BEHOLD THE SPOILER
Keanu comes to earth in ginormous, awesome-looking sphere of unidentifiable matter and gets shot by panicky idiot trigger-finger soldier. Rushed to surgery, Keanu is interrogated by inexplicably belligerent Secretary of Defence (Kathy Bates), who seems to have a death wish for the human species (seriously, this alien is obviously incredibly more advanced than we are, and states repeatedly that he comes from a civilisation '" nay, an alliance of civilisations '" which, one may assume, is capable of handing our asses to us in a microsecond. Not to mention the massive robot that accompanied him, which you know must be packing like, seventeen different kinds of heat).
Keanu escapes and joins human woman (Jeniffer Connelly) who believes she can convince him not to wipe us off the face of the earth. He meets with alien who has lived among humans for 70 years and has grown to love them but still recommends their immediate destruction (I'll restate that: Alien #2 sees the good in human kind, and wants to spend the last of its days among humanity, but still encourages Keanu to blast us to kingdom come. If that's not a damning indictment, what the heck is?). Meanwhile, retard-macho-military-men are attempting to blow up massive robot which has not yet attempted to kill anyone. Keanu has stated that it only responds to aggression. This engagement leads to (surprise!) the unnecessary deaths of an unfortunate tank crew.
Jeniffer takes Keanu (along with snotnosed stepson/superfluous-subplot-Jaden-Smith) to meet distinguished intellectual (John Cleese), hoping he can convince murderous alien to leave us be. His general argument is: 'You aliens only evolved your civilisation when at the brink of disaster. Humans are at the brink of disaster, but you do not give us the same opportunity you had.' This is a valid point, but the idea that Super-advanced interstellar-alien-confederation hadn't already taken that point in consideration is rather absurd. The further fact that Cleese's words have a persuasive effect on Keanu suggests that the alien is, in fact, an idiot, and wholly unqualified for the delicate task of global genocide.
Alien robot is captured and amoral scientists attempt to drill into it. Drill is slowly consumed by insect destructor-bots. Bots then proceed to destroy everything in sight, converting matter into more bots. Keanu sees woman and child crying over grave of dead serviceman. This is apparently enough to change his mind, having finally seen 'the other side' of human beings.
I'm not sure if that summary really conveys just how stupid this movie is. Within the first half hour, the American government pretty much confirms the aliens' fear: humankind has a serious boner for mayhem. When given the option to take the alien to a nearby conference of human leaders (which he already knows about and might have actually come to earth to attend) the Secretary of State refuses, instead deciding to keep him confined like a prisoner of war. From the alien's arrival they spend the entire movie actively antagonising a blatantly superior being. This is like Child Protection services visiting your house and you refusing to give them the keys to your children's cages.
Nothing intelligent is said or done, and none of the characters have any depth. It doesn't even serve as an action blockbuster, so I'm at a loss as to why the movie was made at all. I wonder if a better film might have resulted if the extraterrestrial had been greeted with a handshake, instead of handcuffs. Maybe that would have injected some true pathos and ambiguity into the premise: humanity must die, so that the earth can live.
I'm told the original The Day the Earth Stood Still was a brilliant landmark of a film, though I'm curious as to how well it stood the test of time. I keep meaning to see it.
By all accounts, this remake is terrible, and I'm still trying to figure out why it was deemed necessary to remake an undisputed science fiction classic as this hamfisted and illogical piece of junk.
What bothered me was that it was possible to remake it well. For instance, if the human beings had acted calmly, rationally and diplomatically, then Klatu's intention of destroying humanity would have presented a compelling conflict: how do we convince an insanely powerful extraterrestrial not to exterminate us all? Say he still gets shot when he steps out of the ship, but the Secretary of Defence is conciliatory and immediately takes him to the conference of world leaders. Instead of attempting to imprison him and blow up his robot, negotiations begin. Immediately the stakes are bigger, the plot actually feels more epic, it makes sense to have more subplots, and we actually care about the humans instead of them coming off as idiotic and unpleasant.
