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Lost: "The Brig" Review
By: jiggyj
Forget the name calling complete jerk Sawyer and forget the overly friendly pushover Sawyer – THIS is how Sawyer should always be, as it was perhaps Josh Holloway's best performance to date on the show. Sawyer has always been a great character – if a little inconsistent in his portrayal – but he's never got to really act dramatic and seriously all that much, as he is typically the laid back, no care in the world presence we've been familiar with. However, this week he really, really got to act. In the pivotal scene and best moment of the episode, Sawyer finds himself in the Black Rock's brig trapped with Locke's chained up daddy. We've been privy to this for a while now, but it's finally out in the open, and Sawyer learns that Locke's dad was the Sawyer who resulted in his parents' death and ended up to him taking on the moniker Sawyer himself.
The rapid succession that Holloway reaches all his pivotal emotional moments is a work of art. First there is the anger of being locked in the Brig, which soon moves to confusion as he has no idea why he is in there with this stranger. Then we see realization and vengeance sweep across his visage as he connects the dots. Watching Sawyer give the letter to Locke's dad and having him read it was the defining moment though, as Sawyer took on the appearance of the little kid he was when he wrote that letter. And when Locke's ass of a dad refused to read the letter, seeing the anger boil up in that split second and release in a flash of anger was frightening. Then, of course, Sawyer just snaps and rightfully and thankfully killed the man who had changed his life forever.
We're still not buying the purgatory idea, which is the one we liked initially when the first show started, but after the creators saying it wasn't purgatory, we're inclined to believe them as there are easy answers for everything. Dharma could've easily staged a fake plane crash to conceal their island, and Locke's dad could've easily been wrecked, drugged by fake paramedics, and taken to the island. Too many ifs and buts for it to be purgatory now.
The flashbacks were interesting in regards to seeing the Others on the move and Ben's veiled talk and how people seem to regard Locke as a messiah, and it will be interesting to see Locke join up as an Other all so he can unlock the truth about the island and why it has healed him and what other secrets it has in store for him. Beyond that, we're most interested about the secret Jack and Juliet are keeping from everyone, as they don't appear too surprised to find out that Naomi had a ship out there searching for them and there was a phone. What could all this mean? The season is certainly building up to some potential shocking finale.
Rating: 8.5
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 4, 2007
Liv Tyler is Hulk's Betty Ross!
superherohype.com is reporting that Liv Tyler will star opposite Ed Norton in Marvel Studios' The Incredible Hulk, signing on to play Betty Ross, the longtime love interest of Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Louis Leterrier is directing the movie, which is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige.
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A Brief Update on the 'Superman Returns' Sequel
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that producer Jon Peters wants to remind us that Bryan Singer is actively moving forward on the "Superman Returns" sequel. Just a bit slowly is all.
Here's what producer Jon Peters had to say: "Bryan Singer is working on the story (for the sequel to SUPERMAN RETURNS), and hopefully, that will be a script by the end of the year. And hopefully, we'll be in preproduction by, say, January or February of next year."
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 3, 2007
Next 'Doctor Who' To Be 'Jossy's Giants' Star?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that rumours that David Tennant will leave Doctor Who at the end of the current series have led to a surge in betting on his successor – with a relatively unknown actor called Julian Walsh backed by many punters.
The Sun claim that 37-year old Walsh – best known for playing eccentric goalkeeper Harvey McGuinn in legendary children’s show Jossy’s Giants – has had bets as big as £2,500 placed on him becoming the next incumbent of the Tardis.
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'Iron Man' Set Report: Description of the Final Battle Sequence with Video!
iesb.net is reporting that one of our readers got lucky last night as the production of Iron Man rolled into her neighborhood in the city of, well, we just can’t tell ya.
First off I really want to thank our readers for sending in this stuff. Keep it coming. You guys rock!
With the release of the Mark III suit this morning on EW, I am now 110% jazzed about this film.
So I wonder when we get to see the Iron Monger* or the Mark II suit? Hmm, soon I hope.
Out of respect to Jon Favreau, Marvel and Paramount, we've edited out location names and some other details of the shooting locations so they can have some peace for the next couple days while they're shooting. Once they are done, we'll be happy to spill the beans, but what good will that do ya if they're already done shooting? But I'm sure some of our eagle eyed readers will be able to figure it out!
We confirmed with our studio sources that this report and video are indeed from last night’s Iron Man set.
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First Photos From 'Babylon AD'
darkhorizons.com is reporting that the first official photos are out from next year's Vin Diesel sci-fi action flick "Babylon A.D.".
Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, and based on the novel by Maurice G. Dantec, the story follows an army veteran turned mercenary (Diesel) who agrees to escort a woman from Russia to Germany.
What he doesn't realise is that she's the host for an organism that a cult wants to harvest into a genetically-modified Messiah. Gérard Depardieu, Michelle Yeoh, Charlotte Rampling and Lambert Wilson also star.
Heroes 120: Five Years Gone
By: Zotquix
Originally entitled 'String Theory', 'Five Years Gone' shows us how much or how little people can change in the span of five years. The beautiful thing about this sort of episode is it really displays the range some of the cast is capable of. That being said, it feels realistic that some of the characters haven't changed much at all. Certainly Mr. Bennet is still essentially the same person he has always been, whereas Peter "Neo" Petrelli, Matt Parkman, and especially Hiro Nakamura have undergone major transformations.
I think what is most important to notice in this episode is how the landscape has changed even more dramatically than the characters that occupy it. If there is a lesson we can take from the real world it is that it takes a relatively small number of years for major transitions in cultural atmosphere to take place. People themselves may not be altered much, and technologically the progress made in a such a brief period of years may not be very obvious (occasionally there are dramatic technological changes, but more frequently not), but a mere five years into the future we may find a world with a whole new zeitgeist. And certainly, it only takes only a very few major events, possibly even just one to spur this.
Which brings us to the destruction of New York. The September 11th resonance has been present during the whole series and the destruction of half of New York is the single biggest symbol of that. In 'Five Years Gone', this symbol is coupled with the air of a witch hunt for those who are responsible. This is a future with a shadowy government that controls its people and even kills them if it deems necessary. Xenophobia rules the land, and as "special individuals" are somewhat legitimate threats, these actions almost appear rational. The analogy is well made, but I'm still glad they don't beat us over the head with it too much. Nathan's speech was appropriately jingoistic, and the five bells is a nice piece of writing. On the other hand, the memorial day and shots of the actual memorial bordered on going too far. Fortunately the story moved on quickly enough.
