Science Fiction

The New Conan Movie Splash or Flop?

8/21/2011
Eilene Rogers

The new Conan the Barbarian did not make the big splash at the box office the film makers were hoping for.

For women, putting a muscle bound man with pretty blue eyes in a loin cloth is a win/win situation. Maybe the true action fans, men, did not agree.

According to the results on Box Office Mojo” the movie took in only $3,650,000 opening night coming in fourth place at the box office behind Spy Kids: All The Time In The World at third, Rise of The Planet of The Apes in second and The Help in first place.

Super 8

6/12/2011

This past weekend marked the release of writer-producer-director J.J. Abrams' latest sci-fi thriller, Super 8, but the real mystery that will be puzzling audiences is "Wtf was that thing at the end?"

With all the buzz surrounding Super 8, it's easy to get caught up with the mysterious trailers and high expectations, following Abrams' previous works such as, Lost, Cloverfield, and Star Trek. But for those who wind up a little disappointed (kinda like I was), we must ask ourselves if we could have expected anything different from a J.J. Abrams film.

Inception

7/18/2010
My Nguyen
A review of Christopher Nolan's science fiction action film

Talking about your dreams is something you do when you have nothing else to say, and it usually is that conversation stopper of no-return. Inception, which premiered Friday night nationwide, manages to talk about not only about one dream with great success, but it manages to pull off dreams within dreams within dreams within the context of the film.

Reviewer Rating: 
5.00Stars

Pandorum

10/16/2009
Andy Mac Laughlin
German/ American collaboration falls short on all parts of the scorecard.

Pandorum is a German/ American collaborative effort, written by Travis Milloy and directed by Christian Alvart. Science fiction magazine SFX called it "The finest interstellar horror in years", but other critics however, have been much more realistic in their judgements.

Reviewer Rating: 
2.00Stars

District 9

9/30/2009
Andy Mac Laughlin
Neill Blomkamp's feature debut raises uncomfortable questions for all societies (not just apartheid era South Africa)

Neill Blomkamp's District 9 was the subject of some fairly heavy duty viral marketing prior to its release. Sony Pictures "Humans Only" campaign that aped the segregational signs seen in the film (complete with toll-free numbers to report alien activity) succeeded in piqueing the interest of cinema-goers by providing clues to its alternate reality. With a US opening weekend that saw it ranked number 1, grossing just under $37.5 million, and worldwide takings of $127 million as of last Sunday, the response to pre-release marketing must be satisfying for those involved.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

District 9

8/29/2009
Tom Helberg
Whether or not the film goes down as a sci-fi classic is irrelevant, because the movie is wholly original and highly entertaining.

When was the last time you left a movie theater actually thinking?

For me, it was probably the last good sci-fi film of the summer, "Moon," but even that film didn't give me as much to chew on as "District 9." Albeit, the social commentary was thinly veiled, but the film had important things to say about how humans treat others we don't fully understand.

An alien race is forced to live on earth for over two decades in slum conditions when their ship breaks down over Johannesburg.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

District 9

8/23/2009
Jennifer Chan
A massive relocation of aliens stranded on Earth leads to one man's worst nightmare.

District 9 is a science fiction film based on a 2005 short film, called "Alive in Joburg." Directed by Neill Blomkamp, the film throws its audiences of track. At first glance, most people would be expecting a film about aliens and the usual alien story. However, the story goes down a completely different path which makes the film the kind you either love or hate.

The film begins as what looks like a documentary, which makes viewers confused to begin with. At first there is little explanation as to how the aliens arrived on earth or why they even came at all.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars

District 9

8/23/2009
Yong Lee
A large-scale summer alien movie attempts to do more.


It's a world not far removed, a place where an unwanted alien presence mimics the plights found here at home. In the imagined world of "District 9," producer Peter Jackson and unheralded director Neill Blomkamp offer a challenge to both the senses and judgments, leaving viewers with shaky footing on an unsettling moral landscape.

It's surprising to note the level of mystery that surrounds this film, but not knowing what to expect only makes for a starker experience.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.50Stars

Alien Trespass

8/22/2009
Lindsey Weedston
A loving homage to '50s science fiction films, and a great example of how bad it was.


If you've seen every 1950s sci-fi movie, you can skip the summary of this film. Let's just say it was "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with the monster from "The Thing From Another World" and the ending from "It Came From Outer Space."

"Alien Trespass" is about the alien Urp who takes over the body (or "body snatches") astronomer Ted Lewis when he goes to investigate a meteor that turns out to be a flying saucer.

Reviewer Rating: 
2.00Stars

District 9

8/22/2009
Ted Simmons
A thought-provoking and action-packed science fiction flick.


There are films that declare themselves profound examples of society and urge every person with eyes to feast on their glorious portrayal. And then there are those films that let their merit speak for themselves; they don't tell you what to think, or even what you're in store for, they simply construct a world on the screen and let you make the conclusions yourself. This latter category is what makes cinema so enrapturing, and what makes "District 9" one of the best science-fiction movies of the decade.

Reviewer Rating: 
4.00Stars
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