The frustrating thing for me is that science fiction is a superb genre, with great potential for philosophy, speculation and social commentary, as well as kickass action. Maybe I'm so pissed off because I watched Solaris the day before experiencing this drivel and I'd gotten it into my head that every Sci Fi should be that good.
Most sci-fi these days are just anti-human drivel anyways. I wouldn't pay it any heed.
M.
You know, this sounds like a GREAT movie to parody:
Klatu (calling robot on commlink): Hello, how's everything?
Robot (in dry, Hitchhiker's Marvin voice): It's fine, apart from the gunfire.
Klatu: They're shooting at you?
Robot: For the last hour.
Klatu: Do you need me to do anything?
Robot: Ask them to vary their attacks. Break up the monotony.
Quote from: CheomeshMost sci-fi these days are just anti-human drivel anyways.
Yeah, even WALL-E got in on the action.
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawQuote from: CheomeshMost sci-fi these days are just anti-human drivel anyways.
Yeah, even WALL-E got in on the action.
I do not think that was the point of WALL-E at all.
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawQuote from: CheomeshMost sci-fi these days are just anti-human drivel anyways.
I do not think that was the point of WALL-E at all.
Also WALL-E didn't suck.
no, but it was in there.
You know it would be funny that after all the centuries of man writing stories about the future and how horrible humanity is and will be that things turn out differently. We are discovered by a collective of alien beings and they are amazed at how artistic and peaceful we are. Some want to conquer us, a few want to emulate us, and in the end we just become another normal part of the collective (as opposed to some conquering empire or a rash member that causes trouble). It would be even more funny to find that a species viewing itself as hostile and instinctual is actually common for most before making contact with other groups.
and that's my 2 cp
Anti-human is something of a "fad" at the moment. Personally its something I agree with (/misanthropy) but it can be done with varying degrees of skill/success.
On topic, I read a review of the movie and it sounded completely horrible. The only reason it looked good in the first place were the special effects, which I hear are quite good. However the whole plot seems full of ridiculous moments.
And the end... oh my goodness. Its so bad >_<
I'm not sure why they would even try to remake this movie. It was a creature of the Cold War, when many people were terrified at the prospect of imminent nuclear annihilation. I just don't see how it could possibly resonate in the present day and age.
The theme of man's inhumanity to man is timeless and universal. But the threat of alien annihilation was largely symbolic of an annihilation we were about to visit on ourselves. Just not really something people worry about a lot anymore.
(Then again, even today, every British Prime Minister writes a letter on taking office. No one else ever sees this letter. It is sealed in a safe, and that safe sealed in another safe that is welded to the floor of an ICBM-armed submarine. When the PM leaves office, the letter is destroyed, still unread. If the UK were to be destroyed by nuclear attack, the letter will be opened. It contains the PM's first and last order - whether or not the submarine's missiles should be launched in retaliation. No one must ever know what the order is, or was. No doubt the leaders of every nuclear-annihilation-capable nation have prepared similar orders under similar conditions.)
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawYou know, this sounds like a GREAT movie to parody:
Klatu (calling robot on commlink): Hello, how's everything?
Robot (in dry, Hitchhiker's Marvin voice): It's fine, apart from the gunfire.
Klatu: They're shooting at you?
Robot: For the last hour.
Klatu: Do you need me to do anything?
Robot: Ask them to vary their attacks. Break up the monotony.
I did crack up at this. Douglas Adams versions of most bad SCIFI fixes them...who knew?
It DOES drive me crazy when someone botches up a perfectly good movie in an attmept to modernize it.
Quote from: Snake FangI'm not sure why they would even try to remake this movie. It was a creature of the Cold War, when many people were terrified at the prospect of imminent nuclear annihilation. I just don't see how it could possibly resonate in the present day and age
As I understand it, the remake replaces the dangers of nuclear cataclysm with the possibility of environmental destruction.