Speaking of external influences on the writing, it has been mentioned many times how the whole series is fairly Marvelesque. In 'Five Years Gone', the "Days of Future Past" storyline in the Marvelverse isn't just being heavily borrowed from, it's practically being retold. Instead of Mystique disguising herself as the powerful political figure, we now have Sylar with Candice's powers doing so. I am a little surprised that those powers work over electronic media (Nathan's speeches are broadcast on television), but I suppose that is a little more because of my preconceived notions about Candice's power being "the power to cloud men's minds" (rather than an actual visible light manipulation).
Then too, it's easy to think something is being invoked when it actually isn't. When I first heard the quote, 'Wars over General Chou. We lost, remember?' it sounded very familiar, and I thought perhaps Star Wars was being referenced. After some research, I found this to not be the case. The only place I may have heard a similar line is in Firefly (or possibly 'Serenity'). Running with this idea, I looked into Joe Pokaski's writing credits (he wrote 'Five Years Gone', along with series creator, Tim Kring). After a bit of checking I found that he really only has one other credit to his name, that being a stint on Crossing Jordan. So perhaps I'm just hearing a common phrase and linking it to an existing series incorrectly. If the readers have any ideas here, comments are below...
I do feel like an opportunity was missed here. 'Five Years Gone' certainly has enough substance and story to be a two hour episode. There are still lingering questions that may never be answered now. What happened to Nikki/Jessica in this timeline? Who is Parkman harboring? How did Wireless come to work with Mr. Bennet (I'd love to see that scene)? Wouldn't people have stopped calling Jimmy Jean-Louis' character "The Haitian" by now and would he really allow Mohinder to kill people? What does the rest of the world look like? If nothing else, they could've showed us more of Peter Petrelli kicking ass, though, Matt Parkman makes for a poor Agent Smith. Actually I have to wonder at Peter's judgement. Why not stop time during his fight with Sylar? That would trump all of Sylar's powers, though I suppose in the big picture it isn't that important, considering that the younger Hiro would soon return to the past and alter things.
My final thought on this episode is that people have talked about how oblivious Mohinder is before, but to actually work for Sylar for 5 years without seeing through his illusion is...well, kinda sad. Sylar even tips his hand in the episode, though I suppose it's more tipped to the audience and yes, it is pretty subtle. I didn't even notice the first time I watched the episode when "Nathan" says "I understand how things work."
9.5 out of 10. It is good. It is really, really good. But I still feel like it could be better. The drama was a bit lightweight, with the best moments coming from Ando realizing that he died, and that he was important to Hiro's own conscience.
Roswell (3.08) “Behind the Music” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Liz is showing Max the bulletin board that Mr. Evans made about Max. Max is very disturbed but still refuses to tell the truth to his parents, instead he asks for the necklace he gave Liz back. Liz tells Maria, who lets Liz know about her old friend Billy coming to visit. Kyle overhears and is amazed that Michael isn’t upset about the old boyfriend sitch. Michael explains that he’s cool with it, until Billy shows up. Gone is the geeky, pimply boy of thirteen, and replaced with a “hunkier” man-boy of eighteen. Michael has a loss of control on his powers, as a dozen eggs explode by him, and Maria takes this as a cue to take Billy out of sight and hopefully out of mind.
While Maria and Billy catch up, Max drops by the back entrance to talk to Michael. Michael has to blow off plans with Maria and Billy, rather unwillingly. Max calls Isabel as she is in the midst of moving into her new home with Jesse, and asks about the healing stone she has. She counsels him not to worry, but before the conversation can go much farther, Mr. Evans drops in to give Isabel a plant as a house-warming gift. He grills Isabel as to when Max got rid of the jeep and got the new car. Later that night, Jesse tells Isabel about Mr. Evans asking him about what he thought really went down in Utah, which just succeeds in taking Isabel out of an amorous mood. Meanwhile, Billy is trying to get closer to Maria over dinner.
The next day, Max and Michael bury all the alien artefacts they had on hand, but a photographer is watching them and taking pictures. Isabel calls in a panic because their father is asking Jesse more questions, so Max goes to talk with Mr. Evans. Phillip is between meetings, but promises to take Max fishing the next day to talk. The photographer is the one waiting for the next meeting, and he brings the pictures and a receipt of the last time Max filled the tank with gas. Phillip thinks the jeep is tied to Tess’ disappearance and the P.I/photographer tells Phillip to find that jeep. Later that evening, Liz and Michael talk about Billy and his apparently missed bus, and Michael causes some sugar dispensers to explode from lack of control. Maria and Billy talk at her home, and Billy asks why Maria isn’t doing her music anymore. Maria explains about Alex and they end up playing music together. Michael sees this and his powers go wild from his jealousy.
Max counsels Michael to confront his feelings about Billy with Maria, as it is causing his powers to be funkadelic. Max goes to fish with his father, and he continues to lie to him as he fears for his family. Max feels that if he tells his father the truth, he’ll be putting them into danger. It doesn’t go well at all. Michael talks to Maria and tells her that he’s having trouble with Billy being in her life. Maria reluctantly agrees to have Billy leave, but she’s upset that she’s being asked to do that. Maria tells Billy to leave, and they talk and end up kissing. As this drama plays out, Max gets a call from Kyle, telling him that Mr. Evans has found the jeep and is having towed. Max, Michael, and Isabel watch and Max decides that Isabel has to be the one to talk to their father about things. After the kiss Maria goes to Liz’s place to talk about the kiss, and she confesses to the kiss having passion and how she feels more “awake”. Liz and her talk about it some more and Maria leaves with a plan in mind. She tells Billy that after grad, she’ll possibly catch up to him in New York. Billy leaves town with hope and a promise.
Later that evening, Jesse and Isabel have Mr. and Mrs. Evans over for dinner, and Isabel tells the “truth” about Max and what he’s been going through. She spins the tale, which has an air of truthiness to it, about Tess being preggers, leaving Max, and then Max driving around that night crazy with emotion and dumping his jeep over a cliff. Jesse feels for the trauma his wife has endured, and Phillip apologizes for putting Isabel through such grief. Later, at his office, Phillip adds Isabel’s picture to the list of “conspirators”. Michael goes to meet Maria to talk, and she tells him that Billy left. That’s not all. Maria tells him that she wants to break up with him due to loving him, but she can’t find her identity with him in her life. She goes home to play her guitar and reconnect with herself.
Okay. Let me take a breath here. My mother always said, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.” That makes for a mighty short review here, eh? Well, let’s see if I still have my diplomatic chops.
