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Family movie reviews for "Science" sorted by average review score:
X-Men 1.5
Released in DVD by Twentieth Century Fox Home Video (11 February, 2003)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen
In a time when race and religion don't separate people, but extra powers and mutated characteristics do, two longtime friends, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) part ways, only to become rivals over the issue of how much patience they should have with "normal" people. Living lives that scare most humans lacking the "X-factor" (a special power such as telekinesis), they fight over changing the general population into mutants. Xavier decides to help mutants in a special school while waiting for humanity to be more accepting, while Magneto opts to change all "normal" people into mutants in order to create a mutant-only world. Leading a group of four powerful X-Men (and women) to rescue one lost girl (the mutant Rogue, played by Anna Paquin)--and the entire population of New York--Xavier recruits a new member to their group: Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known as Wolverine, joins the team with much reluctance, only to prove very valuable to the rescue effort.
Each member of the X-Men has mastered their special gift--the ability to create a storm (Storm, played by Halle Berry), telekinesis (Dr. Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen), eyesight carrying laserlike destructive power (Cyclops, played by James Marsden), the ability to heal nearly any wound he sustains (Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman). The chemistry among these four sets the stage for some expert teamwork--and some hidden romance. The mutants' ensemble work drives the action sequences, such as in a train station battle with Magneto's crew--including Sabertooth (Tyler Mane), Toad (Ray Park), and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)--that unleashes a lot of destruction, thanks to the striking special effects.
You don't have to be a fan of the hugely popular X-Men comic books to enjoy Bryan Singer's film, which is loaded with creativity, cool effects, and characters complex enough to lift it above run-of-the-mill action films. And Singer sets the stage admirably for the sequels that could turn X-Men into the strongest comic-book franchise since Batman. --Sandra Levin
Average review score: 
One of the best adaptations of a comic book ever
About time!It's about time they did a major motion picture on the X men. Overall the movie was great. It's easy for someone who hasn't followed them through the years (comics) to get into the movie. I thought the choice in cast was great. Except for some minor discrepencies between the movie and the Marvel Universe, this movie rocked.
A huge step for Marvel and 20th Century Fox.It's very interesting that 20th Century Fox was the first major movie studio that Marvel started a relationship with in terms of movie deals. In 1993, they agreed to the formation of seeing the X-MEN as a feature film, and thus was the first really solid agreement that Marvel had with a movie studio to get their charecters made as feature films. Over the years and with the release of both X-MEN and X2 (as well as X-MEN 3 now on the drawing board). Marvel and 20th Century Fox are now ready to do even more movie business together and hopefully see the release of very good successful movies, the likes of which we have not seen since STAR WARS. While Marvel has done business with other movie studios. The relationship with Fox has been the best. The studio has given them the resources, talent, and budget needed to do these movies in a way that will entertain the movie audiences, and also the FOX DVD production is among the best in the business. I hope Marvel ends up doing 90% of all their movie deals with 20th Century Fox.
X-Men
Released in DVD by Twentieth Century Fox Home Video (14 August, 2001)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen
In a time when race and religion don't separate people, but extra powers and mutated characteristics do, two longtime friends, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) part ways, only to become rivals over the issue of how much patience they should have with "normal" people. Living lives that scare most humans lacking the "X-factor" (a special power such as telekinesis), they fight over changing the general population into mutants. Xavier decides to help mutants in a special school while waiting for humanity to be more accepting, while Magneto opts to change all "normal" people into mutants in order to create a mutant-only world. Leading a group of four powerful X-Men (and women) to rescue one lost girl (the mutant Rogue, played by Anna Paquin)--and the entire population of New York--Xavier recruits a new member to their group: Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known as Wolverine, joins the team with much reluctance, only to prove very valuable to the rescue effort.
