ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Three movies that are worthy of your attention, two of which are classics, and a third which is relatively recent.

Tell us what you think of these fine movies.
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The Island (2005)



Lincoln Six Echo and the Utopian Redemption.

Lincoln Six Echo is having vivid dreams about a past existence. Here in this Utopian society, he's starting to question the function of his world.

In this perfectly formed existence, the inhabitants dream of winning the lottery. The prize is be relocated to a paradise known as The Island.

But after stumbling onto something sinister, Lincoln escapes with fellow inmate Jordan Two Delta. The consequences for both of them are as dangerous as it is for the rulers of this strange and intriguing place.

If you are entering a movie that is directed by Michael Bay, then one can reasonably assume you know what you are going to get — explosions, ear splitting sound mix and a host of carnage set pieces,

His formula works, and largely his efforts have entertained the popcorn masses. So it's interesting to find that The Island does have some intellectual nous in amongst the Bayhem for which the director is famous. Working from an interesting cloning story written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen (though the similarities to Robert Fiveson's The Clonus Horror resulted in a law suit), The Island is a highly engrossing sci-fi film.

Certainly the ethics of the story's core are worth scrutinizing.

One of course can argue that Bay was the wrong director for such interesting material. And yes, it's a point to note that the characters and plot arcs are not given any depth or a serious second glance.

But really we are here for the bang to go with the buck. are we not?

Ewan McGregor (Lincoln) and Scarlett Johansson (Jordan) play it just about right. Bemusement of their situation is coupled with daring do heroics, while suitably tongue in cheek performances come from Sean Bean, Djimon Hounsou and a picture-stealing Steve Buscemi.

The Island is not a film that is easy to recommend because it can frustrate as much as it entertains, but entertain it does, and with big screen TVs and glorious home cinema a staple requirement for the movie fanatic, The Island is something of an essential purchase.

Check out the highly octane courageousness of the road pursuit here, fabulous thru the speakers!

A serious topic given nonsense sheen for sure — but hell, what a blast it is! 7/10
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The Last Man On Earth (1964)



They are coming to get you Morgan.

Vincent Price stars as Dr. Robert Morgan, the apparent sole survivor on Earth after a lethal virus has wiped out mankind. His only company is a plague of vampire-like zombies thirsting for his blood each and every night. Tiring of the constant fights and desperate in his loneliness, Morgan is at the end of his tether. Until . . .

The source story from which this film is adapted, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, is rightly or wrongly considered to be something of a sci-fi classic. This explains why, in three different decades, the film has been adapted to the big screen.

Following on from this first attempt we have been offered up The Omega Man in 1971 and I Am Legend in 2007. All three big screen outings are of differing quality, and separated by their respective approaches to the subject.

The Last Man On Earth is to me the best of the three films to date. Having horror legend Vincent Price play the main character automatically lends people to think that this picture is primarily a horror film. Something that may explain why it's been largely ignored outside of those who have a penchant for Matheson and Price's respective work.

Though proudly containing {justly} horror elements {George Romero was clearly watching with interest} Ubaldo Ragona's film perfectly portrays the agony of Morgan's solitude. It's not merely about his battle with virally challenged zombies. Morgan's battle is chiefly with himself {wonderfully realized by an undervalued Price performance}.

He may have inherited the Earth, but his function has been reduced to being nothing more than the assassin of the night creatures. His existence is growing more grim by the year — until he makes an amazing discovery, and it's one that swerves the film into its final quarter.

To me at least, the film achieves what the other adaptations failed to do — namely no swagger involved, no cop outs and pandering to the norm. It's a highly fitting final, in keeping with the story's heart.

Though the story seems to be set in an American city, it's actually shot on location in Rome, Italy. The whole cast (other than Price himself) being Italian. Low on budget, The Last Man On Earth is unable to break free of its B movie sheen. And yet this aids the structure of the picture. Grainy black-and-white shots of derelict streets definitely boost the apocalyptic essence. This is a depressing time, not only for Morgan, but for us the viewers as well.

We are not meant to jump out of our seats with fright, or to whoop and holler as Morgan lays waste to another creature of the night. We are asked to imagine what it would be like to be the last human on Earth, and if indeed we could cope with the isolation, and the dreams of a life long since past.

Fine and intelligent picture 7.5/10
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Planet of the Apes (1968)



"I'm a seeker, too. But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help thinking that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be."

Planet of the Apes is directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and adapted to screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling from the 1963 Pierre Boulle novel La planete des singes. It stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and Leon Shamroy is the cinematographer.

The year is 3978 A.D. A spaceship and its crew crash down on a distant planet. Three astronauts survive the cras. They appear to be on a planet not unlike Earth. But soon they come to realize that this planet is ruled by intelligent apes, and the human beings are the lesser species — mute and not intelligent.
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It was a tough sell to studios back in the 1960s, not only because the premise that formed Pierre Boulle's novel was a tricky one, but also because of the technical aspects, the cost.

Alll this caused the studio executives to back away from producer Arthur P. Jacobs and beefcake actor Charlton Heston. Eventually Dick Zanuck over at Fox nervously agreed to make it, as long as significant tests ensured that a cinematic farce would not follow.

After coming up witj $50,000 for John Chambers to develop the ape make-up and masks, and a successful test run acted out by Edward G. Robinson as Dr Zaius opposite Heston, Planet of the Apes was given the green light.

The script went through a number of changes as Serling and Wilson tossed around ideas to improve on Boulle's page turner,

Heston himself felt that the novel as written was unfilmable, and when director Schaffner came on board, he himself went for a more primitive ape world, as opposed to the one under consideration that featured futuristic high rise buildings and super advanced technology.

What came out at the end of it all is one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.

What would follow the success of the film is well known — a number of inferior sequels, a TV series, a remake . . . and even a prequel in 2011.

Then of course there were toys, models, comics, cartoons, and T shirts. At times in the 70s it felt like there really was a Planet of the Apes — only this one was driven by commerce!

The aftermath of the original film has not done it any favors. The lines have become blurred by so much muck and tack about. It often gets forgotten just how clinically great Schaffner's movie is. If ever there was a film that deserves to be a standalone, this is the one!

The film is also full of visceral thrills, pop-culture references and unnerving photographic beauty. The former comes with the hunt sequence, where we first meet gorilla's on horses, with guns and attitude.

The latter with Shamroy's Panavision/De Luxe colour lensing of the California and Arizona locations. All this is enhanced by Goldsmith's aural pinging percussive score. And while we continue to remember some of those famous bits of dialogue, we also pick up, on each revisit to the film, those little slices of humor slotted into the story, like "Human see, human do."

Film of course hinges on Heston's central human performance, of which he delivers athletic guts and subtle nuances in equal measure.

Taylor's character arc demands repeat viewings to fully appreciate what Heston brings to the role.

All that's left to say is that Schaffner, who would win the Academy Award for Best Director two years later for Patton, pulls it all together neatly. 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)