Yes, Klaatu is an extraterrestrial space-hippie, come to earth to make humanity change its ways before global warming drowns all our polar bears. No, I don't think it has the traction of the plot from the original film, either.
[blockquote Salacious Angel]I'm not sure if that summary really conveys just how stupid this movie is. [/blockquote]
Oh, it does.
Seeing the previews, it looked awesome. Now I have no intention of watching it.
Quote from: Nomadic[...] they are amazed at how artistic and peaceful we are [...]
I lol'ed at this. :D
b ut I don't want to meet the Zentradi...
It largely bored me, but I don't know that I'd say it was absolutely terrible. Just that it could have been much, much better.
For that matter, Solaris kind of bored me, too. But perhaps it deserves another look. Did you mean the original, SA, or modern remake? The original author didn't like the remake, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible movie.
Wall-E was quite good, I thought.
Quote from: NomadicWe are discovered by a collective of alien beings and they are amazed at how artistic and peaceful we are. Some want to conquer us, a few want to emulate us, and in the end we just become another normal part of the collective (as opposed to some conquering empire or a rash member that causes trouble).
Vaguely similar to Star Trek, and the later seasons of Babylon 5.
J.J. Abrams said that now is the time to bring back Star Trek (albeit hopefully better and more mainstream than in past) precisely because people are ready for a turn back towards optimism. And the Trek future, if sometimes war-torn, is still largely optimistic.
What I hate is the fact that the humanity protrayed in the movie will not change. Klatu never told anyone save a disgraced Secretary of Defense, a traitorous woman and her son about what his race's intentions were. Who's going to believe any of them? The aliens came here to kill us, that'll be how the world governments spin this. We'll spend trillions modernizing our military all in the hopes we can stave off the evil alien invaders.
I mean, all he needed to do was tap into our Radio/TV network and tell the humanity - you're killing the world, stop it or we'll kill ya. Humanity would change at that point but with out that we'd just persist in our sinning ways.
The movie had potential but a lack of good script writing made it a pile of kodo poo.
QuoteDid you mean the original, SA, or modern remake? The original author didn't like the remake, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible movie.
We are discovered by a collective of alien beings and they are amazed at how artistic and peaceful we are.[/quote]perhaps even by force[/i]. Now that makes for tasty plot-meat.
QuoteI mean, all he needed to do was tap into our Radio/TV network and tell the humanity - you're killing the world, stop it or we'll kill ya. Humanity would change at that point but with out that we'd just persist in our sinning ways.
And we're supposed to believe that the entirety of Klatu's reconniassance was through an alien who'd been living on earth for the better part of a century, but seemed to offer no useful information about human attitudes, intelligence or non-destructive exploits. Klatu then proceeds to discount the testimony of said veteran on the basis of one whiny kid and his stepmother. Like I said, these have got to be the dumbest aliens.
Quote from: PhoenixVaguely similar to Star Trek, and the later seasons of Babylon 5.
To be fair, the aliens in B5 liked Humanity not because of how artistic or peaceful we were but because humanity, more than any other race, builds interstellar communities that stretch far beyond nationality, ethnology and even xenology. We become the sturdy beam on which other species can build a brighter, more cosmopolitan future.
Quote from: Ra-TielQuote from: Nomadic[...] they are amazed at how artistic and peaceful we are [...]
I lol'ed at this. :D
Hey I am tired of all the "humanity is violent blah blah". I want a species that is amazed by the fact that humans say hello by shaking hands instead of kicking each others asses like civilized beings.
Only that seems more outlandish than the opposite. A sophisticated spacefaring species that is surprised by an organism that understands the value of diplomacy?
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: PhoenixVaguely similar to Star Trek, and the later seasons of Babylon 5.
To be fair, the aliens in B5 liked Humanity not because of how artistic or peaceful we were but because humanity, more than any other race, builds interstellar communities that stretch far beyond nationality, ethnology and even xenology. We become the sturdy beam on which other species can build a brighter, more cosmopolitan future.
