With the premiere of Star Wars: Episode III tonight (or last night at midnight for the hardcore), an era for motion pictures comes to a close. I'm just dumb enough to be hopeful.
I think it will all turn out OK. I've read a few reviews, but mostly its just a feeling I have. I think Episode 3 will finally deliver on the promise that the prequels held, before we'd seen any of them, and that, by delivering on that promise, will redeem the first two with it.
Because E3 is the payoff, its what this whole prequel exercise was all about. I'm still of the opinion that E1 and E2 were not *bad* movies, but they did make me nervous. And I think for many, that nervous feeling made them feel like bad movies. Because they weren't up to the standards that Star Wars fans demanded from E3.
But looking back at it, how could they be? It's like expecting "The Comedy of Errors" to be as good as "King Lear". We're stuck with the material ultimately and even had Lucas (wisely) eliminated Jar Jar entirely, E1 would still be short on drama and long on setup. Which is OK if you know that Episode 3 will deliver, but makes you nervous if you don't.
Episode 2 was a major advance, with far less troubles and only a few seriously annoying sections. (Yes, of course you know what I'm talking about. The pear, rolling down the hill, the sand speech. Pretty much anytime Portman and Christiansen are on screen alone. Why do the Han and Leia scenes work so much better? Why can't he manage what is really a pretty straightforward love story, done a million times by now?) But those are easier to take if you know the payoff is coming.
Its sort of like a comment from a great improv teacher about the difference between long form and short form improv. Short form is all about getting in and out quick and scoring big, whereas long form gives you the time to do what you need. In this way, the long form is like going on a date when you know you're going to get laid. Which means you don't have to spend time impressing or showing off or charming, you can just be yourself and enjoy it as it happens. Which is more impressive and charming in the long run. (Perhaps Chuck will wander back here and tell me who it was that made the comparison, I can't remember.)
If Episode 3 can deliver, then watching the first two will be that much easier. Because, in the end, you know it will all be worth it.
---
While I'm on the topic, if any of you start to go into withdrawal, I've got a recommendation to carry you through. Firefly is a show I was just introduced to by Lenny. I was ready to be bored. Typically modern sci-fi series bore me (and yes, apologies all around but the last three Star Trek series very much apply). The only exception in recent memory is the SciFi channel adaptations of Dune, but to call that modern is a bit of a stretch.
And yes, Andy, to be fair, FireFly is much more in the tradition of Star Wars than Star Trek, which is to say much bigger on action adventure than science fiction in the original sense of the word. Its ultimately a space western, like many before it, and doesn't have that much to offer that is ultimately different. The best thing I can say is just that it is very well done.
Written and Produced (and ocassionally directed) by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, it has very good character depth and dialogue. He's created an interesting future, marked by space colonisation (thus the western frontier motif). It is also a future in which Chinese influence is notably as strong as Western, which Whedon uses inventively to allow frequent cursing (in Chinese). It is a little disturbing that given this influence there are no primarily Asian characters of the 9 (!) fully developed main characters in the show. But Whedon gets credit anyway for recognizing the power of the acending Chinese culture (and you've already been warned in this space to start learning the language now).
Perhaps most striking about the show thus far is that it isn't driven by a classic good vs. evil struggle. The Empire has already won, and the captain of Serenity (their firefly class spaceship) was on the losing side. He doesn't much mind, as the Empire (here called the Alliance) is just another problem to be avoided. The characters here (on ship and off) are just trying to get by. While there is a hint of a larger struggle involving their two stowaways, it rarely takes over. And the characters here aren't always virtuous or good or even nice. Often, you see the characters banding together because, well, this is the frontier and you're better off part of a group than on your own. Which doesn't mean that you won't bail if a better opportunity comes along. Its all part of the deal.
The show wasn't really given a chance when it was first broadcast by FOX. As yet another in a long line of excellent programs doomed to failure Fridays at 10 (sharing that doomed slot with another of my favorites, Millennium) it was cancelled after only 11 episodes, despite great fan complaint.
"WHAT!?" you say. "You're trying to suck me into another show that's already canceled but this one only has 14 episodes?" Well, yes. But this one has a slightly good ending, in that all the fan requests have allowed Whedon to get the money to make a Firefly movie. "Serenity" is actually already finished, but its release has been held until September to avoid the suicidal attempt to compete with Episode 3. While I suspect that a motion picture means it will be difficult for them to avoid upping the ante (and letting the Simon and River subplot take center stage), it should still be worth watching. And with luck, perhaps they can maintain the quality and maybe get enough to get back on air or make a sequel. In any case, if you get the chance try to watch a few episodes or head to the movie in the fall. And I'd welcome any Star Wars reviews you'd like to offer.
Notes:
Whedon has also created a comic to bridge the gap between the tv series and the movie. Originally the story was designed to be animated feature (a la The Animatrix), but Universal backed out on funding. Published by Dark Horse it should be available June 6th.
Liz Allen said it.
"[Longform] is the date on which you KNOW you're going to get laid. No worry, no fuss, it's going to happen. That means you can just sit back and enjoy each moment of it. You already know what's going to happen in the end, so there is less pressure and more build up to what you KNOW is going to be awesome. Shortform, on the other hand, is like a one night stand. It is fast paced, rocky, and somewhere along the way you lose your sock."
"and yes, apologies all around but the last three Star Trek series very much apply"
(my best Picard imitation) "Agreed."