The scenes between Maria and Billy were lacking a certain je ne sais quois. Let me requalify that. There was a decided lack of anything nearing chemistry. Perhaps that was a little too harsh…okay maybe not. Billy, while scruffy and unkempt, didn’t strike me as “good looking”. Unless you find dirt sexy, which I do not, I believe in liberal doses of bleach applied everywhere; Billy wasn’t up to any type of standards. Maria has more chemistry with a used napkin than she does with Billy. And right there. That was a total lack of diplomacy. I surrender. Diplomacy is best saved for negotiating a speeding ticket down to a verbal warning, not reviewing this episode.
Max with the whole, “Can’t tell Dad. Must protect the family” crap is getting on my last nerve. Like his folks already don’t suspect something is hinky with their kids. Seriously, get off the cross Max, somebody else needs the wood. And dragging poor Isabel into things. Making her lie to her beloved parents over dinner with the hubby. That’s just low. What a moron.
Plus, I am cheesed that the Bickersons are over. Man, my life stinks up the room right now. I actually care about that. But still, I liked the repartee, and now it’s gone. Long gone like my last Tic Tac. Bye bye, smooth spearmint flavour. Sayonara, small amount of wit.
Okay, maybe I’m just old and bitter, but I can’t find anything redeeming about this episode. Even Isabel’s clothes didn’t excite me. Okay, her hair looked cute for about thirty seconds, and Maria’s loose blond locks shone prettily, so I guess that’ll have to do. One must grasp at the only straw left in the pack, y’know.
This episode gets a 5.0 out of 10.0, just for the hair. Hair saved the day here.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 2, 2007
'Andromeda Strain' Remake Infects A&E
zap2it.com is reporting that Ridley Scott and Tony Scott are bringing their long-gestating miniseries adaptation of "The Andromeda Strain" to A&E.
The cable network announced on Tuesday (May 1) that production on the Michael Crichton killer-bacteria drama will begin this summer with Mikael Salomon ("Salem's Lot") at the helm.
Stargate Atlantis: “Irresponsible” Review
By: droopymcc
We meet up with our Atlantis team this week going to some no-name village to investigate a hero who protects it. Once there, it turns out the hero is Lucius Lavin, who caused a lot of trouble earlier this season when he almost took control of Atlantis. The village folk seem to have accepted him as their protector. The Atlantis team at first thinks he has them under the influence of the herbs he used in his previous appearance this season but it turns out not to be so. Lucius actually gained their trust by warding off attacks, which is easy to do since he proves himself to be invincible. A former admirer of his once gave him an Ancient personal shield but Lucius had no idea what it was until he perused (“I peruse. It’s a gift.”) the mission reports on Atlantis while he was there. He got someone with the Ancient gene to activate the device and then he can activate the shield anytime he wants.
The team has their reservations but decides there is nothing more to do. As they are leaving, the town is invaded by armed gunmen who take a hostage. Lucius appears and makes short work of them, his personal shield making him impervious to harm. Lucius is celebrated as a hero but the Atlantis team still has their doubts. They follow Lucius to a secret meeting he has with the very same gang that attacked the town and it seems Lucius is paying them to terrorize the town and take a beating from him, to make himself look like a hero. Lucius shortchanges them, thus sowing the seeds of discontent with his collaborators. Their leader reveals that they were elite soldiers in the Genii army; in fact, they were Cowen’s personal guard. They are not pleased with their mercenary status and vow to march back into the capital city and take back what was theirs.
The Atlantis team goes back to town and tells the townsfolk that Lucius is a fraud and that he’s paying those men to descend upon the city. But the villagers are too loyal to Lucius and don’t believe the story. During an argument between Lucius and the Atlantis team, gunshots are heard from outside. It is Kolya and his soldiers. The team goes into hiding while Lucius tries to take care of Kolya. While Lucius is immune to physical damage, he is still vulnerable to drowning. Kolya’s men repeatedly dunk Lucius in a well until he spills the beans. Eventually, the Atlantis team is captured as prisoners, save for Sheppard, who, by this point, is just itching to get rid of Kolya once and for all. Over the comm system, Kolya threatens McKay’s life unless Sheppard comes out of hiding. Sheppard agrees.
While Lucius tries convincing the townspeople that they need to learn to protect themselves, Kolya rounds up his prisoners and prepares to kill them in the town square when Sheppard arrives. Kolya and his soldiers fire on Sheppard but he is now wearing the personal shield, so he is not hurt. After a salvo of gunfire, however, the personal shield dies. Before they begin shooting anew, Lucius shows up with armed townspeople, easily outnumbering Kolya and his men but Kolya and Sheppard have a score to settle. In an Old West-style gun duel, each draws their weapon but Sheppard is the quicker of the two. Kolya takes a bullet to the chest and drops. Sheppard returns the depleted personal shield to Lucius and the Atlantis team returns home.
Science fiction has two extremes. On one hand, there is the allegorical kind that uses a fantastical setting to comment on the current human condition. On the other end is the fluff sci-fi, generally action-oriented and involving gunfights and adventure with no deeper story. Personally, I prefer my science fiction somewhere in between, where a thoughtful idea is presented in an entertaining vehicle. For example, the original Star Trek falls in the middle. As I mentioned last week, it had loads of action to keep a viewer entertained but there was almost always a deeper meaning behind the story. With this latest episode of Stargate Atlantis, I found they tried for somewhere in the middle (closer to the action pole) but failed in the execution. The message presented is that individuals or even society at large cannot look to a single figure for safekeeping. Rather, we need to be able to be independent and fend for ourselves or else we will never grow or advance.
When I first watched this episode, I enjoyed it for the dialogue. I found it clever in bits and pretty entertaining. Richard Kind’s delivery is a joy to watch. The nondescript village sent up a warning flag at first (shades of countless bad Trek episodes) but I enjoy the Harry Mudd-esque Lucius character enough to look past that. However, before writing this review, I went back and watched the first episode in which the personal shield was introduced, as well as all the episodes featuring Kolya. After seeing these back-episodes, my enjoyment for this episode dropped. My biggest beef is with the total disregard of the established rules with regards to the personal shield.