Yeah. My all time favorite TV series.
Quote from: Salacious AngelOnly that seems more outlandish than the opposite. A sophisticated spacefaring species that is surprised by an organism that understands the value of diplomacy?
Well sure, if you want to take the boring route...
Quote from: PhoenixYeah. My all time favorite TV series.
Its my favorite Sci-Fi TV show as well :)
The ONE thing I liked about The Day the Earth Stood Still is that they found a way that Keanu Reeves wouldn't screw it up. Considering the movie was still terrible, the fact that his halting droning monotone kinda makes sense for an alien that's just inhabiting a human body and isn't really necessarily used to speaking English makes sense is a shallow victory in a lost war.
Actually, I also like the IDEA that John Cleese's character presents, but this too was hollow, as Cleese's POINT was that humanity could unite and evolve on the brink of extinction. Well, this was setting up a story where the aliens' genocide of humanity unites humankind and allows them to evolve and change their ways. Seeing this change in the human race, the aliens would then see that their reasons for killing all the humans were no longer applicable, congratulate the humans on their evolution, and leave them in peace. But this is not utilized at all. Klatu somehow seeing the good in humans and then calling off the attack then and there denied humanity the chance to ACTUALLY evolve. So the best idea in the film was brought up and then ignored, left completely unutilized. It was ridiculous.
Yeah, I saw it. The popcorn and large Coke was the best part. Although I wish AMC had Dr. Pepper. I love Dr. Pepper. I'm drinking some right now. Anyway, to the point, it was pretty bad. Why the HELL did the robot look like a human if their a different alien species that would only "frighten us" to see them. And where is all the surprise, screaming, running and dommsayers? Alien spheres have just landed on our planet to annilihate us, you think there would be more "What the ****! There's ****ing aliens attacking us! Run for your lives!" Cue the mobs running around in the streets and hippies crying doom.
I think the best movie I saw so far that CORRECTLY illustrated us and the enviroment was The Day After Tommorow. Although Global Warmings effects may not be as sudden, they will be that destructive. And although it showed that we have hurt the earth and done all this crap to waste our rescources, and we get repayed with this, there is still a chance that the strongest individuals and the most rescourceful and still make it, and that there if much hope for those who deserve it. I'm not sure if I put that into words right, I hope you get the point.
Something that has always bothered me non-stop about alien movies was their similiarity to us. They look exactly like us but shorter and with little eyes. What?! I thought they came from deep space? I thought that the movie that explained this best was Mission to Mars, how they noted that humans and chimpanzees have only a two percent difference, and how the same might apply to other species in outer space with us. What I did not like however is that the aliens planted the seed of life or something. Then where the heck did they come from? There are always so many problems with alien movies. I did LOVE Independence Day, however, as it had a strong plot, great actors and us actually fighting fairly through wits and intelligence against the aliens. And giving them a cold.
Quote from: Salacious AngelOnly that seems more outlandish than the opposite. A sophisticated spacefaring species that is surprised by an organism that understands the value of diplomacy?
Eh... aliens whose purpose is to colonize might note our pacifism. Like Columbus when he wrote of the Indian tribes. You think they didn't wage war? Of course, that ended with exploitation rather than awe and emulation, with a few scattered exceptions. If aliens were struck by our pacifism and culture, I'd see a similar situation: colonization. They wouldn't so much kill us as take our stuff, marginalize us, and maybe even enslave or relocate us. Again there would be a few sympathizers maybe, but not enough to gather steam until Earth's legacy was long lost.
If they see us as exceptionally peaceful, it must be because they are comparatively violent.
Although if they also admired our culture they may prefer to enslave skilled laborers and... I'm not sure what they'd do with the rest of us... like the Romans with the Greeks.
Sorry... tangent. I've seen the original and not the remake. It was okay I guess.
It's probably just angst. I think the only "Alien" species that ever did it is the singular alien presented in the book "Solaris".
M.
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: PhoenixYeah. My all time favorite TV series.