Each member of the X-Men has mastered their special gift--the ability to create a storm (Storm, played by Halle Berry), telekinesis (Dr. Jean Grey, played by Famke Janssen), eyesight carrying laserlike destructive power (Cyclops, played by James Marsden), the ability to heal nearly any wound he sustains (Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman). The chemistry among these four sets the stage for some expert teamwork--and some hidden romance. The mutants' ensemble work drives the action sequences, such as in a train station battle with Magneto's crew--including Sabertooth (Tyler Mane), Toad (Ray Park), and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos)--that unleashes a lot of destruction, thanks to the striking special effects.
You don't have to be a fan of the hugely popular X-Men comic books to enjoy Bryan Singer's film, which is loaded with creativity, cool effects, and characters complex enough to lift it above run-of-the-mill action films. And Singer sets the stage admirably for the sequels that could turn X-Men into the strongest comic-book franchise since Batman. --Sandra Levin
Average review score:
One of the best adaptations of a comic book everX-Men was a great movie in my mind. It may not have followed the comic completely, but people have to realize that is going to happen when you have hundreds of individual X-Men titles and only a two hour movie. I do not care that Angel and Beast where not in the movie, or that Iceman was just a kid. The only characters I missed were Gambit and Psylocke. Wolverine is the most popular X-Men character, which makes sense why the film (and the second one) revolves around him, but I think they did a great job in making all of the other characters individuals as well, and not just there. And for all the people who disagreed with Ian McKellan as Magneto I just have to say that I too did not think it was a good casting choice to begin with, but I quickly changed my mind upon seeing the movie. McKellan is a superb Magneto. For those who complained that he was too old, do not forget that Magneto was a teenager during World War II back in the early 1940s. He WOULD be in his late 60s early 70s at this point (McKellan himself is 64 and was born in 1939, the year the war BEGAN). Do not be led astray by Magneto's youthful appearance in the comics. He is an old man.
In close I just have to say that the best is yet to come in the X-Men world. As cool as I think Magneto is, I believe the better X-Men villains, Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, will make for an even better movie.
In close I just have to say that the best is yet to come in the X-Men world. As cool as I think Magneto is, I believe the better X-Men villains, Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, will make for an even better movie.
About time!It's about time they did a major motion picture on the X men. Overall the movie was great. It's easy for someone who hasn't followed them through the years (comics) to get into the movie. I thought the choice in cast was great. Except for some minor discrepencies between the movie and the Marvel Universe, this movie rocked.
A huge step for Marvel and 20th Century Fox.It's very interesting that 20th Century Fox was the first major movie studio that Marvel started a relationship with in terms of movie deals. In 1993, they agreed to the formation of seeing the X-MEN as a feature film, and thus was the first really solid agreement that Marvel had with a movie studio to get their charecters made as feature films. Over the years and with the release of both X-MEN and X2 (as well as X-MEN 3 now on the drawing board). Marvel and 20th Century Fox are now ready to do even more movie business together and hopefully see the release of very good successful movies, the likes of which we have not seen since STAR WARS. While Marvel has done business with other movie studios. The relationship with Fox has been the best. The studio has given them the resources, talent, and budget needed to do these movies in a way that will entertain the movie audiences, and also the FOX DVD production is among the best in the business. I hope Marvel ends up doing 90% of all their movie deals with 20th Century Fox.
2001 - A Space Odyssey (Limited Edition Collector's Set)
Released in DVD by CREATIVE DESIGN ARTS (12 June, 2001)
Starring: Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
The Best Sci-Fi Film... Ever!I read somewhere that 2001 is the perfect blend of music and imagery, and its true, this film is beautiful. Its intelligent plot is deep and thought provoking. It reminds me of the classic silent films of the 1920's. This is the most realistic film about space travel ever made. Highly recommended to lovers of Kubric, silent film, and sci-fi!
Required viewing...I can't believe the number of MTV generation viewers who rate this movie low because they don't have the patience, intellectual curiosity or attention span to watch this film. Man, I remember between glued to the set when I first watched 2001, and I was 10 years old! I'm also amazed at how many people clamor for a neat and tidy hollywood ending. I think one of the legacy of 2001 is its sobriety: not everything is answered or should be; gorgeous camera angles and the brilliant stroke of making space so utterly silent. Instead of filling the screen with lasers and music and nonsensical violence, Kubrick lets our minds travel and our brains work. I recommend the novel, as well.
