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EmprKarr
Reviews
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Stop going, especially when it's not boldly.
This film was a disappointment of galactic proportions. Easily the second-worst Trek film, with Insurrection only marginally beating it out for that dubious honor, Nemesis is the final culmination of all that is wrong with Trek today. If you needed proof that Rick Berman is the worst thing to happen to science fiction since the remake of King Kong, look no further...but if you're a fan of classic Trek and even the Next Generation (when it was still worth being a fan of it), you probably already know that.
This film was incredibly *underwhelming*, poorly executed, terribly scored (the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith this time has sunk to cracking out second-rate Casio keyboards), poor acting, the worst villain in the ten Trek films (no motivation is given as to why he wants to destroy Earth, and not Romulus, other than convenience for dramatic effect), terrible cinematography (the "Remans live in darkness" point appears to have been written for no other reason than to save on production budget by dimly lighting undetailed sets), and a host of other problems. Avoid this film, it's surely the worst sci-fi film of the year and one of the worst I've seen in some time.
It's time to retire the Enterprise...and given the poor gross of this film already, that seems likely.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Stop going, especially when it's not boldly.
This film was a disappointment of galactic proportions. Easily the second-worst Trek film, with Insurrection only marginally beating it out for that dubious honor, Nemesis is the final culmination of all that is wrong with Trek today. If you needed proof that Rick Berman is the worst thing to happen to science fiction since the remake of King Kong, look no further...but if you're a fan of classic Trek and even the Next Generation (when it was still worth being a fan of it), you probably already know that.
This film was incredibly *underwhelming*, poorly executed, terribly scored (the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith this time has sunk to cracking out second-rate Casio keyboards), poor acting, the worst villain in the ten Trek films (no motivation is given as to why he wants to destroy Earth, and not Romulus, other than convenience for dramatic effect), terrible cinematography (the "Remans live in darkness" point appears to have been written for no other reason than to save on production budget by dimly lighting undetailed sets), and a host of other problems. Avoid this film, it's surely the worst sci-fi film of the year and one of the worst I've seen in some time.
It's time to retire the Enterprise...and given the poor gross of this film already, that seems likely.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
This is it!
have to say, I was completely blown away...this totally blew Episode I out of the water within ten minutes, and, frankly, it rivals Return of the Jedi. The audience clapped as soon as the Fox logo came on, roared with cheers when the Lucasfilm logo came on, and, well, all hell broke loose when the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." came on the screen. Pure delight.
As far as the film...the best summary was what the CNN critic said: "It's dark but has wonderfully funny moments; you care about the characters; and the action and special effects are first-rate." The fight sequences, especially the final one, were amazingly intense. Lucas' directing during the lightsaber battle made beautiful use of colors, shadows, and intensity. There was also some very witty dialogue; I was particularly happy to see the C-3PO/R2-D2 banter back in full force.
Yes, some of the romantic dialogue was stilted, but I actually found most to be fine...aside from a "Sound of Music"-like moment, it was played out nicely. I was also surprised by how dark some sequences were, and how intense it was. But on the subject of reactions, if this taught me anything, it was that a lot of critics "just don't get it." They don't like the movie? Screw them. It was great. I'm not saying that because I was a fan. Two definite non-fans were with me, and they loved it. I'm saying it because it was everything I wanted it to be, and more.
But really, I was impressed with the characters...given the negativity I heard about Natalie Portman, I thought she was fine overall. I thought Hayden Christensen was great (I have to confess that I and everyone else who think he's hot, which seems to be everyone, appreciated what appeared to be a shot that George Lucas filmed to give a male equivalent of the pure eroticism of the Princess Leia metal slave bikini, LOL). Ewan McGregor was, as always, great, but it was Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Temuera Morrison who stole the show.
Wait, no. They almost stole it. It was Yoda who stole the show. The final confrontation...well...now we know why Yoda is the master. :o) The audience was literally on their feet, cheering and screaming with joy. It was incredible.
When the lights came up, just about everyone was screaming and cheering and overjoyed...definitely a great sight to see, since The Phantom Menace left a sour taste in so many people's mouths.
I loved it. Loved it loved it loved it loved it, and I can't wait to see it again tomorrow. Thank you, George Lucas. We love you.
Genesis II (1973)
Interesting, strong premise
Originally filmed as the pilot for an aborted television series, this television movie from the creator of Star Trek stands as a strong piece of entertainment on its own. It's rarely seen today; there has never been official VHS or DVD release in America, in fact.
The movie demonstrates a lot of ingenuity (the sub-shuttle and the idea of Freud as a saint come to mind). It also captures some of the magic of the original series in its themes, but presents them with a 1970s mentality. It also has some of the camp charm of the original Trek (especially in regards to the underground cave set); the futuristic city's architectural style reminds me of a better realization of the planet Deneva from the original series episode "Operation--Annihilate!" The parade of former Trek actors -- Majel Barrett (Christine Chapel), Percy Rodgriguez (Commodore Stone), Ted Cassidy (Ruk), and of course, Mariette Hartley (whose two belly buttons here is a "gotcha" to the censors, who wouldn't permit her belly button to be shown on the original Trek) is also sure to please any original series fan.
While the film occasionally lapses into weak moments (the reactions to the nuclear shockwave at the end are among the laughable moments), it is nonetheless indicative of a series with great potential. A rare find, and well worth the watch to catch a glimpse of one of a Roddenberry series that never was. (This film was remade as Planet Earth, another failed pilot, a year later.)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Phenomenal.
