Science Fiction of 2006
This year hasn’t been very kind to science fiction movies.
We are given crumbs instead of solid, good meals. And the majority of the science fiction films in 2006 is ill-fated as sweeping trash that somehow makes it to the theaters while the good ideas are squandered below by the Hollywood rehashes.
As the year 2006 draws to a theatrical close, approaching a new year and newer resolutions, we observe the failing heartland that is the science fiction kingdom reduced to a mere big splashes of overblown special effects rather than good ideas.
Isn’t that what science fiction is supposed to be about? Provocative concepts rather than F-X? Somewhere along the lines, someone’s got it all wrong.
X-Men 3 is the biggest offender. Heralding a slosh of big movie contenders for the recent summer, this film hits rock bottom with a story that goes out of control. And the newly installed director does little to help create memorable characters who come to life like its first two prequels. The original director has gone on to do greater things while leaving behind his X-Men legacy. What are we given instead? Rogue still doesn’t fly despite being the most powerful member of the group. Juggernaut’s voice is mistake for Alvin the Chipmunk and editors didn’t know the difference between night and day towards the end of the film.
We were also treated to another tangled fart of a mess like like Bloodvayne and Doom. The former regards a lithe, ultra-capable vampire who seeks to avenge her mother’s rape which has nothing to do with the current video games. Bloodvayne is definitely window dressing as she’s a very lovely redhead with a penchant for blood. If you’re into that sort of thing. And I would rather stab myself in the guts than go see an Ewe Boll movie. I’ve already wasted two hours of my life watching his previous work Alone in the Dark. That one also based on a game. More, Doom is loud, obnoxious and violent.
There’s also Silent Hill which is based on successful horror game series. But this one lurks beneath its own typical faults. The characters are not interesting and neither are the creatures who hide in the darkness. I’ve talked to many horror fans and they found it to be a monumental disappointment. I’ll give this one a pass.
Some folks do try to bring big and bold attempts to portray Phillip K. Dick’s works to the movie screen. But his novels tend to be so wrapped in ideas and concepts, making them difficult to translate to the big screen. His books tend to be heavy-handed and layered with piles of ideas. And Through the Scanner Darkly is another such brave effort to kick up one of Dick’s novels to the celluloid. This time, it’s in stark, lively animation starring a cartoonish Keauna Reeves. But it may fall short of its goals.
Are there any good science fiction films in the running? It’s possible to find something good underneath the slaughterhouse of awful films cranked out through the movie screens. But, as always, fewer people treat science fiction as a literary expression rather than a knee jerk to the face with bombardments of special effects. The people making science fiction these days aren’t getting any smarter. They’re always missing the point.
However, Children of Men gives a fascinating scenario of a desolated, rugged landscape filled with infertile population unable to give birth to children. The human race has finally reached a dead end. And no reason was given as to why. But there is no need for a reason. The idea is as frightening as the dust-strewn grounds on which the last of humanity stands on. Everything is close to extinction here. Which says much for the current situation of humanity as they are destroying themselves in a careless manner.
This makes for a strong candidate for some good science-fiction that rises above the norm. The rest will be buried and forgotten. I hope.
I’ll see you in 2007.
We are given crumbs instead of solid, good meals. And the majority of the science fiction films in 2006 is ill-fated as sweeping trash that somehow makes it to the theaters while the good ideas are squandered below by the Hollywood rehashes.
As the year 2006 draws to a theatrical close, approaching a new year and newer resolutions, we observe the failing heartland that is the science fiction kingdom reduced to a mere big splashes of overblown special effects rather than good ideas.
Isn’t that what science fiction is supposed to be about? Provocative concepts rather than F-X? Somewhere along the lines, someone’s got it all wrong.
X-Men 3 is the biggest offender. Heralding a slosh of big movie contenders for the recent summer, this film hits rock bottom with a story that goes out of control. And the newly installed director does little to help create memorable characters who come to life like its first two prequels. The original director has gone on to do greater things while leaving behind his X-Men legacy. What are we given instead? Rogue still doesn’t fly despite being the most powerful member of the group. Juggernaut’s voice is mistake for Alvin the Chipmunk and editors didn’t know the difference between night and day towards the end of the film.
We were also treated to another tangled fart of a mess like like Bloodvayne and Doom. The former regards a lithe, ultra-capable vampire who seeks to avenge her mother’s rape which has nothing to do with the current video games. Bloodvayne is definitely window dressing as she’s a very lovely redhead with a penchant for blood. If you’re into that sort of thing. And I would rather stab myself in the guts than go see an Ewe Boll movie. I’ve already wasted two hours of my life watching his previous work Alone in the Dark. That one also based on a game. More, Doom is loud, obnoxious and violent.
There’s also Silent Hill which is based on successful horror game series. But this one lurks beneath its own typical faults. The characters are not interesting and neither are the creatures who hide in the darkness. I’ve talked to many horror fans and they found it to be a monumental disappointment. I’ll give this one a pass.
Some folks do try to bring big and bold attempts to portray Phillip K. Dick’s works to the movie screen. But his novels tend to be so wrapped in ideas and concepts, making them difficult to translate to the big screen. His books tend to be heavy-handed and layered with piles of ideas. And Through the Scanner Darkly is another such brave effort to kick up one of Dick’s novels to the celluloid. This time, it’s in stark, lively animation starring a cartoonish Keauna Reeves. But it may fall short of its goals.
Are there any good science fiction films in the running? It’s possible to find something good underneath the slaughterhouse of awful films cranked out through the movie screens. But, as always, fewer people treat science fiction as a literary expression rather than a knee jerk to the face with bombardments of special effects. The people making science fiction these days aren’t getting any smarter. They’re always missing the point.
However, Children of Men gives a fascinating scenario of a desolated, rugged landscape filled with infertile population unable to give birth to children. The human race has finally reached a dead end. And no reason was given as to why. But there is no need for a reason. The idea is as frightening as the dust-strewn grounds on which the last of humanity stands on. Everything is close to extinction here. Which says much for the current situation of humanity as they are destroying themselves in a careless manner.
This makes for a strong candidate for some good science-fiction that rises above the norm. The rest will be buried and forgotten. I hope.
I’ll see you in 2007.
posted by K.M. Paters at 12:29 PM
1 Comments:
Films that are good Science Fiction are often not even recognized as such. I think the Prestige is such a film the way it morphs into Steam Punk at Tesla's Colorado lab.
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