Oh. My. God.Talk about being blown away! This film about a journey into another realm of thought and time is a one of a kind masterpiece. There are so many special effects and visually stunning scenes that at times it seems that actors aren't necessary, but Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are effective as two astronauts traveling to Jupiter with a complex and disturbed computer called HAL. Director Stanley Kubrick here fashioned a profound and deeply moving meditation on the meaning of the universe, a film which lifted the science-fiction genre to a new level of complexity. The innovative special effects by Douglas Trumball won an Academy Award and are still quite dazzling today. Kubrick received an Academy Award nomination as best director for this film, and Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke both received nominations for their screenplay. Haunting.
2001 - A Space Odyssey
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (03 June, 2003)
Starring: Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
The Best Sci-Fi Film... Ever!I read somewhere that 2001 is the perfect blend of music and imagery, and its true, this film is beautiful. Its intelligent plot is deep and thought provoking. It reminds me of the classic silent films of the 1920's. This is the most realistic film about space travel ever made. Highly recommended to lovers of Kubric, silent film, and sci-fi!
Required viewing...I can't believe the number of MTV generation viewers who rate this movie low because they don't have the patience, intellectual curiosity or attention span to watch this film. Man, I remember between glued to the set when I first watched 2001, and I was 10 years old! I'm also amazed at how many people clamor for a neat and tidy hollywood ending. I think one of the legacy of 2001 is its sobriety: not everything is answered or should be; gorgeous camera angles and the brilliant stroke of making space so utterly silent. Instead of filling the screen with lasers and music and nonsensical violence, Kubrick lets our minds travel and our brains work. I recommend the novel, as well.
Oh. My. God.Talk about being blown away! This film about a journey into another realm of thought and time is a one of a kind masterpiece. There are so many special effects and visually stunning scenes that at times it seems that actors aren't necessary, but Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are effective as two astronauts traveling to Jupiter with a complex and disturbed computer called HAL. Director Stanley Kubrick here fashioned a profound and deeply moving meditation on the meaning of the universe, a film which lifted the science-fiction genre to a new level of complexity. The innovative special effects by Douglas Trumball won an Academy Award and are still quite dazzling today. Kubrick received an Academy Award nomination as best director for this film, and Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke both received nominations for their screenplay. Haunting.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (29 June, 1999)
Starring: Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
The Best Sci-Fi Film... Ever!I read somewhere that 2001 is the perfect blend of music and imagery, and its true, this film is beautiful. Its intelligent plot is deep and thought provoking. It reminds me of the classic silent films of the 1920's. This is the most realistic film about space travel ever made. Highly recommended to lovers of Kubric, silent film, and sci-fi!
Required viewing...I can't believe the number of MTV generation viewers who rate this movie low because they don't have the patience, intellectual curiosity or attention span to watch this film. Man, I remember between glued to the set when I first watched 2001, and I was 10 years old! I'm also amazed at how many people clamor for a neat and tidy hollywood ending. I think one of the legacy of 2001 is its sobriety: not everything is answered or should be; gorgeous camera angles and the brilliant stroke of making space so utterly silent. Instead of filling the screen with lasers and music and nonsensical violence, Kubrick lets our minds travel and our brains work. I recommend the novel, as well.
Oh. My. God.Talk about being blown away! This film about a journey into another realm of thought and time is a one of a kind masterpiece. There are so many special effects and visually stunning scenes that at times it seems that actors aren't necessary, but Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are effective as two astronauts traveling to Jupiter with a complex and disturbed computer called HAL. Director Stanley Kubrick here fashioned a profound and deeply moving meditation on the meaning of the universe, a film which lifted the science-fiction genre to a new level of complexity. The innovative special effects by Douglas Trumball won an Academy Award and are still quite dazzling today. Kubrick received an Academy Award nomination as best director for this film, and Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke both received nominations for their screenplay. Haunting.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (25 August, 1998)
Starring: Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Average review score:
The Best Sci-Fi Film... Ever!I read somewhere that 2001 is the perfect blend of music and imagery, and its true, this film is beautiful. Its intelligent plot is deep and thought provoking. It reminds me of the classic silent films of the 1920's. This is the most realistic film about space travel ever made. Highly recommended to lovers of Kubric, silent film, and sci-fi!
