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Probably my single greatest disappointment as a sci-fi fan (in fact, a total sci-fi nerd) was this:
I'm a huge fan of a lot of Cameron's previous work. I loved the first two Terminator films; some of my all-time favorites. Loved ALIENS. I even loved THE ABYSS. TRUE LIES is one of the greatest action movies ever made.
But AVATAR was an almost total waste of time. Never mind the fact that it was basically FERN GULLY with machine guns (a completely un-original idea), but even for a science fiction movie it showed a remarkable lack of imagination and abundance of illogic.
The absolute silliest part: The wheel chair. So mankind has conquered the stars and even has technology allowing a total transfer of consciousness into another body. But people are still in wheelchairs. And not even futuristic Charles Xavieresque floaty wheelchairs. But plain old 20th century wheelchairs.
I really hope Cameron gets his mojo back, because on AVATAR he was asleep at the wheel.
"But AVATAR was an almost total waste of time. Never mind the fact that it was basically FERN GULLY with machine guns (a completely un-original idea), but even for a science fiction movie it showed a remarkable lack of imagination and abundance of illogic."
Bingo. Fern Gully and an intro to Pern, slathered in eco-nonsence.
"But AVATAR was an almost total waste of time. Never mind the fact that it was basically FERN GULLY with machine guns (a completely un-original idea), but even for a science fiction movie it showed a remarkable lack of imagination and abundance of illogic."
Bingo. Fern Gully and an intro to Pern, slathered in eco-nonsence.
An intro to Learn? How so? I don't see MacAffery any where in Avatar. Pandora/Pern? Invading , militarized mining corp, vs lost colonists? Im , no doubt, missing something key. And its fun to try and dissect. As to an earlier comment about the tech in Avatar, I'm sorta seeing that as well.
Still using brass cased projectile weapons? At least let's examine caseless, if not plasma. The tech in Aliens was similar, and at least their weapons had gone caseless. No spent brass flying is less dramatic I guess, but plasma impacts are mega cool..lol.
Lets gripe about them here. I will name a few, starting with my all time #1 disappointment in life...
PROMETHEUS
That advertisement with the alarm going off in the background and clips from the movie showing the deteriorating situation was one of the best advertisements I have ever seen. If advertisements could win academy awards, it would have broken records. And hell, how could anyone not be excited about the prequel to ALIEN when we get to see the space jockeys and their relationship to the alien?
What we got was a standard alien-monster-attacks-crew space opera punctuated by mumbo jumbo and some of the most aggressively stupid characters ever written for a film. If you are going to make a film with the ALIEN formula, then you should at least have a good alien. The Octopus, the snake...all crappy and uncompelling.
And here is a tip for the writers: INTERNAL LOGIC. The more outlandish the movie, the more it should have. Why do was have a robot character that is given to not have emotions acting aggressively and spitefully? Why do was have biologists who think that unknown alien snakes are cute and should be handled?
This entire movie was familiar, cheap, underwritten, and stupid.
MATRIX RELOADED
I will be blunt that I was not the fan of the original that many were. I hate Keanu Reeves, thought that the spinning camera gimmick was silly and pointless, and was not terribly impressed by the stoner-hipster philosophy of the world that we see not being the real one, since I had already read Plato was thus quite familiar with the concept. All of that being said, it was passible entertainment with style, and figured that I would give #2 a shot, hoping that the series would really take off.
You can imagine my disappointment (or perhaps experienced it yourself) when I got a interminably long fiasco filled with sweaty people dancing for a very long time, an overly complicated plot that I did not care about, and Monica Belluci bitching that she wanted to be loved (yeah, just give me a call, baby).
And the plot of the film...a lot of the action being in the dirty, dingy real world, worked against the slickness that was the hallmark of the first.
Oh, and Keanu Reeves sucked worse than ever.
Never did see part three. No idea how it all finished up.
INCEPTION
Kind of a neat idea, and there was good stuff in it. I occasionally get in a raging debate or two about whether the spinning top meant that he never really returned. But it was just too damn long. Too many levels...TOO LONG! I don't think this movie is as foul as the others on the list, it is just that it was very greatly hyped and I got tired of watching empty special effects after awhile.