I don’t want to sound like a nitpicking fanboy (goodness knows I hate hearing Trekkers sound off on trivial things) but this seemed too big to brush aside, as it directly affected the plot. In the personal shield’s first appearance, when Rodney was wearing it, people couldn’t touch him. He couldn’t eat nor could the bearer of the shield transfer it to another user. Yet in this episode, Lucius is seen eating. He is also manhandled at various points by Kolya’s men. Yes, Lucius says he can turn it on or off whenever he wants, but the shield is always glowing green, indicating it is on. He is also able to grab and manipulate it, whereas McKay couldn’t do any of those things when he had it way back in season 1. But I could overlook all that if it weren’t for the climax. The resolution of the story depended on Lucius giving the device to Sheppard. We were specifically told that transferring of the shield is impossible. Unless I have missed an episode in between where the rules were changed (it’s possible...I still haven’t completely caught up on this series yet), I think this is the plot hole that breaks the camel’s back. It seems as if they came up with a story and bent the established rules to fit it rather than starting with the rules and making a story to fit them. It shows that the writers were either lazy, not taking the time to read up on the established laws of the show or that they simply didn’t care. Either way, it’s a symptom I don’t want to see in future episodes.
Furthermore, I wasn’t pleased that this is finally how they dispatch Kolya. I found they were building him into an interesting adversary to Sheppard. I found his introduction into what seemed like a light-hearted episode jarring. It gave the episode two polar tones that I didn’t feel meshed well. Then, a quick gun draw ends the Kolya story? It is true that they never confirmed his death on screen, so it’s possible he may return but assuming he is dead, I found it to be quite anticlimactic. All those episodes of cat and mouse culminate in the coda to a filler episode? If the character is dead, then they dropped the ball on this one. If he is not dead and comes back, then I am fearful to see what cheesy excuse they come up with to explain how a bullet to his chest didn’t kill him. I’m hoping Atlantis next week has a better showing.
Score: 5.5 interchangeable villages out of 10
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 1, 2007
Davies: Minogue Won't Guest In 'Dr Who'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Kylie Minogue will not appear in the next Dr Who Christmas Special, according to reports.
Last week the singer was rumoured to be guesting in the episode, playing the role of an "evil cyberwoman".
However, the show's mastermind Russell T Davies has reportedly told the BBC inhouse magazine Ariel that there is no possibility of Minogue taking part at the moment.
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The Final Full-Length 'Fantastic Four 2' Trailer!
superherohype.com is reporting that Apple.com has posted the final full-length trailer for the highly-anticipated Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in glorious QuickTime formats, including High Definition and iPod Video.
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'Atlantis' Ratings Improve Slightly
gateworld.net is reporting that Stargate Atlantis gained a bit in the ratings its third week back, but Stargate SG-1 and Painkiller Jane stayed even with the season-low ratings of the previous week.
SG-1 started off the night of Friday, April 27 with "The Road Not Taken" at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. The episode improved by 1 percent, earning another 1.1 average household rating (Live + Same Day).
Stargate Atlantis regained some of its lost viewers at 9 p.m. "Irresponsible" earned a 1.3 rating, up 10 percent from the previous week.
SCI FI's new original series Painkiller Jane ended the night with a 1.0 rating, equal with the previous week.
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Changes Due For 'Eureka' Couple
scifi.com is reporting that big changes are in store for Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) and her ex-husband, Nathan Stark (Ed Quinn), on the upcoming new season of SCI FI Channel's original series Eureka—including (spoiler ahead!) possibly a rekindled romance? Richardson-Whitfield and Quinn talked at a press preview in Pasadena, Calif., over the weekend about the upheaval in store for their characters on the show, which returns with new episodes on July 10.
Stargate SG-1 (10.13) “The Road Not Taken” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Colonel Sam Carter is conducting an experiment to enlarge the field of the Ancient device that Merlin had created, when she is drawn into an alternate universe. Dr. Lee and Major Lorne run in and she finds out that things are not as she left them, and is somewhere else.
General Hammond is briefed by Major Lorne, and orders him to get to the bottom of things. The Major is questioning Carter, and Carter pleads with him to see the surveillance tape from their side of the accident. Their Major Carter was conducting an experiment to try and bridge between universes, and enable the draining of a small amount of energy from each universe to help power up their Ancient chair to fight off the Ori. This was going on at the exact moment that Sam was doing her experiment to enlarge the phase field of Merlin’s device. That dragged Sam across the bridge, killed Major Carter, and left Sam stuck in the alternate universe.
Hammond speaks to the President to inform him of what happened, but before the viewer can see what went on, Hammond goes and speaks to Sam to enlist her aid with the Ori. He needs her to finish the experiment Major Carter started so they can fight off the Ori. Hammond tells Sam that the intel they have states that the Ori are advancing and will attack Earth in five days.
Sam shows Hammond, Dr. Lee, and Major Lorne, Merlin’s device and shows them how it works, explaining that their plan was to hide the entire planet, only now it would hide this alternate Earth. She gets to work to improve the field, and Lorne comes in later to see how she’s doing. Over some conversation, she finds out that in this universe, she was married to and then divorced from Rodney McKay, who is a dot-com billionaire. He’s a jerk in this universe, too.
Carter manages to get the field expansion to work, but they don’t have enough power to operate it, since the ZPM is depleted. She is introduced to the President of the United States, who is President Landry, not her General Landry of her home universe. He tells her that they’ve been planning a back-up source of power for just such an emergency, which will deplete power from the Continental USA. The Ori ships advance, just as Sam and Dr. Lee are powering up the device. They implement the device just as the Ori get within firing range, and the Ori fire harmlessly through the planet, as they think the planet is just cloaked. Sam is taken by President Landry to a press conference, as he wants to milk their success for all it’s worth.
Sam is then flung into the world of celebrity, and as she watches things unfold, she realizes something is very wrong with this world. She finds out that while Landry may’ve pulled the US out of crisis three years ago, their heightened security and use of military weapons to quell protestors is only for political gain. She goes to see Rodney to ask for his help in getting her home, as she realizes that they plan to keep her there indefinitely. He doesn’t believe her story at first, but then sees the truth in her words. While that is going on, the President confirms Sam’s fears and tells Hammond that they’re keeping Sam as she’s proving very useful.
When Sam gets back from convincing Rodney to help her, she finds out that Landry is using her to win a plebiscite to keep him in office. Sam refuses to help, but Landry tells her that she can’t leave. Sam does some digging, and pays a visit to Cameron Mitchell. After that visit, she decides to “cooperate” with Landry’s agenda, but uses the publicity to push her own agenda of freedom. She pays for her actions by being taken from a public place, and dragged onto the Prometheus to see the President. She gives him a talk about doing right by others etc, and when she returns to the SGC, she finds out that Rodney now has her old job, and he’s been authorized to send her home.