Its my favorite Sci-Fi TV show as well :)
I'm partway into season 2 on my second time watching it all the way through. I also have all the movies, including The Lost Tales and Legend of the Rangers and I have Crusade.
Quote from: Ninja D!I'm partway into season 2 on my second time watching it all the way through. I also have all the movies, including The Lost Tales and Legend of the Rangers and I have Crusade.
I have all of those, save Crusade... Never saw it before. I heard it was bad...
Back on topic... I think Keanu played the roll well, even if the roll lacked much quality dialogue (which, sadly, the entire movie is guilty of as well).
Yeah I have those as well. Not sure how many times through I watched it. Maybe 4, counting the original airing.
Crusade wasn't bad, but the network tried to force JMS to make it something it wasn't intended to be. At first he tried to compromise, but eventually it just made the series end abruptly.
Quote from: NomadicHey I am tired of all the "humanity is violent blah blah". I want a species that is amazed by the fact that humans say hello by shaking hands instead of kicking each others asses like civilized beings.
But it is the truth. Nations spend more money on inventing weaponry to kill their neighbors more efficiently than they spend on their own hospitals. Governments always look for more effective ways to surpress their people and spoonfeed them propaganda instead of educating them and share knowledge and spread science. Humanity
is a violent race, all of us rather willing to kill another human over something as little as the color of his skin or the name of his imaginary friend (a.k.a. "religion").
[sql]DROP TABLE humanity[/sql] would have been the only logical solution of the movie. Klaatu becoming "pussy-whipped" at the end totally ruined it for me. Also, it would have been a much better end: humanity destroyed, every last human dead, because we couldn't even get along with each other let alone the world we live on? A much better message than <typical hollywood happy ending type A>. :-/
And as for your desire: how about humanity being overtaken by telepathic parasites that melt with their host? Perhaps these parasites could completely control their hosts' emotional state, but leaving the cognitive functions (memory, logic, etc) to the host? This would allow for a "human" race without all the "anger issues" humanity currently has... ;)
Quote from: Ra-TielQuote from: NomadicHey I am tired of all the "humanity is violent blah blah". I want a species that is amazed by the fact that humans say hello by shaking hands instead of kicking each others asses like civilized beings.
But it is the truth. Nations spend more money on inventing weaponry to kill their neighbors more efficiently than they spend on their own hospitals. Governments always look for more effective ways to surpress their people and spoonfeed them propaganda instead of educating them and share knowledge and spread science. Humanity is a violent race, all of us rather willing to kill another human over something as little as the color of his skin or the name of his imaginary friend (a.k.a. "religion").
[sql]DROP TABLE humanity[/sql] would have been the only logical solution of the movie. Klaatu becoming "pussy-whipped" at the end totally ruined it for me. Also, it would have been a much better end: humanity destroyed, every last human dead, because we couldn't even get along with each other let alone the world we live on? A much better message than <typical hollywood happy ending type A>. :-/
And as for your desire: how about humanity being overtaken by telepathic parasites that melt with their host? Perhaps these parasites could completely control their hosts' emotional state, but leaving the cognitive functions (memory, logic, etc) to the host? This would allow for a "human" race without all the "anger issues" humanity currently has... ;)
Perception of violence is subjective. To a warmongering race of aliens we would probably look like a group of wimps.
"What do you mean you put your criminals in rooms and take care of them? That's silly, you're supposed to just execute them on the spot, less mouths to feed."
Quote from: NomadicPerception of violence is subjective. To a warmongering race of aliens we would probably look like a group of wimps.
"What do you mean you put your criminals in rooms and take care of them? That's silly, you're supposed to just execute them on the spot, less mouths to feed."
That may be true. But I don't suppose a "warmongering race of aliens" would be considered "highly civilized" either. :P
Perception of "civilized" is also subjective. Uncivilized is a term we apply to those whose customers values we deem inferior or less developed than those of another point of reference (usually our own).
