Category Archives: Acceptable Sci-Fi

2014, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Love Story, Nothing special, Pseudo Utopia, Psychological Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thought provoking

The Giver (2014)

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From Netflix:

In a future society called The Community, pain, war and disease have been eradicated, as have individuality and free will. When a teenager named Jonas learns the truth about the real world, he must decide whether to reveal all or remain quiet.

Let’s have three cheers for population mind control!

Good visuals, clever use of color, and a few thought-provoking ideas make this sci-fi film watchable.

Jeff Bridges is the Giver and looks a lot like Jeff Bridges. Meryl Streep’s appearance is appropriate and not what she usually looks like. We can suppose that neither of these two well-know actors would appear in a film that was not in some way worthwhile (unless they really needed the money).

Don’t forget “Logan’s Run”, “Brave New World”, “THX 1138”, “Fahrenheit 451” and other similar pseudo-utopian presentations.

‘Nuff said!

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Clever Plot, Corny at times, Good digital effects, Mayhem, Military, Nasty Aliens, Violent, War

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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From Netflix:

As Earth fights an alien invasion, Lt. Col. Bill Cage is killed in action, and a time loop forces him to continually relive his last day. With each iteration, Cage’s skill grows, as does his understanding of the enemy and how it operates.

Are you ready for 113 minutes of Tom Cruise fighting invading aliens? Those 113 minutes might seem long because he keeps getting killed and then repeating his life from his entry into the war against the aliens. He does this at least 300 times. But fear not, only the first rebirth seems repetitious and the film moves briskly, albeit with some unexpected failures along the way. Needless to say this is a violent film consisting mostly of shooting aliens with really big machine guns.

Cruise’s character Cage is accompanied by another re-liver Rita (played by Emily Blunt of “The Devil Wears Prada” fame). Don’t expect a great love affair from old stone face. In all fairness this is Cruise’s kind of film: lots of action, no need to emote.

Acceptable for children who can take the violence. Clever eye candy suitable for an idle moment.

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Digital Effects, Ethical struggles, Fantasy, Good digital effects, Nothing special, Psychic Phenomena, Sci-Fi, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Thought provoking

Trancendence (2014)

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From Netflix:

A husband and wife team of computer scientists work to advance artificial intelligence as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.

Two hours of digital effects plus some possibly thought-provoking discussions are more or less the content of this not especially important sci-fi film.

As for actors you might recognize Johnny Deep, Paul Bettany (the priest in “Priest”), Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow in “The Dark Knight Rises”), Kate Mara (Zoe Barnes in “House of Cards”), and Morgen Freeman.

In case the plot is not abundantly clear you can always read the Wikipedia summary.

Long and only so-so.

2003, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Adventure, B-movie, Based on true facts, Corny, Hundred Years' War, Military, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Timeline (2003)

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From Netflix:

In the near future, when a technology corporation has created a method for traveling into the past, a history professor gets trapped in 1357 France, prompting his students and son to travel back in time and face untold perils to rescue him.

In yet another B-movie 30-year-old Paul Walker and 34-year-old Gerard Butler get to travel back to France during the Hundred Years’ War. (Old films certainly show us how quickly we age.) Who knows how historically accurate the life of that era is portrayed? At any rate this is NOT a film to be taken seriously. Just in case you don’t remember intimately the details of the Hundred Years’ War, you can always read the Wikipedia account from which the following quote is taken:

The Hundred Years’ War, a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453, pitted the Kingdom of England against the Valois Capetians for control of the French throne. Each side drew many allies into the fighting.

The war had its roots in a dynastic disagreement dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066 while retaining possession of the Duchy of Normandy in France. As the rulers of Normandy and other lands on the continent, the English kings owed feudal homage to the King of France. In 1337, Edward III of England refused to pay homage to Philip VI of France, leading the French King to claim confiscation of Edward’s lands in Aquitaine.

Edward responded by declaring himself to be the rightful King of France rather than Philip, a claim dating to 1328 when Edward’s uncle, Charles IV of France, died without a direct male heir. Edward was the closest male relative of the dead king, as son of Isabella of France who was a daughter of Philip IV of France and a sister of Charles IV. But instead, the dead king’s cousin, Philip VI, the son of Philip IV’s younger brother, Charles, Count of Valois, had become King of France in accordance with Salic law, which disqualified the succession of males descended through female lines. The question of legal succession to the French crown was central to the war over generations of English and French claimants.

As far as this B-film none of that matters. Just grab some popcorn and chill out with the on-screen corn.

2013, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Science, Astronauts, Good digital effects, Psychological Drama, Suspense

Gravity (2013)

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From Netflix:

As a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission embarks on a space walk with a seasoned astronaut, debris strikes their craft and destroys it — leaving the two floating through space tethered together, with no connection to Earth.

After watching Sandra Bullock spin weightlessly in space while I was clutching my seat with white knuckles and cringing, I have definitely decided that I do NOT want to be an astronaut.

As Wikipedia explains, it took three years to make this film. There are even films about the making of “Gravity”.

For the most part this is a visual adventure best seen with a large screen. Equally important are Bullock’s emotions: panic, steely determination, despair, and some elation. Early on we learn that she has cut herself off from feelings when her little girl was killed in an auto accident.

George Clooney plays a role that is secondary to that of Sandra Bullock. Rather than any special acting ability, it is putting ourselves in her place that makes the film so harrowing.

Possibly not for everyone, but definitely a cinematic achievement.

2013, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Good digital effects, Mediocre, Nothing special, Violent

Oblivion (2013)

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From Netflix:

High above a war-torn future Earth, Cmdr. Jack Harper is maintaining the planet’s defensive drones when a crippled starship enters his territory. Its sole occupant, a mysterious woman, leads Harper to shocking truths about humankind’s legacy.

Good digital graphics, plausible plot and the usual really bad guy (a machine named TET) versus some nice survivors make this nothing-special sci-fi film bearable. Fortunately Tom Cruise does not try to act, pulling instead that old trick of keeping a perfectly straight face and letting you supply appropriate emotions on his behalf.

If the ending confuses you, you might try believing the plot description in Wikepedia.

If you have nothing better to do, then the adventure may not be a total loss.