Once Carter gets back to her universe, everyone is glad to have her back. They spent two weeks looking for her, thinking she had been stuck out of phase, and then they took turns speaking to what turned out to be an empty room. Everyone begs off when Sam asks them what they talked to her about, but Vala, being sentimental, gives Carter a hug and a sincere welcome home.
All right, while this whole, “thrown into a universe that isn’t your own” isn’t new by any stretch, as it has been played out with variations on this theme; it did provide a morality play for everyone to learn by. Now what did the boys and girls learn today? Anyone? Anyone? ...All right, apparently there aren’t any takers. This was an overt lesson in defending the freedoms and rights protected under the Constitution, as well as a more subtle lesson in what happens when we make the choices we do.
The overt lesson regarding the protection of our precious rights and freedoms is particularly telling at this moment of our history. The episode writers are yelling at the viewer, “Look! Look at what happens when you become complacent in your life! Your rights are usurped in the name of National Security! Are you prepared to lose your hard-won rights?” If you’re sitting there wondering what they are getting at, please wake up. America has been under the long-standing “threat” of terrorism for nearly six years. 911 was a horrible event, and while terrorism is still very real, one cannot live in fear of something that “may” happen. We have passively sat by and watched our rights to privacy collapse under the Patriot Act, watched as people’s rights to legal representation, proper trial, and ability to defend themselves to their charges disintegrate under some undefined “threat to National Security”. Terrorism wins if you fear the unknown. They don’t have to lift a finger because their agenda is completed for them, by your investment of fear. This is the bash-your-head-in lesson that I believe the writers were trying to get across. I could be wrong, but they weren’t too subtle.
The more subtle lesson is where one can look at the way they make decisions in their life. See how different things could be if you had only made a different choice back when? The writers seemed to be saying, “take a look at how you live your life. Really see how you make decisions.” Are you missing potential happiness or have you avoided some awful fate by the choices you made? I think that a lot of people just live their lives as things come. Some things are planned, yes. Like buying your first home, or getting married. Others aren’t, such as falling in love, or that unexpected pregnancy. If we really looked at our lives, and the decisions we made, would we see how it could have been? Would we have regrets? Are we pleased with the way things turned out? Sure, we’ve seen quite a bit of “what-could-have-been” scenarios in media. Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of the best loved films that deals with this scenario. It has been revisited time and time again by sci-fi shows and other genres. It is a gentle reminder to everyone to be conscious of oneself, and remember you are responsible for your decisions and thus, your life.
This wasn’t a bad episode for SG-1; Amanda Tapping managed to carry the episode very well. I always enjoy seeing how the show decides to portray the world outside of the SGC. While we visit “alien” worlds on a weekly basis, I like seeing the Earth they create. Sure, everyone knows they film in Vancouver, but it’s fun to see the city dressed up as somewhere else.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was how heavy-handed the overt lesson was. I am personally not stupid, and I can get subtlety just fine. Smacking me over the head with one’s morality play isn’t the way to win me over. Sure, some people need a good whack in the head, but know that I am not one of them. My brother on the other hand, yes. Whack away. If you need a hand, just ask. I know where to hit him so it’ll leave a good mark. But leave the whacking out of the show. It’s unnecessary.
This episode gets an 8.0 out of 10.0, even with the smackdown.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 30, 2007
BBC Launches Interactive 'Doctor Who' Comic
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that the BBC is launching an online interactive Doctor Who comic book that will enable fans to take their very own trip of a lifetime in the Tardis alongside the Time Lord.
"For the very first time, fans of the show will be able to create their own magical Doctor Who adventure and bring it to life,” says the sci-fi drama’s supremo Russell T Davies, who will also offer online guidance to the participants on how to construct their journey. Users will also be able to upload a photograph of themselves to the site for use in the comic.
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'Torchwood' To Begin Shooting New Series
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that John Barrowman has revealed that the second season of Torchwood will start shooting in Cardiff on Monday.
The actor, who plays Captain Jack Harkness in the Doctor Who spin-off, confirmed the news on ITV chatshow Loose Women on Friday afternoon.
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Anderson: "I didn't hate 'The X-Files'"
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Gillian Anderson has responded to headlines that she hated her time on The X-Files.
The 38-year-old actress was so enraged by recent reports that she regretted her nine years on the show that she posted a message on her official website to clarify her feelings.
She said of The X-Files: "The series went on for a long time - longer than any of us had anticipated or some of us had wished. It was the hardest work I will ever do in my life. I hope for the sake of my children and my sanity that I never have to work that hard again.
"Did I hate it? At times yes. Did I love it? At times yes. Did I regret it or do I regret it now? Not for a second."
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'Iron Man' Director Gives an Update!
superherohype.com is reporting that Iron Man director Jon Favreau has updated his MySpace Iron Man group blog with the following:
I just got back in town. The company has been on the road for many weeks. We started off in the mountains of Lone Pine which doubled for Afghanistan. We then moved to Edwards Air Force Base. We finally closed out the out of town work with Fontana, CA. Let me confirm a few things: The movie will contain both the gray suit and the gold and red. The light you see in the photo on Robert's chest in the USA Today article is the chest piece glowing through his shirt. He is in captivity and forging the mask of the Mark 1. Both suits have been built practically by Winston Studios and are busily at work as we speak.
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Doohan Treks To Space
scifi.com is reporting that the cremated remains of original Star Trek star James Doohan (Montgomery "Scotty" Scott) were finally blasted into space on a commercial rocket on April 28, the Associated Press reported.
Wende Doohan was one of the relatives who fired a rocket carrying a small amount of her husband's ashes, along with those of other people, including Apollo astronaut Gordon Cooper, at 8:56 a.m. local time from a New Mexico launch site. The suborbital flight plummeted back to Earth, coming down at the White Sands Missile Range.
Lost: "D.O.C." Review
By: jiggyj
First up, the flashbacks of the episode were mostly superfluous filer that didn't really add anything dramatic to the show, because unlike some past weeks where the flashbacks have had close ties to the current day plights going-ons on the island, this week there wasn't anything dramatic, unless there was some poorly constructed idea to make a pregnant Sun (who doesn't know the father of her child) be parallel to that of Jin's whore of a mom, but that'd just be stupid. The most interesting thing to come from the flashbacks is the reveal that the splintering of their marriage didn't exactly start with Jin having to go to work for her father, but rather that, because she asked her daddy for money to pay off Jin's mom not to reveal to him the truth, she actually sealed the deal that convinced her dad to hire on Jin into the "real" business of his company, which we know to be that of a gangster like thug who hired Jin to beat people up and get messages across.