Required viewing...I can't believe the number of MTV generation viewers who rate this movie low because they don't have the patience, intellectual curiosity or attention span to watch this film. Man, I remember between glued to the set when I first watched 2001, and I was 10 years old! I'm also amazed at how many people clamor for a neat and tidy hollywood ending. I think one of the legacy of 2001 is its sobriety: not everything is answered or should be; gorgeous camera angles and the brilliant stroke of making space so utterly silent. Instead of filling the screen with lasers and music and nonsensical violence, Kubrick lets our minds travel and our brains work. I recommend the novel, as well.
Oh. My. God.Talk about being blown away! This film about a journey into another realm of thought and time is a one of a kind masterpiece. There are so many special effects and visually stunning scenes that at times it seems that actors aren't necessary, but Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are effective as two astronauts traveling to Jupiter with a complex and disturbed computer called HAL. Director Stanley Kubrick here fashioned a profound and deeply moving meditation on the meaning of the universe, a film which lifted the science-fiction genre to a new level of complexity. The innovative special effects by Douglas Trumball won an Academy Award and are still quite dazzling today. Kubrick received an Academy Award nomination as best director for this film, and Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke both received nominations for their screenplay. Haunting.
Blade Runner - Limited Edition Collector's Set
Released in DVD by CREATIVE DESIGN ARTS (06 June, 2000)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young
When Ridley Scott's cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn't done it right the first time--11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what's been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phony happy ending) rather than what's been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further "explanation"; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn't use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives.) The movie's spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles--a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that's the nightmare antithesis of "Sunny Southern California"--is still its most seductive feature, an otherworldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie's shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or "replicant"), makes Blade Runner one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates.... With Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, and M. Emmet Walsh. --Jim Emerson
Average review score:
The original was betterI know most of the published reviews said the directors cut was better than the original, but I beg to differ. If I hadn't seen the original, I would have been much more lost about what was going on in the diretors cut. I liked the "corny" voice overs that other reviewers complained about, which DID help you understand what was going on better. I also liked the "happy ending" from the original. It was such a dark movie otherwise, I thought the happy ending gave hope about the future instead of the more pessemistic view of the directors cut version. I thought the unicorn scene from the directors cut added absolutely nothing to the original story, I didn't see the point of putting it in there. If something isn't broken, don't fix it.
John,
Goleta, ca
One of the greatest movies ever madeThe movie bares hardly any resemblance to the book on which it's supposed to be based upon, which is not too bad, because I didn't like the book ("Do androids dream of electric sheep?").
Also, I saw the director's cut when it came on the screen and I like the studio's cut better. Once you see "Blade Runner" and naturally admire the director's achievement, it's tempting to take his side on this issue and on any other he likes, but this is what I felt after having seen both versions. The unicorn scene is a lovely piece of visual poetry, but it adds nothing to the film. It just seems out of place and de trop.
Harrison Ford's narration did add a great deal, though, and it's a waste to see the movie without it. I don't care if Harrison tried to botch it up: the jaded, tough Phillip Marlowe rendition works. In Humphrey Bogart's detective movies (my all time absolute favorite actor) you can see how the two characters share the same tough but secretely vulnerable personna. There's even a scene when Ford pretends he's a nerdy, sexually neutered jerk to get informations, that makes me wonder if it might not have been inspired by a scene from "The Big Sleep" - a twist, by the way, that was invented by Bogart himself.
I think here one sees Harrison Ford at his best. I'm sorry to see his acting skills deteriorating more and more with age, and it adds to the melancholic experience of watching this film to know that he's never been in such a great movie, or ever acted that wonderfully again, except in "Frenetic", by Roman Polanski.
