movie review

Reviewing the best science fiction movies from the past, present, and future.

The Top Apocalypse Movies
Growing up was the atom bomb and the religious Right peddling their Watchtower magazine. One step ahead or following was Hollywood reenacting what “the end” would be like.
By Arlo Hennings3 years ago in Futurism
Back to Mars: Fall in love with a Martian guy
Instead of telling the coming-of-age story of earth's first extraterrestrial child, the film focuses on a regular road trip by a pair of teenagers who quickly grow out of their initial estranged relationship and drive a variety of stolen cars through the American West (circa 2034). "Back to Mars" could have gone in a lot of interesting directions, but it stuck to the teen movie formula, especially as it got more and more fake by the end. While the first half of the film is reminiscent of the Martian (though nowhere near as much), the final story is closer to a teen cancer movie like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (and nowhere near as much). Back to Mars doesn't seem to know where it stands. The film mistakenly skips through the backstory of alien exploration and how The Martian orphan Gardner Elliott (Asa Butterfield) grows up with scientists and astronauts. Why was Gardner orphaned? His mother, Sarah (Janet Montgomery), was the mission commander of the first Mars colonization mission. But two months into her interstellar journey, she discovered she was pregnant. On Mars she gave birth and died soon after. Gardner is left alone with a robot and a scientist named Kendra (Kara Kino) who acts as his surrogate mother. Most of the action takes place in 2034: the teenage Gardner wants to return to Earth. Aside from his natural curiosity about the planet where other people were born, he's eager to make the trip for two specific reasons: he's eager to find his father, and he's eager to meet Tulsa (Britt Robertson), the tough, lonely, savvy Earth girl he's video-chatting with. Doctors are divided over whether Gardner could have survived earth's different air pressure and gravity than Mars. Nathaniel Sheppard (Gary Oldman), the former director of the Mars Colonization Project, opposes Mars Boy's return to Earth, but he no longer has the authority to make a decision. Gardner visited Earth for the first time after his bones were surgically strengthened. Much of "Back to Mars" focuses on Gardner and Tulsa's relationship as they go on a road trip to find his dad. Soon after Gardner escaped custody, they were on the run together. Short of money, they had to barter and even steal. They quickly fell in love with each other (the long video chats that preceded them should have been a catalyst), and Tulsa was desperate to help Gardner fulfill his wishes after his health problems. Speaking of video chat...... This is one of "Back to Mars" 's biggest scientific missteps. There are many mishaps, but this one is the most egregious, and easy to spot, because communication problems between Earth and Mars are a big part of "The Martian." The radio waves travel at the speed of light, and the time difference between Earth and Mars is about four to 24 minutes (depending on the relative positions of the two planets). Communication cannot be instantaneous: in fact, two-way interactions can have a delay of at least eight minutes between sending and receiving. So every conversation between NASA and the astronauts in Back to Mars (not to mention Gardner's webchat with Tulsa) is pure fantasy. It's a sign that these writers are either scientific idiots or just don't want to use their brains to incorporate reality into their scripts. The movie does have some touching moments, but they're too small. There are some unwieldy fun elements (seemingly borrowed from the long-forgotten 1999 film "Love in Time") and a romantic romance. Although all these are wonderful, they still cannot change the fact that the film has a small structure and low intention. Road movies and teen cancer movies are so plentiful these days that stories about orphans on Mars are rare. Asa Butterfield and Britt Robertson, the two leads, give good performances: they both find the heart of their characters and deliver them. Their chemistry is intermittent due to time constraints, but it's enough to convince us of the sincerity and depth of their love. A love story like this takes time and dedication, and "Back to Mars" is more than that because it does both well. If there was a letdown in the cast, it was Gary Oldman, who started well but ended up overacting and superficial.
By Zheng to3 years ago in Futurism
Top Gun: Maverick
This motion picture was one of the most incredible films I have watched in theaters!! I am someone who gets easily uncomfortable in theaters, especially if a movie is slow and unentertaining. But this movie exceeded my expectations my a million percent.
By Evelyn Zach4 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Worlds'
Just saw Jay Kensinger's Syd and Chloe and the Myriad Worlds 40-minute short film (he wrote, directed, and has a cameo at the end of the movie). It's a provocative, excellent science fiction movie, with a great metaphysical premise, and a fun rendition.
By Paul Levinson4 years ago in Futurism
Marvel And DC Conflict
If you're a fan of comic books, you know that two major companies around the world - Marvel and DC - make entertainment content based on those books. The slightly darker side that some superpower movie buffs barely realize is about a renewed feud between the two companies. Of course, it is not the struggle of good against evil, but of a struggle over revenue, competitive position, and imaginary worlds.
By Judith Isidore4 years ago in Futurism
The Northman
Robbert Eggers knows how to turn a thin story full of brutal Vikings and violence into an awesome viewing experience that stimulates all the senses. But those who think they will see the film version of the Netflix series Vikings will be disappointed. This is not a movie, this is a trip.
By Michaelhonon4 years ago in Futurism
My Review of "Moonfall"
Moonfall is a science fiction movie that came out in 2022. I am a sucker for disaster movies and I haven't seen one for quite some time. This movie looked like it had all the disaster movie tropes that I was looking for. Excited to see this movie I came out of it with mixed emotions.
By Brian Anonymous4 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'Moonshot'
Hey, not every movie about humans in space has to be about blow-out battles for the galaxy, or, if the story is about planets closer to home, about being stranded on Mars or otherwise vexed by the red planet's harrowing problems. There's a place in movies about Mars for profundity delivered through joy, even the joy of maybe slightly older than teenage romance and humor.
By Paul Levinson4 years ago in Futurism
At Land
The beautiful, incomparable Maya Deren directed this surrealist exploration of desperation in 1944--a year not well-disposed to women and their longing to escape from the oppression of bourgeois, corporate American boardroom society. It was still the War Years, and freedom, liberation from spiritual tyranny, was thrust into the backseat behind the existential threat of global fascism.
By Tom Baker4 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'The Adam Project'
Just saw the The Adam Project last night, a pretty good time-travel movie on Netflix. Here's a pretty much non-spoiler review:
By Paul Levinson4 years ago in Futurism
Movie Review: 'Cosmic Dawn' Can't Walk the Line Between Cheap Melodrama and Camp
Cosmic Dawn stars Camille Rowe as Aurora. As a child Aurora witnessed her mother being abducted by aliens. She was 5 years old when it happened but her memories are still vivid. Regardless of her account however, people chalk up the alien story to having been traumatized by her mother’s disappearance. Aurora grows up a lost soul always searching for something she can’t quite wrap her mind around.
By Sean Patrick4 years ago in Futurism
Orpheus (1950)
I am letting you into the secret of all secrets, mirrors are gates through which death comes and goes. Moreover if you see your whole life in a mirror you will see death at work as you see bees behind the glass in a hive. --Orpheus (1950)
By Tom Baker4 years ago in Futurism