Sun was still involved with the best moment of the night, however, when Sun and Juliet went to a previously discovered hatch, which they thought was empty, but Juliet revealed they just hadn't looked in the right spot for the evidence. In the dramatic scene, Sun must receive one of two answers: 1) either the baby isn't Jin's and she lives, or 2) the baby is Jin's and she dies. It's ultimately a lose-lose situation for Sun, because she doesn't want it to be the other guy's baby, not after having rekindled her marriage to Jin. When news comes that Sun will die because it is indeed Jin's, there is a moment of sadness, and yet then it as if Sun couldn't be more happy to hear it is Jin's. The whole scene was really well written and acted, as not a single moment feels forced or fake, and entirely believable.
Juliet also remains her mysterious self, because though she goes back to leave a message on a hidden tape recorder to Ben, she finishes it off with a "I hate you." You have to wonder what Ben has over her, that is obviously making her do things that she doesn't really want to do.
Then of course we have our "camping" survivors trying to get Naomi – the girl who fell from helicopter – help so she doesn't die since she could be their ticket off the island. And wouldn't you know it, but Mikhail saves the dead. Uh? Wait? Uh? Yeah, the guy Locke through the fence and killed is alive and well. Don't you just wish you could live on the island too? He certainly seemed dead at the time, and if he was, you have to wonder why we've had so many deaths on the island. If you can die (if he did die) and just come back, shouldn't Eko, Boone, Shannon, Anna Lucia, and everyone else really be alive?
And then we get the water-cooler moment, where Naomi tells Hurley they couldn't be the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, cause that plane was found, and there were no survivors. We'll assume that a plane was found with dead passengers, but probably something more like Dharma setup so their island and the real survivors wouldn't be discovered. The writers have said on numerous occasions that this isn't a "purgatory" island, plus how would Ben have access to a TV with a real-world sports game. Plus, with the introduction of Penny and the arctic explorers finding out the island is there, it's highly doubtful purgatory is an actual island. So take it for a grain of sand, but we highly doubt our survivors are dead.
Unlike past episodes of recent that have been solid from beginning to end, this one instead came more in spurts and stolen moments. Not a terrible episode by any stretch of the imagination, but not as good as of recent.
Rating: 7.8
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 27, 2007
Paquin on the 'Wolverine' Spinoff
superherohype.com is reporting that ComingSoon.net talked to Anna Paquin about her new movie, Blue State, but also got some comments from the "X-Men" franchise star about the Wolverine spinoff. Here's a clip:
CS: You were signed to do three "X-Men" movies, so if they get around to making a "Wolverine" movie, would you still be interested in playing the character or are you over it and want to move on?
Paquin: I mean, you know, I think it would be like anything else. I loved the people I worked with and they are people I've known now for a really long time, as far as a lot of the creative people behind and in the movie. If it was something that was really interesting and exciting and I got to do something cool, of course I'd want to do it, just like anything. It would be very nice to do more of that if the timing works out or whatever.
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Pimp My Ride, 'Fantastic Four' Style!
superherohype.com is reporting that The Hollywood Reporter says MTV will feature the Fantastic Four sequel on "Pimp My Ride."
For Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," MTV will use a different strategy to promote that film. On "Pimp My Ride," tuner experts will transform a viewer's car into a Silver Surfer-themed vehicle complete with a built-in plasma screen and an Xbox 360.
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Robert Downey Jr. Forges 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that the USA Today has published an article on Jon Favreau's Iron Man movie that includes a new photo from the film. Here's a clip:
"We didn't want to just go with a safe choice," Favreau says from the set of the film, due in theaters May 2, 2008. "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic-book character who is having trouble in high school, or can't get the girl. Plus, he's simply one of the best actors around."
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SCI FI Summer Dates Announced
scifi.com is reporting that SCI FI Channel announced the summer release dates of new and returning series, including a new version of Flash Gordon, the investigative adventure reality series Destination Truth and the third season of Doctor Who.
Flash Gordon premieres Aug. 10. It puts a 21st-century spin on the SF classic. SCI FI's contemporized version stars Eric Johnson.
Destination Truth debuts June 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The one-hour weekly series invites viewers along on one man's search for the truth while investigating stories of the unexplained across the globe. Josh Gates stars.
The as-yet-untitled Derren Brown Project premieres July 25 at 10 p.m.. The series stars British mentalist Derren Brown.
Among returning series, Ghost Hunters comes back June 6 at 9 p.m., Doctor Who July 6 at 9 p.m., Eureka on July 10 and Who Wants to be a Superhero? July 25 at 9 p.m.
Babylon 5 - Soul Hunter (1.2) - Review
By: AeloraLane
The second episode of Babylon 5, ‘Soul Hunter’, opens with the appearance of the station’s new doctor, Stephen Franklin. Taking over for Dr. Kyle (who was introduced in the pilot, The Gathering), Franklin is personable, dedicated, and extremely hot.
And therein lay the only reason to watch this episode. The rest of it makes me want to stab an ice pick through my eyeballs repeatedly. Oh! I’m sorry. Was that my outside voice??
Okay, okay. During Franklin’s introduction, Commander Sinclair receives a notification from CnC that there’s a disturbance coming from the jumpgate and he should probably get up there. He excuses himself, leaving the doctor in the capable hands of his second-in-command, Ivanova. Franklin asks her if it’s always that busy, and she replies, “Yes, and we like it that way.” Ah, Ivanova. Always with the amusing responses.
When Sinclair makes it to the command deck, he is informed that a ship of unusal configuration is coming through the jump gate. It is out of control and on a collision with the station! Oh no!! Cue dramatic music…
Blah blah blah Babylon Project…
Sinclair suits up into his flight suit and heads out to attempt to grapple the out of control space ship. He doesn’t want to destroy the ship because it’s a first contact situation. Though there’s plenty of overly dramatic music (actually, as much as I totally and completely love the scores by Christopher Franke, and even own some of the soundtracks, Babylon 5 always had a tendency to overdo it at the oddest moments), Sinclair succeeds in his task and brings the ship onboard, along with its pilot. Of course, I would have preferred he had failed.
On his way to Medlab to check on the patient, Sinclair is joined by Ambassador Delenn who heard about the first contact, and wishes to help out since the Minbari have encountered far more races than the Eathers have. Sinclair is grateful for the assistance and agrees. Unfortunately, things get complicated the moment Delenn sees the unconscious pilot and wrestles away Garibaldi’s gun in an attempt to shoot the pilot, declaring that they have to kill it. She calls it a Soul Hunter. Aside from the overly dramatic demand from Sinclair as to “Why?! Why should we kill it?!” the scene provides enough curiosity for the viewer to be drawn in as to why Delenn, who was portrayed as the calm, level-headed alien of the bunch, would have such an extreme reaction.
