SCI-FI September!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

It was doubtful any Star Trek film could follow on from the action packed event movie that was Star Trek: First Contact from two years earlier so wisely they didn't attempt to.

Instead director Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker) and the rest of the Enterprise crew basically embark on what can only described as a typical, if feature length, episode of Star Trek The Next Generation.

Gone is the darkness of First Contact to be replaced with a breezy almost lightweight air as Picard and co attempt to stop the alien Son'a in alliance with the Federation ethnically cleansing a planet with a view to acquiring it's powers of rejuvenation.

The planet looks gorgeous on Blu-ray - It was filmed in the Sierra Nevada's - and the sense of fun is there for all to see including some genuinely laugh out loud lines of dialogue. Donna Murphy is an extremely appealing love interest for Picard (Patrick Stewart) whilst Riker and Troi (Marina Sirtis) amuse with their romantic merriment.

Whilst Star Trek: Insurrection will never go down as one of the best in the series it's certainly not the worst. I loved seeing it at the cinema and loved it each time i've seen it since including a first time on Blu-ray this evening.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Ex Machina (2014)

Stunning directorial debut from Alex Garland. Stark sci-fi, yet eerily Gothic with it's Frankenstein storyline and gut wrenching finale.

A film that in 2023 is even more thought provoking than it was when first released in 2014 as it slowly becomes apparent that it isn't tech genius Oscar Isaac who is in control of intelligent humanoid robot Ava (Alicia Vikander) but Ava's own AI which is manipulating programmer Domhnall Gleeson for it's own ends.

Ultimately Ex Machina with it's three brilliant performances that anchor the film - Vikander in particular a revelation - is a fascinating view of where technology is taking us not where we are taking technology.

After watching it a second time last night it amused me that although unrelated, Garland's film is the Prometheus of the Terminator franchise.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Daybreakers (2009)

Following a plague caused by an infected bat the majority of the world's population are now vampires. The blood drinkers control everything from the worlds economies to their warheads. The vampires main goal is to capture and harvest every remaining human as they desperately need their blood in order to survive and try to create a synthetic human blood substitute before the entire vampire race dies.

However Elvis, (Willem Dafoe) a former vampire has a cure that can save the humans by destroying the vampire gene.

Six years after Undead, the Spierig brothers returned with another sci-fi horror genre bender in Daybreakers. This is an improvement all round, from the generous special effects budget and interesting script to a quality cast in Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill.

There's enough going on here in what is a fairly unique take on the vampire mythology to make this stand out. It has that green / blue / grey look of the Underworld and Matrix films which is a good pointer of where this film lies. The film works best in it's originality. As human blood is rationed for example the vampires can't simply grab a victim and drain them or buy a 2 litre bottle of Pepsi Blooda from the supermarket. No. They are allowed a couple of drops to spike their coffee when they buy one from Costa. Details like this give the film that uniqueness i alluded to earlier and make it genuinely memorable.

There's plenty of action, a few decent jumpy moments as well as gory violence and swathes of severed limbs, but it's the little flourishes of originality that make Daybreakers stand out from the sea of remakes, reboots and sequels.

[MrBarlow]

The Terror Within. 1989.

A cheap Roger Corman production of a post apocalyptic film with survivors lead by George Kennedy who survived with a few others being stalked by creatures known are "Gargoyles" who impregenate a survivor on the outside. How the alien is born is a rip from the Ridley Scott 1979 film with the same look Veronica Cartwright had with more blood splatter. The creature effects is decently created even though we do see it a lot and for a 80s film, it does lack suspense even though there is a feel of claustrophobia. The acting is decent with Andrew Stevens trying to be the big hero. This isn't a big blockbuster piece of movie history but certainly has a entertaining style to it.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

The Terror Within. 1989.

A cheap Roger Corman production of a post apocalyptic film with survivors lead by George Kennedy who survived with a few others being stalked by creatures known are "Gargoyles" who impregenate a survivor on the outside. How the alien is born is a rip from the Ridley Scott 1979 film with the same look Veronica Cartwright had with more blood splatter. The creature effects is decently created even though we do see it a lot and for a 80s film, it does lack suspense even though there is a feel of claustrophobia. The acting is decent with Andrew Stevens trying to be the big hero. This isn't a big blockbuster piece of movie history but certainly has a entertaining style to it.

Attachment 248060

No, it's basically a silver cardboard corridor set constructed in the desert.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Attack the Block (2011)

British sci-fi horror in which a teenage street gang have to defend themselves from predatory alien invaders on a council estate in South London on Guy Fawkes Night.

A well made low budget feature debut from director Joe Cornish that strikes terror in it's audience not from the thought of an impending alien invasion from shapeless, black, glowing fanged, dog aliens but feral gangs of youths running riot through council tenements.

Occasionally gory with some lovely black comedy and acerbic dialogue such as when Jodie Whitaker's put upon nurse sees gang leader John Boyega's room during the heat of the battle complete with superhero duvet cover and pyjamas and asks him how old he is. "Fifteen" comes Boyega's reply. "I thought you were in your twenties", she says.

However despite all this and some excellent performances from it's unknown to me young cast the film doesn't quite sit with me in the same way Shaun of the Dead does when it comes to genre comedies. Something which is down to me rather than any issues with the movie itself.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Following the more chilled affair that was Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) Nemesis is the fourth and final outing for the Next Generation crew which proves a full on action spectacular in which Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard leads the Enterprise head first into a Romulan coup d'état instigated by Tom Hardy's Picard clone Shinzon.

If Insurrection proved a little sedate by turn of the century cinema science fiction standards, even though i adore it, Nemesis rights that issue with action galore, from alien desert driving exploits to Romulan Warbirds blowing the shit out of each other in space.

What it brings in excitement - the space action is certainly gripping - it loses in character development following a promising and very funny beginning set at the wedding of Jonathan Frakes' Commander Riker and Marina Sirtis' Deanna Troi. Whilst Brent Spiner's android Data once again gets some choice scenes the rest of the cast are somewhat over looked in favour of the villains even if the then unknown Tom Hardy and Ron Perlman are pretty good i'd have preferred more for the likes of Beverley Crusher, Geordi and Worf to do. When the beloved characters are well catered for such as the heart wrenching finale and uplifting last scene it proves all the more annoying.

Despite the film getting a critical drubbing when it first came out, it's still good and even at two hours never once becomes remotely boring.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)

F*ck me! This was shit. Not a time waster just a waste of time.

Van Damme's barely in it, Lundgren even less, with the film's main star being Andrei (The Pitbull) Arlovski who plays lead villain a next gen Uni-Sol. Sadly Arlovski, although a formidable fellow has the screen personalty of his UFC nickname.

Going to have to watch another science fiction film this evening because i just can't end Sci-Fi September with this plot less rubbish.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)

F*ck me! This was shit. Not a time waster just a waste of time.

Van Damme's barely in it, Lundgren even less, with the film's main star being Andrei (The Pitbull) Arlovski who plays lead villain a next gen Uni-Sol. Sadly Arlovski, although a formidable fellow has the screen personalty of his UFC nickname.

Going to have to watch another science fiction film this evening because i just can't end Sci-Fi September with this plot less rubbish.

Oh hope you streamed this one amd didnt go out to buy it Dem.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Oh hope you streamed this one amd didnt go out to buy it Dem.

I was given it with a load of others by a mate a few months ago. The others were films like City of Lost Children, Robot Jox, The Court Jester, Black Shield of Falworth and more, so Uni-Sol was comfortably the crappest.