ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Today it’s aliens and outer space all the way!

We’ve got an alien who hunts humans, other aliens who impant embryos in our bodies, and aliens who destroy the world to save the whales!

Sci-fi is like a box chocolates. You never know what your gonna get!

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Predator (1987)

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_________________ Predator (1987) - Trailer


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At first glance, this film seems derivative of a few other sf/horror films of that decade — The Thing (the alien ship arriving in Earth's orbit), Aliens (1986), and with a bit of Rambo First Blood part 2 (1985) thrown in.

But it's actually an action sf film which is more than the sum of its parts and began the efficient & entertaining output from director McTiernan which continued with Die Hard (1988).

The plot concerns a group of mercenaries led by Dutch (Schwarzenegger, and including Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham and Shane Black) hired to bring a bigwig out of the jungle. They are joined by a CIA operative (Carl Weathers) who is also an old friend of Dutch.

The mission turns out to be bogus, but it's completed satisfactorily anyway. The problem begins in the team's efforts to get out — getting out of this particular jungle turns out to be next to impossible because the group is targeted by an alien hunter (7'2" Kevin Peter Hall).

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This story was filmed in a real Mexican jungle, so the location is one of the film's strengths. As the film unreels, we note more and more how the jungle surrounds our protagonists, closing them in, hemming them in, even stalking them.

The film also works very well in the first half — it's not the dull wait for the action to begin as with many such films. There's a load of suspense as we're dropped hints, given glimpses, and presented with a faint sense of dread, mostly through Landham's mystical Indian character, who senses that something isn't right, that something is out there.

Of course, in a film such as this, the worst fears are realized. Some of this is standard — the mercs being knocked off one-by-one — but this also set new standards. It's now the killer-in-the-jungle movie to beat. The action revs up for a basic mano-a-mano alien finale between Arnold and the Predator.

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The other distinction to the film is the visualization of the alien predator itself — whether it's camouflaged or moving in its own inhuman fashion, it's a bravura presentation of a nearly invincible adversary — and definitely alien. It's no surprise that this spawned a franchise.

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Predator Trivia: The first sequel was in 1990, moving the location to a near-future L.A..

~ Arnold did not return and the new hero was played by Danny Glover.

~ Afterward, there were the Alien crossover films, in 2004 and 2007. Finally, the next sequel, Predators, in 2010.

BoG's Score:8 out of 10



BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Aliens (1986)

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______________ Official Trailer: Aliens (1986)

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Cameron seems to have a knack for releasing shorter, less-satisfying versions of his films to theaters and then selling (not giving) the longer versions to the home market. He escaped this paradigm with Titanic, of course.

The 'full-length' version of ALIENS is more satisfying, more complete.



Ripley (Weaver) wakes up several decades after the events of ALIEN1979) but has been (it seems) permanently traumatized; she's tough, but she's also human; the nightmares won't go away. To add salt to the wound, the corporation which contracted her does not believe her version of the events; her career is derailed. All she has left is her cat. Then, contact is lost with a small colony which has been set up on the planet where Ripley's deceased crew had first found all those alien eggs...

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The easiest, most apparent effect this has on a viewer is the adrenaline charge. I still remember exiting the theater over 20 years ago after watching it a second time with a couple of friends. This was our 2nd viewing and we were still amped up afterward. I'm not sure any other film ever gave me such a thrill, on such a primal level (this is on a huge screen, remember). Most films these days are, by contrast, mind-numbing - they wear me down, not pump me up. I think this has to do with the characters in ALIENS; they're all well-drawn, even the minor ones, and you care what happens next. And, what a cast, huh?

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Excellent performances by all, topped by Weaver in her 2nd go-around as tough-getting-tougher Ripley. Oh, and, many grunts agree (I think) that Alien 3 was something...of...a letdown. I call it the bad dream. Hey, waitaminnit... what happened to Spunkmeyer above?





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BoG's Score: 9 out of 10



BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

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_____________ Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home


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This was the concluding ark to Star Trek's trilogy of films two, three, and four, as well as Nimoy's follow-up directing job after The Search For Spock (1984). This 4th Trek film has the surface appearance of being rather simplistic and lightweight.