Eventually, Delenn apologizes for her behavior and we get an explanation from her, which is truly one of the silliest sci-fi plotlines ever and yes, I’ve watched all of the Star Trek series’. Soul Hunters are apparently drawn to death, so that they can capture the soul before it goes into the Great Beyond. They only want the souls of really great and important people, though, the ones who are visionaries and dreamers, so that they can keep that mind alive… but who knows for what reason. It’s not as if they’re apparently using these souls for anything, or even sharing them with the rest of the galaxy. But it’s still imperative that they collect them – whatever it is that they’re collecting.
I really try not to think about this episode too hard.
As Delenn is telling her story, including the fact that certain classes of Minbari are particularly sought after by the Soul Hunters (hey, at least she’s humble!), we’re shown a particularly ridiculous group of bums and hustlers in Down Below. Actually, every human vagrant and villain on this show is so stereo-typically overdone that you’re often torn between laughter and horror whenever they’re introduced. It’s part of the camp that I love, but also the one thing about Babylon 5 that really annoys me. I can’t help but wonder how much more the already impressive drama this show delivered would have been had so many minor characters and extras not been so… stupid. Anyway, the Soul Hunter awakens in Medlab as the lurker (the name given to those who live in Down Below) who has no teeth has cheated another who has really big hair, and been caught. There’s a dramatic chase scene (I totally wrote that with a straight face!) through Down Below between the two lurkers that ends in the death of No Teeth. Throughout this entire scene, there are quick jumps back to Medlab where Doctor Franklin gets to listen to the Soul Hunter describe the attack. This is the point where I am already wishing Delenn had succeeded in killing the Soul Hunter…
When No Teeth is brought into Medlab, and Franklin’s team attempts to save him, the Soul Hunter continues to describe the man’s last breaths in one and two-worded sentences. I think it was supposed to increase the intensity of the drama or something. Franklin tells someone to “kill that speaker” and, of course, I like to imagine that he meant “speaker” as in the one who was talking. Ah, well, he didn’t, and the Soul Hunter continues to go on about “Gone now… Gone… “
Have I mentioned that I’d rather be battling murlocs than watching this episode, again??
Sinclair appears in Medlab and tries to have a discussion with the Soul Hunter. In order to achieve this, he refers to him as a thief. When the Soul Hunter speaks, he basically confirms everything that Delenn already told Sinclair, so the scene is kind of pointless. The conversation between Sinclair and Franklin, in which the doctor declares that he doesn’t believe a word of it as it is all superstitious nonsense, is at least a bit more insightful as to the beliefs of our main characters, and the question as to whether or not souls really exist.
The same sort of conversation continues between Franklin and Ivanova as they send the body of No Teeth off into space. Franklin says that life is too short, and hard to figure out. Ivanova comments that even if humans lived to 200 years, they’d still be human and still make mistakes. This one line is perhaps the shining moment of this episode, as it encompasses the majority of the storyline behind Babylon 5. The doctor tells Ivanova that she’s a pessimist, but she chalks it up to being Russian.
Eventually we discover that this particular Soul Hunter isn’t like the rest of his race. Apparently he’s a bit of a loser, always getting to the people too late and missing out on capturing their souls. His biggest mistake came when he was not allowed by the Minbari to collect the soul of their great leader, Dukhat, when he was killed. So the Soul Hunter went a little crazy. Once he realizes that he’s seen Delenn before, at the death of Dukhat, and that she is Satai, and a member of the Grey Council, he decides to make her his next achievement and breaks out of Medlab in order to do so.
Luckily, another Soul Hunter appears on Babylon 5, warning Sinclair and Garibaldi about the crazy Soul Hunter they had in Medlab, and that he now kills the people that he needs to in order to collect their souls. The moment they discover Delenn is missing, they have their new Soul Hunter friend (this would be so much easier with actual names!) help lead them to where she may have been taken, and Commander Sinclair goes off on his own (because that’s what heroes do!) to save her.
The Soul Hunter has already begun the process of draining Delenn’s soul from her, with the most outlandish-looking machine possible – not to mention, one has to wonder how he got that thing all the way in Down Below without anyone anywhere noticing him dragging it along – when Sinclair finds him. They briefly have a shooting match, and then begin hand-to-hand combat, which the Soul Hunter is clearly winning, before the little glass balls of souls that the Soul Hunter has collected, and kept in a bag, begin floating over to their captor and surround him. Apparently they aren’t too happy with being held in little glass balls, and while he is distracted by them, Sinclair turns the outlandish machine on the Soul Hunter, instantly yanking his soul into its own little glass ball.
The stupidity, it burns.
Whenever I rewatch this episode, I always find myself wondering what caused me to tune into the third episode. Obviously, I had no idea how good Babylon 5 would become until I sat through it all. Looking back, while season one has its moment’s of brilliance, few of the episodes can even compare to the rest of the series, with ‘Soul Hunter’ being one of its low points. And yes, I’m as equally dreading my repeat viewing of ‘TKO’…
Luckily, as with every episode of Babylon 5, there are a few saving graces of ‘Soul Hunter’. It’s one of Delenn’s stronger early episodes, showing a more vindictive side of her that we don’t often get a chance to see. The storyline also alludes to the mystery surrounding the Minbari’s request for Sinclair to be placed in charge of the Babylon station when in Medlab, Delenn tells him that “we were right about you”. It also brings up the question as to why a leader of the Minbari people, a member of the mysterious Grey Council, is performing the duties of an ambassador.
Aside from the obvious philosophical debates that the question of ‘soul hunting’ can spur, and the introduction of Doctor Franklin, ‘Soul Hunter’ provides very little worth taking away from the Babylon 5 series. We never see another Soul Hunter in the series, nor are they ever spoken of again, and there were no consequences from what happened in the episode. If it weren’t that every episode of the series offers at least a sentence’s worth of a hint toward the overall storyline, I’d suggest to most new viewers to simply skip it. This show has far greater, brighter and more engaging stories to tell.
Notable quotes:
Ivanova: "This is not a clear and present danger? I must read the rule book again."
Ivanova: “I'm Russian, Doctor. We understand these things.”
Sinclair: “Two soul hunters. Did someone book a convention without telling me?”
Garibaldi: “I really hate it when you get heroic. It cuts into my business. Man’s gotta make a living, you know.”
Franklin: “And that sort of talk will get you sent off on a very long vacation.”