Enterprise finally started to be good in the last few episodes. Certainly no where near the TNG level, but it was finally getting close. Do they really have to wait until their show is cancelled to write the good stuff?
I might take some flak for this from you Star Wars fans out there, but Nemesis might as well have been a Star Wars IMO. Gah!
I've been trying to compile a list of movies that I can think of as real, mature sci-fi that were also good (good = I liked it), and sadly, my list is mighty mighty short.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Momento
The Matrix
Contact
A Clockwork Orange
2001: A space Oddesy
Marginal:
Blade Runner
Planet of the Apes (original)
I think it helps show why people who don't read sci-fi (and can't tell the difference between sci-fi, fantasy, and horror) have such a low opinion of it.
Also, I'm sick of the release of the last Star Wars as another opportunity for sad little fanboys to proclaim how much better Star Wars obviously is than Star Trek. Great! Now tell me how much better Kool-Aide is than Tang.
Also, Star Trek DS9 deserves more respect than it gets. People that saw it occasionally have no idea. It's its own fault for having so intricate a story that requires continual viewing... for 7 seasons, but it's a big payoff for regular fans. I can prove this someday when I have a spare $650 to buy the series and force people to watch it (I already own the Clockwork Orangesque strappy chairs with eyelid clamps, so I'm not including that in the cost of reeducation).
And yes, I understand that there is a mild amount of contradiction between this post and my previous post. Here. Have your money back.
And,
I do want to see Firefly. I caught the pilot and liked it, then missed the rest. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite anime series (please note, I only have about 3 favorite anime series, don't hate me) Outlaw Star. Incidentally, I do own that, so if anyone wants to come over and watch it we'll have a marathon. I promise, only limited use of the Clockwork Orange chairs.
Its a good thing I don't charge per comment...
Just to make the case worse for you, I'd say Memento doesn't belong on that list. Despite its similarity to Eternal Sunshine (which is a fantastic movie that definitely does belong) its real nature is that of a pyschological thriller rather than science fiction.
We've already done this and both decided the other was full of crap, but just because it was so much fun the last time, I'll add a few.
--Twelve Monkeys and Brazil (perhaps these fail the "good" test for you, but I think they fit the mature one)
--Delicatessan and City of Lost Children (overlooked or just French?)
--The Abyss (I've included this here to discuss why it doesn't belong. Which is to say, just cause it has aliens doesn't mean its sci-fi. I think this is a reversal on my part. I still like it though)
--Gattaca (not convinced but could be)
Sci-fi is a large nebulous genre and people have different definitions. Momento happens to fit in my definition because, central to the story, is a medical disorder which is reasonably well understood scientifically, not so much because it is technology based. I admit, a grey area. If someone else disagrees, as you do, I don't really think I have the intelluctual ammunition to make a serious attempt to change their mind. I think I would not have included it if the story was not absolutely dependent on the mental disorder of the main character, or if it was a mental disorder with no history of scientific study. I probably could have thrown in Awakenings under these criteria, even more so really. But then how do I draw a division between medical drama and sci-fi? I'll have to think on that. It's very important for the future of Western Civilization. This may be a case where the relatively new term "speculative fiction" which I have been actively avoiding, may actually prove it's worth. I think it would include Momento, exclude Awakenings, include the Treks, not include the Wars... here, let's let 50 some odd other poeple define sci-fi...
http://www.panix.com/~gokce/sf_defn.html
Twelve Monkeys, Brazil, Delicatessan, and City of Lost Children all fail the Andy-has-seen-them test. All right, go ahead, judge me.
The Abyss, the physics was too bad to take seriously. It's mainly the part with the aliens that gets me. I'd also forgotten about it's existance.
http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/
Gattaca, the first half, that I saw was okay. The second half fails the afore mentioned Andy-has-seen-it test.
Had this conversation before? Yes, now that you mention it, I seem to remember it now. Sigh. I'm senile already. It must have been the Talk of the Nation yesterday(?) where they were lumping every fantasy/horror and space opera phenom into the category of sci-fi that caused me such fury that I forgot the previous hashing out of this topic.
Also, I may have been unduelly harsh to leave out the fisrt and third Back to the Future movies. Time travel, even in a Delorean, is a perfectly acceptable sci-fi device.
Which is what makes The Abyss a fantasy movie rather than sci-fi, despite the aliens. Similar to the distinction I think you'd draw that Alien is a horror movie, despite the alien, and Aliens is an action-adventure movie, despite the aliens.
I've been through his arguments on The Abyss and I personally think they're pretty crappy. For the most part it comes down to: The things the aliens do are so unrealistic! Yeah, and? Its a fantasy movie. BFD. If seeing problems with Boyle's law are really that upsetting, its time to find some new hobbies. (This is coming from a physics graduate.) I'm OK with most of his generic complaints, but his biggest complaint seems to be that action movies exist, which seems bizaare as they are the most popular genre there is. So if he just doesn't like action movies, he should say so instead of wasting time on the pretense of defending science.
The Gilliam and Jeunet et Caro films above should all be viewed. I have at least a couple of them.
Not really with you on the medical distinction. I think the case would be better if it was a fictional disease that was *not* studied by modern science. Even then, though, still iffy to me.
A society that creates a device to cause people to lose their short-term memory? Then I'm with you. Just some guy with a disease? Nope.