Halloween III surprised audiences when it came along. There was no Micheal Myers, which had already become synonymous with the holiday, and there was a strange combination of the supernatural and science fiction in the third entry in the franchise. A convoluted behind-the-scenes story affected the script and the filming, and with no Micheal, the…
Tag: science fiction
Muppets From Space (1999) – Tim Hill
I’m not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised by Muppets From Space. I remember seeing some of the trailers when it was first coming out, and to me it looked like a big silly misstep. The muppets had really figured something out by interpreting literary classics with a Henson twist, but this seemed like…
The Kaiju Preservation Society (2022) – John Scalzi
John Scalzi knows how to tell a great story, and he proves it with The Kaiju Preservation Society, which is a thunderously enjoyable tale that gives us a fun and unique look at the horror/science fiction subgenre that is populated with stories of kaiju. Throwing nods to classic kaiju like Godzilla and newer ones like…
Paradise 1 (2023) – David Wellington
Orbit Books takes the reader to a far-distant solar system and exposes them to fear in the new novel, the first in a series, by best-selling author David Wellington. An officer of the Firewatch, Petrova, and a doctor, Zhang, who may not be all there, are shipped off on an AI-controlled ship, accompanied by a…
George Pal Double Feature – 4K/Blu-Ray Review
If you missed the gorgeous War of the Worlds Criterion Edition blu-ray, then Paramount Pictures has you covered with their 4K version which is upgraded from the same elements giving fans a whole new look at the classic science fiction film. Sure that means you can see some of the wires moving the alien ships…
Ringworld (1970) – Larry Niven
I dug into some classic science fiction this week with Larry Niven’s Ringworld novel, which is set in his Known Space universe. I hadn’t explored any of his stories before, but this one was recommended to me from somewhere, and I found the general idea intriguing, a massive ring, instead of an enclosed sphere, placed…
Alien Code (2018) – Michael G. Cooney
Somewhere along my prowling of the internet, I stumbled across the trailer for this film, and was suitably intrigued enough to add it to my viewing queue. Watching it, there’s an intriguing premise, a well-orchestrated execution of subject matter despite budget constraints, and despite overreaching on its subject matter (seemingly wanting to throw every piece…
Coherence (2013) – James Ward Byrkit
Coherence is a fascinating and engaging science fiction mystery, exploring a number of theories of quantum physics. It’s even more incredible when you learn it was shot chronologically over five nights, and was mostly improvised, with the actors receiving notes to guide them through each scene. Mainly set in one location, the story follows eight…
Looper (2012) – Rian Johnson
Rian Johnson is a fantastic writer/director (no matter what some Star Wars fans may think), and with his science fiction thriller, Looper, he plays with a number of familiar tropes, especially those of the western genre as he explores, and plays with, causality, in this brilliant actioner that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily…
Innerspace (1987) – Joe Dante
Joe Dante gives us a spin on Fantastic Voyage, with an underlying theme of believing in yourself with Innerspace, a sci-fi action comedy starring Martin Short, Dennis Quaid, and Meg Ryan. Featuring a score by Jerry Goldsmith, this film, when I first saw it, and now, remains a fun and entertaining film with its Academy…
The Mind Reels 