Anime Review: RahXephon "Pluralitas Concentio"
By: samwiseb
Following the broadcast of the TV series, the staff at Studio BONES produced this feature film -composed mostly of recycled footage- that offered a uniquely different perspective on the existing story. But it also spoiled the series for anybody who hadn’t already seen it. Be advised that this review will have the same effect (still reading? You’ve been warned).
14-year-old Haruka Mishima couldn’t be happier. She loves her boyfriend Ayato Kamina, and their relationship seems to be progressing well enough that he’s finally introduced her to his mother. But when she mentions going out of town to visit relatives, Maya Kamina seems just a little too interested in knowing her travel plans. No sooner has she left Tokyo when the entire city disappears off the map, surrounded by a spherical barrier that looks like the planet Jupiter. Haruka cannot return to her home, or to Ayato.
Humanity soon finds their world is being invaded by pan-dimensional beings calling themselves the Mu, who are more or less human but with blue blood. Haruka eventually joins the military organization TERRA that exists to combat the Mu threat. And fifteen years later, she participates in an operation to penetrate Tokyo Jupiter and retrieve Ayato, along with the Mulian humanoid artifact RahXephon.
But inside Mu-occupied Tokyo, time moves at one-fifth normal speed. And its mind-controlled citizens, cut off from the rest of world, wrongly believe that theirs is the last surviving city on Earth. When Haruka is at last reunited with Ayato, she finds he is still only a teenager due to the time differential. And furthermore, he has no memory of her.
Ayato returns with Haruka to the outside world, whereupon TERRA reluctantly enlists him as the pilot (‘instrumentalist’) for the RX. Further complicating matters, Ayato is found to have the Mu-phase in his blood. And the mysterious Bahbem Foundation, which supplies TERRA with its advanced technology, seems to have its own interest in Ayato and RX. Can TERRA trust Ayato, even if he knows nothing of his situation? Can he retain his humanity despite his Mulian blood? Who will control the Tuning of the World? Does Haruka still have a chance to win back Ayato’s love before the world itself is changed beyond recognition?
The retooling of popular television series into ‘movie’ format is a well established trend in anime. On rare occasion, the story might in fact benefit from being so trimmed (the Gundam movies being such an example). But usually such a movie will, at best, serve as a worthy companion to its parent series, perhaps allowing new insight into its characters and story. For a series as tightly-written and complicated as RahXephon, one can certainly make the case for such a movie.
About 70% of the animation is recycled from the series, with some fresh footage added in. Much of the new material exists merely to provide shortcuts to move characters more quickly from point A to B. Some of it gives us a look at important scenes that may (or may not) have occurred “backstage” within the continuity of the TV series, offering a clearer focus into motives and subplots that might previously have overwhelmed viewers.
However, the movie itself is its own continuity and therefore not compatible with the TV series canon. Most obvious changes to the storyline include:
-The movie seemingly being presented from Haruka’s point of view. This is problematic in itself, as Ayato had already twice as the amount of screen time in the original footage to begin with. In the single most ridiculous scene of the movie, Haruka commits statutory rape with Ayato while visiting him in solitary confinement.
-The removal of Ixtli (“Reika Mishima”) from the storyline. In the TV series this entity assumed the form of ‘younger’ Haruka and hypnotized people into ‘recognizing’ her in whatever context she chose, conveniently distracting Ayato (and us) from figuring out his connection with the real Haruka.
-Quon being kept in suspended animation throughout most of the movie. In the second most outrageous scene, Ayato is forced (literally, as in kicking and screaming) to “kiss” Quon in order to Awaken her. Itsuki loves her instead of Haruka, and no mention is made of him and Ayato being brothers.
-Quon’s RahXephon being ‘defective’, to the point that it will actually destroy the world if she controls the Tuning. Thus the Mu -and Quon herself- have placed their trust in Ayato despite his human upbringing (though the Mu still hope their idea of a properly ‘tuned’ world will be the one that’s realized).
-Maya is Ayato’s actual mother this time, as opposed to having merely adopted him. Ayato’s loss of memory is now attributed to being born a full-blooded Mulian, rather than under some external mind control.
-In the interests of minimizing exposition, several characters (including Futagami!) are simply spliced out of the film altogether.
-A new epilogue replaces the “coda” sequence from the series, hints at the outcome of the Mu and human worlds, but this time leaves the post-Tuning fates of Haruka and Ayato open to interpretation.
How does the movie play for the uninitiated? It doesn’t, really. In my opinion there is still too much information to absorb in just under two hours. And the plot driven elements often don’t flow well with the Haruka/Ayato relationship, now the exclusive focus of the story as far as character empathy is concerned. The movie wisely skips over the episodic battles that made up the middle act of the series, avoiding some obvious potential pacing problems while creating others. The downside of this is that it’s really unclear what most of the supporting characters actually do, as they now have minimalist roles and seem to just be waiting for the plot to move them. The movie does at times manage to channel the awe-inspiring beauty and pathos of the series… but for anyone who just walked in, it does so without seeming to have earned it.
Ultimately two important factors prevented me from recommending the movie as a “sampler” for the series. First, there are a couple scenes (see above) that just seem so far out of character as to leave a rather distasteful first impression. And second, while the movie is true to the emotional core of the original story, it’s just not as epic. And the (comparatively) linear narrative mode of the story here, giving away some of its most important mysteries right up front, just isn’t as much fun.
Oh, and remember how I commented on the series' tendency to get all 'experimental' with its use of different aspect ratios in key episodes? Well, it comes back to bite this movie big time with its dependence on recycled footage.
For what it’s worth, I believe the movie complements the series nicely enough, and does in fact serve as a helpful reference toward better understanding the series’ storyline -providing you can pick out the details that blatantly contradict it. But in the end, no two-hour movie can substitute for 26 episodes of character development and story. Think of this as an “encore” presentation only, nonessential viewing, and cautiously respect it as such.
My score for RahXephon “Pluralitas Concentio”: 7 out of 10.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 26, 2007
Three Clips and Behind the Scenes Footage from 'Heroes' String Theory!!
iesb.net is reporting that "String Theory" Episode 20 of NBC's Heroes will premiere on Monday April 30th! A throw back to the Uncanny X-Men and their "Days of Future Past," on Heroes this coming week Future Hiro must counsel present day Hiro to put right what once went wrong. Oh boy!
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sng-ign
May 4 '07 5:10 pm PST
Anoop is Sanjaya?
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May 3 '07 9:32 pm PST
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He Did It, He Finally Did It.
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