ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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ET - he Extraterrestrial tends to be loved by some and disliked by others.

Ditto for Blade Runner, with opinions even divided about whether or not the main character is even human!

And The Terminator is adorned by zillions of fans . . . but I much prefer the slam-bang sequel. Go figure, eh?
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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

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I guess I'm one of the few people on the planet who don't really get the massive popularity, appeal, and high rating of this one.

I know there's a contingent out there who think that the alien here is grotesque and it even gives some nightmares, but that's not really my issue (though I agree that it's repulsive).

No, I just think the film is on the dull side and mediocre. It's not bad, just nothing to get excited about — an innocuous piece of film-making from Spielberg, who rode a wave of spin & hype in the wake of Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We all know the story. A little alien gets stranded on Earth near some suburbs, hides out in someone's garage, befriended by one of the local kids (Henry Thomas), the government and army eventually intrude (including "keys" i.e. Peter Coyote), and kids fly over the threatening humans on bikes. Zippa-de-doo-da and awa-a-a-a-yyyyyy....



The other mystery for me here is Dee Wallace, first-billed as the mom. This was the biggest film of the decade, it did Star Wars-like numbers... yet it did nothing for her career. Weird. She next starred in the Stephen King horror pic Cujo.

Also an early role for Drew Barrymore as the little sister who screams at first sight of the monster, er, alien, but also befriends him.

Of course, the concept of friendship is a bit too sophisticated for this fare — it's not as if the extraterrestrial can speak full sentences to the kids. They regard it/him as a pet at first and later they seem to pity it, so they help it. For whatever reason, I got the impression that this was a story Spielberg filmed as one of his films during his kid years and he just upgraded it for his latest blockbuster.

BoG's Score: 6 out of 10



BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Blade Runner (1982)

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___________________ Blade Runner (1982)


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Blade Runner was Ridley Scott's follow-up to Alien (79). In the previous film, the focus was on the alien monster, with the futuristic backdrop mostly peripheral.

Here, the future is presented in all its splendor — it becomes more about the vast architecture and sets than anything else, including the characters. The character who comes off best is lead Replicant Roy Batty (goofy name), played by Rutger Hauer. This was a breakthrough role for the actor and he dominates much of the film, including the efforts of Harrison Ford as the main lead, detective Deckard.

Based on Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the near-future of 2019 L.A. forms the backdrop for the tale of a group of Replicants — artificial humans or androids — who have gone rogue after serving as mankind's soldiers in outer space somewhere.

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2019 seemed like a long way off when this was first released but is now just around the corner. Hence the futuristic scenario here does not look feasible now. Maybe in year 2059.

Everything in the film — the plot, the characters, the themes — seems subordinate to the visual presentation of this vast city, whether these are all governed by the wet weather or the smokey atmosphere, or by the baroque architecture and retro interiors.

I got bored when I first watched this in a theater back in '82, but later I could relax with the images, especially with great DVD quality, and just drink in all the ambiance and tone of the piece. Though the visuals drown out some of the character work, this doesn't mean that these are poor performances; on the contrary, most of the supporting roles are very well done.




Morgan Paull has a brief role at the start, sort of like Deckard's predecessor; he's very compelling. Other Replicants are played by Darryl Hannah (early role), Brion James and Joanna Cassidy — all excellent. Then there's the sad William Sanderson, who manages some pathos.

Edward James Olmos is always intense, here in the small role of another cop. The ever-reliable M.Emmet Walsh is the head of police and sends Deckard after the Replicants. And Joe Turkel is the corporation head who developed those troublesome Replicants.

The powerful theme involves artificial beings seeking out their creator for answers and salvation, but it's predictably downbeat — these creations aren't much different from humanity, just more durable (yet, with severely limited lifespans). The disturbing element involves the lack of difference between them and us; it might remind us that we are not, after all, divine.



This film has gained quite a reputation in science fiction circles — and it's sometimes rated #1 on lists — but it's a bit over-rated. The pace is very slow in parts and some tantalizing questions are never addressed, such as why some Replicants rebel and others do not.

Why, for example, is Batty a leader and more evolved than most other Replicants? No one, including their creator, muses on this at any time.

There exist at least 3 different versions of this film — one might be with Deckard's narration, another may not. The big question which materialized over time in the various versions is whether Deckard himself is a Replicant. Director Scott himself has pushed forward this possibility, but this premise does not advance or improve on the story at all.



Blade Trivia: Though highly-regarded now, this was one of Harrison Ford's lowest grossing films

The year before, '81, Raiders of the Lost Ark grossed $248 million; the year after Blade Runner, the final Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi, grossed $309 million. Blade Runner grossed only $33 million at the time of its original run.

BoG's Score: 8 out of 10





BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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The Terminator (1984)

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_____________________ Terminator Trailer


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It's difficult now to appreciate what an impact this film had on the rest of the eighties and nineties, and continues to have. Witness the new Terminator series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the recent 4th Terminator film.

Director James Cameron, in his first real directing feature (he's also credited for Piranha 2 a few years before this), managed to craft a nearly-flawless action thriller on a small budget (about $6 million), with the science fiction elements of time travel and artificial intelligence thrown into the mix.

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I remember the attitudes about this film even before it was released, when trailers were playing in theaters. Audiences laughed at the sight of Arnold, playing some grim killer. Not many were laughing during the actual film. Some still needed to be convinced. When Arnold casually breaks a tough bouncer's hand at the start of the infamous disco scene, I heard a guy in back of me groan in disbelief (c'mon, not even Arnold, playing some weird soldier of the future, can be that tough).

At this point, not everyone was aware of the full story. The big reveal came right after the disco scene, in the back alley, when Arnold's point-of-view was unveiled — a mechanized, robotic view.

I heard the 'ohs' and 'ahhs' all over the theater. This is what thrilling film-making was all about. Or it used to be.





The film managed to throw all these curves at the audience, unnerving them, unbalancing them, and keeping them on their toes. No one can deny this film has a sense of humor when we see, in the beginning, Arnold strolling in the nude towards some street punks (one of whom is Bill Paxton in an early role). It's amusing.

Yet, in the next minute, Arnold becomes the source of a kind of horror and we feel pity for these punks, whom we despised a minute earlier. The film later surprises the audience not once but twice with scenes of carnage at places usually designated as safe — the crowded disco and, even more, the police station.

This was breaking all the rules. I suppose, if anyone could do it, it would be Arnold the cyborg.

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The action was overlaid with a haunting theme of time lost, love, and the absolute danger of ever-advancing science. It all seemed simple at first. Arnold is here from the future on a mission of murder; his target is a young waitress (Linda Hamilton). Another scruffy time traveler (Biehn) is on his own mission; we're not sure what, at first. And soon, events and circumstance spiral into unexpected directions, which sometimes happens when human nature is involved.

Revelations about the dark future of year 2029 are given a poignant allure due to further reveals. Famed writer Harlan Ellison, who wrote his own story about a soldier from the future (see the Outer Limits episode "Soldier"), was acknowledged in the credits after he threatened to sue. Hell, this movie even has a scene of Dick Miller selling guns to Arnold. You can't go wrong with that.

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The sequel was Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), a humongous slick sci-fi action picture which was the most expensive at that time. It was the biggest film of the year and rightfully so: it expanded on the original's themes & story, and was a great thriller itself, using its money and new FX quite well. But, the groundwork was laid here . . . tonight.

BoG's Score: 10 out of 10

Terminator Trivia: OJ Simpson was originally intended for the Terminator role and Arnold was slated for the human fighter (Reese) role; the character of the Terminator had only about 100 words of dialog


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)