ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Today we have a trio of “manly movies” for all you testosterone rich gentlemen.

~ We start with the sad tall of man who just can’t keep is together. He isn’t just spinless and brainless — he’s lacking all the rest of his organs and tissues as they turn into jelly until he dribbles away completely.

~ Next up we have a man who goes from a sjmple lawn keeper to non corporeal being who surfs the world wide web in a unigue way.

~ And finally we have a man who traveled 250 million miles to reach Earth — which just happens to be the approximate distance between Earth and Mars when they’re on the opposite sides of the sun! (And THAT finally solves the puzzling question of why Klaatu said he traveled six months to get here! )

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The Incredible Melting Man (1977)



Smelting!

The Incredible Melting Man is written and directed by William Sachs. It stars Alex Rebar, Burr DeBenning and Myron Healey. Music is by Arlon Ober and cinematography by Willy Curtis.

Astronaut Steve West's body begins to melt after he was exposed to radiation during a space flight to Saturn.

Escaping from the hospital, West trawls the land in search of human victims to eat in the desperate hope of staving off the melting of his body.

It's as bad as you most likely have heard it is, and Rick Baker's makeup work is as good as you have heard it is!

Intended as a horror parody but switched to being a "supposed" horror with some cuts and swipes requested by the studio, it's pretty evident upon viewing the film that was clearly the case.

The tale doesn't add up to much more than the melting man of the title walking from one scene to another dripping in goo whilst meeting up with a host of bad actors. He's pursued by a pal who wants to help him, while it all builds to some fireworks at a power plant where the "big" battle unfolds.

You can't really do much with the story. After just 8 minutes of film he starts melting, and once his bodily parts start falling off you just know he is beyond help. The tragic creature vibe is strong enough to hold interest if you can stop yourself from laughing at everything else that surrounds him (it) during its Quatermass Experiment journey.

The power plant scenes are nicely photographed, and the final demise of the creature is bleakly sad. Baker really comes through with the only bit of quality in the piece. It's messy in more ways than one! But fun to be had if in a very forgiving mood. 4/10
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The Lawnmower Man (1992)



It Lacks Qualcast Quality.

The Lawnmower Man is directed by Brett Leonard who also co-writes the screenplay with Gimel Everett. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Jeff Fahey, Jenny Wright, Geoffrey Lewis, Jeremy Slate and Dean Norris. Music is by Dan Wyman and cinematography by Russell Carpenter.

Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Brosnan) is a big mover in the science of virtual reality. When he tries his new technology on mentally challenged gardener Jobe Smith (Fahey), it elevates him to a higher intelligence and it's not long before Jobe acquires scary new powers.

Originally meant to be, and titled as, Stephen King's Lawnmower Man. After a King lawsuit the film ended up bearing very little resemblance to the author's short story. There's a couple of small ligaments that link the two, but in the main (not Maine) this Lawnmower Man is its own entity and an obvious attempt to cash in on the then virtual reality zeitgeist.

Lawnmower Man has a cult fan base, of that there is no doubt, where much like Tron from 10 years earlier, the effects work and the capturing of something very much being "in" with the youth of the time, has proved perpetually appealing to nostalgists.

But strip away these and you have your basic Frankenstein story for the 90s, a pretty standard story lacking intelligent smarts or deep thematic points of worth.

And then of course there is the bizarre fact of having a film decrying the advancement of computer technology, by using computer technology to make the film's strongest moments!

It's only adequately performed by the cast, and Leonard's direction matches his writing, which is mundane when not about the visual effects; effects work that dated very quickly as it happened.

Other cuts and sequels would follow, the former didn't improve the same basic problems of the theatrical cut, while the latter releases proved to be laughably bad.

The Lawnmower Man is an interesting movie in the context of its time, and it's certainly fun enough for those who were there, cloaked in a visually-inspired warm glow. But it has not been a must-see film for anyone else since 1995. 4/10
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)



I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it.

The Day the Earth Stood Still is directed by Robert Wise and adapted to screenplay by Edmund H. North from the story Farewell to the Master written by Harry Bates. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray and Frances Bavier. Music is by Bernard Herrmann and cinematography by Leo Tover.

Classic sci-fi is right here, as director Robert Wise gives a beautifully steady hand to Harry Bate's short story.

Peace for the world or else is the message, and I don't see anything wrong with that, because it stands up to relevant scrutiny today and unfortunately many days ahead in the future. Debates about the allegorical worth of the film still persist today, but the core message is not up for argument.

Wise shows his influences from the time when he worked with Orson Welles and Val Lewton. Here, aided by Tover's beautiful photography, he blends the feel of semi-documentary starkness with film noir visuality.

Whether it's scenes of Klaatu (Rennie) trawling the wet night streets, or the interiors of the spaceship and boarding house, the visual imagery by way of low-key lighting compositions is often striking for mood accentuation.

All the cast are spot on in their respective performances, with Neal refreshingly given a female role that doesn't resort to her being token sex appeal or a shrieking harpy.

Herrmann's understated score is dynamite, and pretty much imitated wholesale from this point onwards. The film is laced with poignant and frightening scenes that keep the viewer firmly glued to the tale unfolding. The demonstration of the visitors power gives the film its title, and it's a glorious slice of celluloid.

Gort the robot (Lock Martin) is one of the biggest icons in sci-fi cinema.

Once viewed, one can never forget The Day The Earth Stood Still. Its message, its structured precision, and its technical smarts ensure you will remember this film always. One of the most important science fiction movies of all time, a game changer in the critical year for the sci-fi genre.

All told it's magic cinema still standing the test of time. 10/10
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)