Another spoiler was an interview with Sean Young that I once read, where she denounced how badly she and Harrison Ford got along on the set. The love scene, that I always thought was so electrifying, does nothing for me now, thanks to her. She said Harrison actually did throw her violently against the window for real, and that those tears one sees her cry aren't the tears of the cracks in her character's armor showing, but of her real and actual physical pain.
Nevertheless, it's still a mind-blowing experience. I'm not objective enough about this work to be able to tell if it's dated or not - I hope it isn't. I suppose one could say "Casablanca"'s dated, but it's beyond that thanks to its timeless quality. The same, I hope, could be said of this work.
The beauty of the movie (the sets, the clothes, the lighting, the make-up, the music by Vangelis of course) is unbeatable.
There are so many details I love about it: the city, the geisha add, Sean Young's entrance, Harrison Ford's character remembering how his wife used to call him sushi (cold fish), Daryl Hannah's acrobatics and eye make-up, Rutger Hauer's coolness, the hunger for life only the dying can experience, its slick dirtiness and tragedy.
Also, I saw the director's cut when it came on the screen and I like the studio's cut better. Once you see "Blade Runner" and naturally admire the director's achievement, it's tempting to take his side on this issue and on any other he likes, but this is what I felt after having seen both versions. The unicorn scene is a lovely piece of visual poetry, but it adds nothing to the film. It just seems out of place and de trop.
Harrison Ford's narration did add a great deal, though, and it's a waste to see the movie without it. I don't care if Harrison tried to botch it up: the jaded, tough Phillip Marlowe rendition works. In Humphrey Bogart's detective movies (my all time absolute favorite actor) you can see how the two characters share the same tough but secretely vulnerable personna. There's even a scene when Ford pretends he's a nerdy, sexually neutered jerk to get informations, that makes me wonder if it might not have been inspired by a scene from "The Big Sleep" - a twist, by the way, that was invented by Bogart himself.
I think here one sees Harrison Ford at his best. I'm sorry to see his acting skills deteriorating more and more with age, and it adds to the melancholic experience of watching this film to know that he's never been in such a great movie, or ever acted that wonderfully again, except in "Frenetic", by Roman Polanski.
Another spoiler was an interview with Sean Young that I once read, where she denounced how badly she and Harrison Ford got along on the set. The love scene, that I always thought was so electrifying, does nothing for me now, thanks to her. She said Harrison actually did throw her violently against the window for real, and that those tears one sees her cry aren't the tears of the cracks in her character's armor showing, but of her real and actual physical pain.
Nevertheless, it's still a mind-blowing experience. I'm not objective enough about this work to be able to tell if it's dated or not - I hope it isn't. I suppose one could say "Casablanca"'s dated, but it's beyond that thanks to its timeless quality. The same, I hope, could be said of this work.
The beauty of the movie (the sets, the clothes, the lighting, the make-up, the music by Vangelis of course) is unbeatable.
There are so many details I love about it: the city, the geisha add, Sean Young's entrance, Harrison Ford's character remembering how his wife used to call him sushi (cold fish), Daryl Hannah's acrobatics and eye make-up, Rutger Hauer's coolness, the hunger for life only the dying can experience, its slick dirtiness and tragedy.
A bona fide sci-fi landmarkThe true test of a classic, as everyone knows, is how it survives the passage of time. Blade Runner is a classic. It is as stunning a film today as it was when released more than twenty years ago. Those who think the plot is too slow and the acting subpar are those raised on a diet of explosions and mayhems every two point five minutes in any given movie in order to sustain their interest. Ridley Scott is a master of the mise-en-scene. The "slow pace" serves to heighten the suspense just as it did in the first "Alien," and the theme of the modern man losing his humanity is as appropos today as ever. There has been enough written about the set design and the music that I don't need to repeat the obvious. The only disappointment with this DVD is the picture quality and the lack of bonus materials, both of which, rumor has it, will be remedied in a three disc set to be released some time next year.
