love Pitch Black? For those passionate few whose fandom is strong enough to warrant sitting through a nearly identical (but inferior) film with all the originality of say Teen Wolf Too, Riddick may offer some late summer mindless entertainment. Everyone else may want to wait for home video for this IMAX version of a straight-to-DVD sequel that may not skimp on effects but could have used at least one new idea. Well, at least this one’s got Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) in it.

Although it hasn’t as aged as well as I would like I will still admit to having some affection for Pitch Black, the 2000 sci-fi adventure about a murderous thief trapped on a world of monsters with people who want him dead, but I draw the line at the ridiculous trainwreck of a sequel that stalled this “franchise.” To call Chronicles of Riddick something akin to Underwold-level terrible is frankly being kind. That Riddick got made at all, even nine years later, and isn’t nausea-inducing is something of a minor miracle.

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