MINORITY REPORT
Completely preposterous plot (which matters in a film set something like the real world) and the most overrated special effects I have ever seen. They weren't bad, but I remember people raving about them as if they were going to revolutionize the movie industry in the same vein as STAR WARS. They seemed to me to be fairly pedantic special effects.
The plot was a complete silly, impossible throw way, and whatever Steven Spielberg was trying to say about the human condition was completely lost. All of these years later, the film is mostly forgotten.
Oh, and Tom Cruise if a four foot tall, brick stupid, vaguely feminine Scientologist spastic who would not be the best actor in the local school play (in my humble opinion). I don't understand why this guy is constantly pushed as an action hero when every adult male in the audience is sitting there thinking "there is no doubt in my mind that I could take this guy in a fight."
Well, there are mine. Y'all agree? Disagree? Would you be so kind as to add a few or your own, or some commentary to mine?
Matrix reloaded was a very silly movie. It served no purpose but telling neo that he is not actually the one. The biggest problem with matrix reloaded was its media advirtisment blitz from drinks to video games. The biggest let down was the cliffhanger ending.
Prometheus was also a very silly movie. Way over hyped. Its interesting setting a movie in the Alien universe again with a back story, but Prometheus takes the cake of being a very dull and boring movie. The movie goes downhill after the guy gets burned by Charlize Theron.
Inception was is still a great movie.
Minority Report is also a great movie, its one of the best science fiction movies out there and is up there with movies like Blade Runner. Minority Report is also philosophic and has themes of fate vs determinism, slavery, rights and freedom, controland etc. Minority Report is also very real because we are closely living it today with constant surveillance by authorities as well as technologies such as Leap and Microsoft Kinect. Like Blade Runner, Minority Report stated out as a book by PKD and like Blade Runner became a movie. Like Blade Runner, Minority Report also had a sucky happy ending.
Minority Report is also a great movie, its one of the best science fiction movies out there and is up there with movies like Blade Runner. Minority Report is also philosophic and has themes of fate vs determinism, slavery, rights and freedom, controland etc. Minority Report is also very real because we are closely living it today with constant surveillance by authorities as well as technologies such as Leap and Microsoft Kinect. Like Blade Runner, Minority Report stated out as a book by PKD and like Blade Runner became a movie. Like Blade Runner, Minority Report also had a sucky happy ending.
You had me in full and complete agreement up until the last sentence.
Blade Runner's original "happy ending" was mandated by the studio. The filmmakers hated it. It is cut from all subsequent versions of the film.
Minority Report's kinda/sorta "happy ending" was warranted, but less clear cut. The new TV series supposedly is more of a sequel than a remake.
I liked District 9, but I didn't love it. It was over-hyped. A good movie, but not a great one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ashpelham
Worst sci fi film? Yeah, that first Star Wars, Ep 1 stunk it up. DID NOT care for the other Tom Cruise sci fi flick, Oblivion.
No. Episode I isn't even the worst Star Wars film. Episode I is a faaaaaaaaaaaaar better movie than Episode II. And if it hadn't been for the Luke/Vader scenes, it would be as good as Return of the Jedi.
An intro to Learn? How so? I don't see MacAffery any where in Avatar. Pandora/Pern? Invading , militarized mining corp, vs lost colonists? Im , no doubt, missing something key. And its fun to try and dissect. As to an earlier comment about the tech in Avatar, I'm sorta seeing that as well.
Still using brass cased projectile weapons? At least let's examine caseless, if not plasma. The tech in Aliens was similar, and at least their weapons had gone caseless. No spent brass flying is less dramatic I guess, but plasma impacts are mega cool..lol.
The mounted flying dragon culture, which goes on ad nausium on Pern. If you read the Pern series back to back over the course of a couple weeks, you'll hope to never read about another dragon for the rest of your life.
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As to an earlier comment about the tech in Avatar, I'm sorta seeing that as well.