But, against the odds, it succeeds, probably because all of the scenes in the film are pitch perfect — that nearly-perfect balance of humor, action, and science fiction fancy; Nimoy learned his lessons well while directing the 3rd Trek film.



Again, on the surface, the story seems to be a simple union of the overused time travel angle, coupled with an environmental message. But because the messengers are the seven well-known characters of the Trek canon — all here given a chance to shine as never before — there's much more enjoyment to be found throughout than we could have ever expected.

Admittedly, all this might appeal more to long-time Trekkers, those who grew to really like these characters. And yet, this Trek film was the best box office among all the Trek films (until the revamp in 2009), reaching an audience outside the usual fan base.




All the actors had been in these roles for many years by this point and they each knew how to make the most of it, including the ones playing Scotty, Sulu, Chekov and Uhura, usually relegated to one-note scenes regarding ship's functions.

Here, they get to fully participate in a grand Trek adventure, full partners with the main trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I think this is what made the film so popular — filmgoers were pleasantly surprised to see the old characters finally used to their full potential. Oh, and besides returning Spock's father, Sarek, they even let Spock's mother (Jane Wyatt) return briefly. Talk about grand reunions (they last appeared together in the episode Journey to Babel).

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The only thing missing, of course, is the Enterprise — our Trekking castaways get around in a commandeered Klingon 'Bird of Prey' ship.

In the plot, things begin with a huge mysterious probe which approaches Earth and knocks out all power as it sends a signal into the oceans, requiring an answer. I had some misgivings when I first saw this in the theaters back in '86 — it seemed too similar to the first Trek film (shades of V'Ger!) and did not bode well.

But, luckily, the story veers onto a different tack after this first act. Our heroes are on their way back to Earth as well, ready to answer charges for breaking several Starfleet rules and regs in the previous film.

Suddenly this turns out to be the least of their problems as they're placed in the position of saving their planet once again. Instead of attacking the probe head-on, which would probably be a useless attempt, they deduce that their best option is to travel back to Earth's 20th century. And the audience is along for the ride — watching these greats work their magic, watching them solve all manner of dilemmas and accompanying these living legends on their tour of present-day (the eighties) San Francisco.

It's wish fulfillment, it's a crowd-pleaser, it's high concept sci-fi done with a wink and a cheer.




Some might argue that this film simply retreads familiar ground, namely the original time travel episodes Tomorrow is Yesterday and Assignment:Earth, but all the scenes in our present time work great.

My personal favorite is the scene where Scotty & McCoy meet with a Plexiglas manufacturer and their introduction to him of transparent aluminum. It's directed perfectly, with Scotty at first appearing out of place, but soon showing he was in control of the situation the whole time — it may be Doohan's finest moment in the Trek film series.

Running a close second is Chekov's interrogation scene; it should have been stupid but, somehow, director Nimoy and actor Koenig made it hysterical. There are numerous others — Kirk's bit with his eyeglasses, Spock's conversation with the whales and his struggle with present-day profanity in speech, and the entire sequence in the hospital — it's all smoothly integrated into the overall playful adventure.




In addition, there's a couple of small asides involving time paradoxes. These are almost throwaways and indicate the involvement of Nicholas Meyer (as far as the writing), who had directed Time After Time, which this film resembles in some ways. Time travel movies tend to be fun; Back to the Future was released the year before this Trek film.

Catherine Hicks was cute, spunky, and very likable as the present-day lady whom Kirk & Spock befriend. We even encounter some genuine suspense in the race against time near the climax.





Yes, maybe it is a bit all lightweight in the end but, as the concluding chapter of a trilogy, it gave us the satisfaction of tying things up neatly - with Spock and his father, with the fate of our beloved crew and the promise of yet another new beginning.

BoG's Score: 8 out of 10

But, uh-oh, next was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, in 1989.




~ This footage was only shown in theaters in a couple of countries outside the USA.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Introduction


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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)