Let's hope it will do this film full justice.
Let's hope it will do this film full justice.
Blade Runner [Director's Cut]
Released in DVD by Warner Studios (04 February, 2003)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young
When Ridley Scott's cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn't done it right the first time--11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what's been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phony happy ending) rather than what's been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further "explanation"; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn't use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives.) The movie's spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles--a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that's the nightmare antithesis of "Sunny Southern California"--is still its most seductive feature, an otherworldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie's shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or "replicant"), makes Blade Runner one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates.... With Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, and M. Emmet Walsh. --Jim Emerson
Average review score:
The original was betterI know most of the published reviews said the directors cut was better than the original, but I beg to differ. If I hadn't seen the original, I would have been much more lost about what was going on in the diretors cut. I liked the "corny" voice overs that other reviewers complained about, which DID help you understand what was going on better. I also liked the "happy ending" from the original. It was such a dark movie otherwise, I thought the happy ending gave hope about the future instead of the more pessemistic view of the directors cut version. I thought the unicorn scene from the directors cut added absolutely nothing to the original story, I didn't see the point of putting it in there. If something isn't broken, don't fix it.
John,
Goleta, ca
One of the greatest movies ever madeThe movie bares hardly any resemblance to the book on which it's supposed to be based upon, which is not too bad, because I didn't like the book ("Do androids dream of electric sheep?").
Also, I saw the director's cut when it came on the screen and I like the studio's cut better. Once you see "Blade Runner" and naturally admire the director's achievement, it's tempting to take his side on this issue and on any other he likes, but this is what I felt after having seen both versions. The unicorn scene is a lovely piece of visual poetry, but it adds nothing to the film. It just seems out of place and de trop.
Harrison Ford's narration did add a great deal, though, and it's a waste to see the movie without it. I don't care if Harrison tried to botch it up: the jaded, tough Phillip Marlowe rendition works. In Humphrey Bogart's detective movies (my all time absolute favorite actor) you can see how the two characters share the same tough but secretely vulnerable personna. There's even a scene when Ford pretends he's a nerdy, sexually neutered jerk to get informations, that makes me wonder if it might not have been inspired by a scene from "The Big Sleep" - a twist, by the way, that was invented by Bogart himself.
I think here one sees Harrison Ford at his best. I'm sorry to see his acting skills deteriorating more and more with age, and it adds to the melancholic experience of watching this film to know that he's never been in such a great movie, or ever acted that wonderfully again, except in "Frenetic", by Roman Polanski.
Another spoiler was an interview with Sean Young that I once read, where she denounced how badly she and Harrison Ford got along on the set. The love scene, that I always thought was so electrifying, does nothing for me now, thanks to her. She said Harrison actually did throw her violently against the window for real, and that those tears one sees her cry aren't the tears of the cracks in her character's armor showing, but of her real and actual physical pain.
Nevertheless, it's still a mind-blowing experience. I'm not objective enough about this work to be able to tell if it's dated or not - I hope it isn't. I suppose one could say "Casablanca"'s dated, but it's beyond that thanks to its timeless quality. The same, I hope, could be said of this work.
The beauty of the movie (the sets, the clothes, the lighting, the make-up, the music by Vangelis of course) is unbeatable.
There are so many details I love about it: the city, the geisha add, Sean Young's entrance, Harrison Ford's character remembering how his wife used to call him sushi (cold fish), Daryl Hannah's acrobatics and eye make-up, Rutger Hauer's coolness, the hunger for life only the dying can experience, its slick dirtiness and tragedy.
Also, I saw the director's cut when it came on the screen and I like the studio's cut better. Once you see "Blade Runner" and naturally admire the director's achievement, it's tempting to take his side on this issue and on any other he likes, but this is what I felt after having seen both versions. The unicorn scene is a lovely piece of visual poetry, but it adds nothing to the film. It just seems out of place and de trop.
