Science Fiction

Pro-MEH-theus

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

prometheus-posterIf all you want out of Prometheus is a great looking sci-fi adventure that asks big questions about the history of life on Earth (without the slightest interest in answering them), has a couple of disturbing Alien sequences the series is known for, and shows us where Aliens come from, well this movie was made just for you. If you wanted something more than the bare minimum, like an engaging story that doesn’t feel the need to talk down to its audience every step of the way, well, then this probably isn’t the summer flick you’ve been hoping for. But, hey, at least it’s better than Alien 3.

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Men in Black III

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Men in Black III
  • IMDB: link

men-in-black-3-posterWell that was… in 3D. I wonder how many film series will find themselves resurrected for the soul purpose of cashing-in on Hollywood’s latest love affair with 3D. If Men in Black III is any indication (a franchise that died a decade ago only to have it’s undead corpse dug up and trotted out to make a few dollars at the box office) perhaps movie studios may want to be a little more selective in choosing which movie series to resurrect.

Men in Black III isn’t a bad film. It has some enjoyable moments (like Bill Hader‘s cameo as Andy Warhol) and some nice performances. Hell, Josh Brolin playing a younger version of Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones‘s character) is almost worth the price of admission by itself. Almost.

However, the story is stuck in neutral with a generic time travel adventure involving a grizzled alien (Jemaine Clement) out for revenge. Much like Tommy Lee Jones (who only appears on-screen in a limited role this time around), the film simply feels tired and only vaguely aware of what’s going on.

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Lockout

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Lockout
  • IMDb: link

lockout-poster

Borrowing pieces, plot threats, and characters from the likes of Escape From New York, Outland, Demolition Man, and others, co-writers and co-directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger give us an outer space action film set 65 years into our future about an orbiting prison ship filled with the dregs of humanity, the President’s daughter trapped inside, and the one man who can get her home.

To put it bluntly, this ain’t Shakespeare. Lockout would feel right at home on as part of a lazy Saturday afternoon triple feature sandwiched between The Last Boy Scout and Runaway. It’s certainly a flawed piece of filmmaking, and at times dumb as a brick, but with a smart ass sense of humor and two likable leads the movie provides its share of fun moments.

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John Carter

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: John Carter
  • IMDB: link

john-carter-posterOriginally published 100 years ago in The All Story Magazine in serialized fashion over a period of months Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ first story, A Princess of Mars, launched a career than spanned decades including several more novels in what became known as the Barsoom series and the creation of a certain Lord of the Jungle you may know by the name of Tarzan.

It’s taken a century, but Hollywood finally has its first big screen adaptation of Burroughs’ tale. (For our purposes here we’re just going to ignore the existence of the 2009 straight-to-DVD version starring Antonio Sabato Jr. and Traci Lords.) Adapted and directed by Pixar’s Oscar winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life) John Carter breathes new life into the century-old work while still staying true to the Burroughs’ original novel.

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Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1

/ / Comics

star-wars-dawn-of-the-jedi-1I understand full well that Star Wars comics are a mixed bag. Although I’m a fan of the Expanded Universe novels that have continued the tales of Luke, Han, Leia and their children, the expanded comics stories have more misses than hits.

When I heard the idea of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi I was intrigued by how John Ostrander would choose to tell the beginnings of the Jedi Order. I know I should have known better, but I gave it a shot.

This comic is a mess, from beginning to end. Although the art by Jan Duursema has a cinematic quality to it, and is pretty enough to look at, the story itself is a disaster that begins with a 12-page narration of the beginnings of the Jedi Order… and then moves quickly into the future to give us a story seemingly only slightly connected to the “Dawn of the Jedi.”

Also troubling is the fact the series takes at the beginning but Jedi already have lightsabers? And there are Sith (who look like generic Vader wannabes)? The Force is not strong with this one. Pass.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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