I'm pleased to report that the special edition does the near impossible and actually *improves* on this movie. I've seen it three times in the theater this week alone, and I cry/weep exactly the same time that I have in the likely hundreds of times I've seen the film. What a great, great movie.
The Time Machine (2002)
Hollow adpatation of a classic work
The fact that the director is the great-grandson of the author of The Time Machine, H.G. Wells (the founding father of science fiction) makes this film's tremendous deviations from the source material all the more shocking.
The opening nineteenth century sequences are gorgeous and perfectly capture the look, feel, and wonder of the time and the story's premise, and not just because some of these scenes were filmed at Vassar, where I am a student! A previous review claimed these sequences were boring or drawn out, but this is not the case. Rather, they provide some of the more intelligent moments in the film.
This intelligence, however, is short-lived. When director Wells chose to jettison theme of classism (the novel had the Morlocks as descendants of the working class and the Eloi as descendants of the capitalists) -- and replace it with a shlocky, standard romance-action story -- the wind was taken out of the sails of this classic story.
Guy Pearce turns in a strong performance as the time traveler, while the actual machine itself is a gorgeous piece of ingenuity that actually looks like a plausible piece of nineteenth century equipment. (Frankly, this prop, and the initial time travel sequence to the future, made the entire price of admission worth it, and are two of the most fully-realized items/moments in any science fiction film.)
While at its heart, the story of a nineteenth century man jumping on his Victorian era machine and blasting into the future will always be appealing no matter what the treatment, the film is ultimately devoid of feeling and purpose. A pity, because the original novel, one of the founding texts of science fiction, has yet to receive the perfect film treatment that it deserves.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Worst film I've ever seen.
I'm a film buff, I've seen hundreds of pictures, both good and bad. I used to consider "Car 54 Where Are You?" as the worst I had seen...but this horrendous movie (I will not sully the word "film" by applying it here) blew it completely out of the water.
Watching John Travolta run around with a poorly ripped-off Klingon costume from the planet Cheez Ball is painful enough, but combined with hackneyed dialogue, cinematography requiring constant squinting, and horrendous acting, this is a most excrutiating experience.
In the end of the film, the Psychlos and their entire planet are blown to bits. Unlike the audience, at least they were taken out of their misery.
Nathan Grimm (1999)
Impressive work from student filmmakers
I had the opportunity to see this film at its premiere in Great Neck, which is, not coincidentally, the hometown of the film's writer and director.
An entertaining short, the film's production values are exceptional for an "amateur" effort -- and though they spoke about the film afterwards, I still can't get over how they were able to get a considerably impressive cast to appear in their movie.
I'm sure these two are off to a good career in the film world.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Not equal to the original, but shaggadelic nonetheless!
The new Austin Powers is the most hilarious movie since...well, the original. Mike Meyers again demonstrates his unequaled talent by playing THREE roles - Austin, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard.
The film's sequences with Dr. Evil (who seems to be onscreen more than Austin himself) are, like the first, the funniest. Rob Lowe gave a performance rivaling Ewan McGregor's imitation of Alec Guiness in The Phantom Menace through his imitation of Robert Wagner. He'll probably receive no accloades for his performance, but he deserves it. Once again, Mindy Sterling is awesome as Frau Farbissina. And Will Ferell is back as Mustafa!
Unfortunately, the much-talked about Mini-Me grew very, very annoying and overplayed after a while. I want more of Mr. Bigglesworth! Some of the jokes were also WAY too re-hashed from the first one (the "shhhh" scene just isn't as funny anymore), and the product placement was nauseating. A shame that Elizabeth Hurley wasn't kept for more than her two-minute-appearance, though Heather Graham is good as Felicity Shagwell, Hurley had a real chemistry with Meyers (and is "shaggadelically" beautiful as well....)
All in all, this film was INCREDIBLY funny, but I still suggest re-watching the first to see how truly original it was.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Brilliant Start to a Timeless Saga
Critics be damned...this film is brilliant!
I'm not going to say it was 100% perfect...but it came close. It certainly exceeded my (admittedly high) expectations. Let me start by saying that there is *not* a ton of character development. Then again, this is Episode I of a six-part saga. It can't develop characters intensely...it has to introduce them. And it does a great job at that.
The effects are absolutely mind-boggling (especially the immense Senate chamber and Coruscant itself), and the John Williams score is (as always) phenomenal. The Neimoidians were a good addition - showing a different side of evil: greed - but not everyone might find the obvious reference to Japanese businessmen as funny as I did. Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Jake Lloyd (despite his detractors) were wonderful, and the quick appearances of Samuel L. Jackson and Terence Stamp and Warwick Davis were good as well, but as always the show-stealer is Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. In this film, he is not yet the Emperor, but simply the Senator from Naboo. But he has ambitions, and they begin to come to life in this film...
My favorite parts of this film were the scenes with Palpatine. All of his scenes show there is more than meets the eye to this man, and aside from the fact that Ian McDiarmid is clearly the actor behind Darth Sidious, they make many references to his hunger for power and his plans for young Anakin. Listen carefully for a perfectly creepy line at the end of the film...my favorite in all four films!
Finally, it must be said that the final battle - ESPECIALLY the intense lightsaber duel - is the most exciting and awe-inspring scene in the entire saga to date. The podrace scene is, as many have reported, another adrenaline-booster. And for all the people attacking Jar Jar Binks, he got annoying at times, but at least respect him for the phenomenal CGI work.
I gave this film a 10 out of 10.