Harrison Ford's narration did add a great deal, though, and it's a waste to see the movie without it. I don't care if Harrison tried to botch it up: the jaded, tough Phillip Marlowe rendition works. In Humphrey Bogart's detective movies (my all time absolute favorite actor) you can see how the two characters share the same tough but secretely vulnerable personna. There's even a scene when Ford pretends he's a nerdy, sexually neutered jerk to get informations, that makes me wonder if it might not have been inspired by a scene from "The Big Sleep" - a twist, by the way, that was invented by Bogart himself.
I think here one sees Harrison Ford at his best. I'm sorry to see his acting skills deteriorating more and more with age, and it adds to the melancholic experience of watching this film to know that he's never been in such a great movie, or ever acted that wonderfully again, except in "Frenetic", by Roman Polanski.
Another spoiler was an interview with Sean Young that I once read, where she denounced how badly she and Harrison Ford got along on the set. The love scene, that I always thought was so electrifying, does nothing for me now, thanks to her. She said Harrison actually did throw her violently against the window for real, and that those tears one sees her cry aren't the tears of the cracks in her character's armor showing, but of her real and actual physical pain.
Nevertheless, it's still a mind-blowing experience. I'm not objective enough about this work to be able to tell if it's dated or not - I hope it isn't. I suppose one could say "Casablanca"'s dated, but it's beyond that thanks to its timeless quality. The same, I hope, could be said of this work.
The beauty of the movie (the sets, the clothes, the lighting, the make-up, the music by Vangelis of course) is unbeatable.
There are so many details I love about it: the city, the geisha add, Sean Young's entrance, Harrison Ford's character remembering how his wife used to call him sushi (cold fish), Daryl Hannah's acrobatics and eye make-up, Rutger Hauer's coolness, the hunger for life only the dying can experience, its slick dirtiness and tragedy.
A bona fide sci-fi landmarkThe true test of a classic, as everyone knows, is how it survives the passage of time. Blade Runner is a classic. It is as stunning a film today as it was when released more than twenty years ago. Those who think the plot is too slow and the acting subpar are those raised on a diet of explosions and mayhems every two point five minutes in any given movie in order to sustain their interest. Ridley Scott is a master of the mise-en-scene. The "slow pace" serves to heighten the suspense just as it did in the first "Alien," and the theme of the modern man losing his humanity is as appropos today as ever. There has been enough written about the set design and the music that I don't need to repeat the obvious. The only disappointment with this DVD is the picture quality and the lack of bonus materials, both of which, rumor has it, will be remedied in a three disc set to be released some time next year.
Let's hope it will do this film full justice.
Let's hope it will do this film full justice.
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (Single Disc Edition)
Released in DVD by Columbia Tristar Hom (27 August, 2002)
Starring: Alec Baldwin and Steve Buscemi
Earth is a desolate wasteland in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Humanity has been decimated by an invasion of Phantoms, insubstantial aliens that extract and devour the spirits of living things. The few remaining humans have retreated to a handful of cities that are protected by massive bio-energy shields. The beautiful Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) and her mentor Dr. Sid (Donald Sutherland) have discovered that the energy signatures of eight key Earth spirits can cancel out and destroy the Phantoms. With the help of Captain Edwards (Alec Baldwin) and his band of marines, they must scour the globe for the last two remaining spirits before General Hein (James Woods) manipulates the refugee government into attacking the aliens with an orbital laser that may also destroy the Earth.
Hironobu Sakaguchi's film is taken from the popular Final Fantasy video game franchise, which is particularly well suited to film adaptation with its series of original stories, but the movie features entirely new characters and settings. And like Toy Story and Shrek, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is completely computer generated. Unlike those cartoon comedies, though, The Spirits Within is a serious science fiction drama with astonishingly human digital actors. Aki, the female lead, appeared in a full-page spread in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list--and was indistinguishable from the real-life models. The setting and conflict make for incredible action, but it's the larger issues, character interaction, and human elements that really make the movie shine. The Spirits Within is not simply a science fiction movie, in the same way that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not simply a kung fu flick. The result is a fantastic summer movie with better action and more emotion than Pearl Harbor, and actors more lifelike than those in that other video game movie, Tomb Raider. --Mike Fehlauer
Average review score:
Beautiful CG, but that's about it.The CG was great, the detail amazing, both in the visuals and the sounds. But, the story was boring and didn't hold my attention. The dialog was also horrible at times. Personally, I find playing the games more engaging than watching this movie, the games offer much better plots.
Good but not final fantasyThis movie is based on my favorite video game series; final fantasy. But the final fantasy game series is FANTASY! The movie is SCI-FI! They use guns in the movies and swords and spears in the game series. this movie should not be called "final fantasy the spirits within", it should just be called "the spirits within" to me this is a very good movie but IT WASN'T FINAL FANTASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Simply amazing!It's science fiction! If your not into escapism, don't watch it. Why else do we watch movies? That being said, I was simply amazed at how life-like the animation is. I didn't even know about this video until a year after it came out. I saw it playing in a store. I just had to have it and see more. If you like science fiction, if you like seeing innovative ideas being tested, if you are into high-quality video in adventure games, you must get this DVD. I have never seen one of the Final Fantasy games, but seeing the movie makes me interested enough to check out the games.
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (Special Edition)
Released in DVD by Columbia Tri-Star (23 October, 2001)
Starring: Alec Baldwin and Steve Buscemi
Earth is a desolate wasteland in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Humanity has been decimated by an invasion of Phantoms, insubstantial aliens that extract and devour the spirits of living things. The few remaining humans have retreated to a handful of cities that are protected by massive bio-energy shields. The beautiful Dr. Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na) and her mentor Dr. Sid (Donald Sutherland) have discovered that the energy signatures of eight key Earth spirits can cancel out and destroy the Phantoms. With the help of Captain Edwards (Alec Baldwin) and his band of marines, they must scour the globe for the last two remaining spirits before General Hein (James Woods) manipulates the refugee government into attacking the aliens with an orbital laser that may also destroy the Earth.
Hironobu Sakaguchi's film is taken from the popular Final Fantasy video game franchise, which is particularly well suited to film adaptation with its series of original stories, but the movie features entirely new characters and settings. And like Toy Story and Shrek, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is completely computer generated. Unlike those cartoon comedies, though, The Spirits Within is a serious science fiction drama with astonishingly human digital actors. Aki, the female lead, appeared in a full-page spread in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list--and was indistinguishable from the real-life models. The setting and conflict make for incredible action, but it's the larger issues, character interaction, and human elements that really make the movie shine. The Spirits Within is not simply a science fiction movie, in the same way that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not simply a kung fu flick. The result is a fantastic summer movie with better action and more emotion than Pearl Harbor, and actors more lifelike than those in that other video game movie, Tomb Raider. --Mike Fehlauer
Average review score:
Beautiful CG, but that's about it.The CG was great, the detail amazing, both in the visuals and the sounds. But, the story was boring and didn't hold my attention. The dialog was also horrible at times. Personally, I find playing the games more engaging than watching this movie, the games offer much better plots.
Good but not final fantasyThis movie is based on my favorite video game series; final fantasy. But the final fantasy game series is FANTASY! The movie is SCI-FI! They use guns in the movies and swords and spears in the game series. this movie should not be called "final fantasy the spirits within", it should just be called "the spirits within" to me this is a very good movie but IT WASN'T FINAL FANTASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Simply amazing!It's science fiction! If your not into escapism, don't watch it. Why else do we watch movies? That being said, I was simply amazed at how life-like the animation is. I didn't even know about this video until a year after it came out. I saw it playing in a store. I just had to have it and see more. If you like science fiction, if you like seeing innovative ideas being tested, if you are into high-quality video in adventure games, you must get this DVD. I have never seen one of the Final Fantasy games, but seeing the movie makes me interested enough to check out the games.
In close I just have to say that the best is yet to come in the X-Men world. As cool as I think Magneto is, I believe the better X-Men villains, Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, will make for an even better movie.