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: Ninja D!I'm partway into season 2 on my second time watching it all the way through. I also have all the movies, including The Lost Tales and Legend of the Rangers and I have Crusade.
I have all of those, save Crusade... Never saw it before. I heard it was bad...
I won't complain too much about it being canceled. It certainly wouldn't of had a wide audience. Also, it was too much like Star Trek for my tastes in a Babylon 5 show...but it wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Quote from: Ra-TielAnd as for your desire: how about humanity being overtaken by telepathic parasites that melt with their host? Perhaps these parasites could completely control their hosts' emotional state, but leaving the cognitive functions (memory, logic, etc) to the host? This would allow for a "human" race without all the "anger issues" humanity currently has...
You mean like Invasion? Cuz that was pretty much invasion. :) (or whatever the recentish bodysnatchers remake was.) They were actually... intelligent viruses, not telepathic, but still.
Eh, I thought Day the Earth Stood Still was actually probably slightly better than Invasion. Or at least no worse.
Quote from: brainfaceDude, you're luck we don't have a sql bbcode. That could've been CATASTROPHIC.
http://xkcd.com/327/ :P
Quote from: brainfaceYou mean like Invasion? Cuz that was pretty much invasion. :) (or whatever the recentish bodysnatchers remake was.) They were actually... intelligent viruses, not telepathic, but still.
I've never heard of this "Invasion" thing. :huh:
Invasion: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427392/
It's pretty good. I liked it, but I tend to like all Sci-Fi movies that don't assume I flunked high school physics or something. The other guy watching it thought it was "okay".
Quote from: Ninja D!I have all of those, save Crusade... Never saw it before. I heard it was bad...
I won't complain too much about it being canceled. It certainly wouldn't of had a wide audience. Also, it was too much like Star Trek for my tastes in a Babylon 5 show...but it wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for what it was.
[/quote]
Ironically, this is the direction Stargate is headed in with their new show Stargate Universe... i just hope it doesn't kill the franchise like Crusade did for Babylon.
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: Ninja D!I have all of those, save Crusade... Never saw it before. I heard it was bad...
I won't complain too much about it being canceled. It certainly wouldn't of had a wide audience. Also, it was too much like Star Trek for my tastes in a Babylon 5 show...but it wasn't bad. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Ironically, this is the direction Stargate is headed in with their new show Stargate Universe... i just hope it doesn't kill the franchise like Crusade did for Babylon.
[/quote]I haven't watched much Atlantis...but to me SG-1 floundered when they left the Goa'Uld. Besides, the B5 franchise isn't really dead. JMS was allowed to make another Lost Tales but turned down the chance because Warner Brothers wasn't going to give him the budget he wanted. Sad because I thought the first one was fantastic, even if it involved just Sheridan and Lockely.
Quote from: Ninja D!I haven't watched much Atlantis...but to me SG-1 floundered when they left the Goa'Uld. Besides, the B5 franchise isn't really dead. JMS was allowed to make another Lost Tales but turned down the chance because Warner Brothers wasn't going to give him the budget he wanted. Sad because I thought the first one was fantastic, even if it involved just Sheridan and Lockely.
SG-1 completely floundered with the Ori... Honestly, the reason it floundered was not because the Ori were bad enemies (who doesn't love fighting the enemies of the ancients?) but that SG-1 attempted to rekindle that sense of desperation and urgency found during the Anubis era. The war escalated far too quickly with too many Ori ships and soldiers in our galaxy. it became a comedy of sorts of 'how best can we slapdash victory from the jaws of defeat?' To make matters worse they introduced a load of new mythology (Arthurian) as well as new struggles within Milky Way geopolitics (Jafa Nation, Lucian Alliance) and all the Ba'als running around. There was just too much going on at one time. IMO, if they had dumped the Ori, and made the last few seasons about how the Galaxy re-aligns in a post-gould era, it would have been very interesting, not to mention fun. Its not like there would have been a lack of decent adversaries (Ba'al, anti-earth Jafa leaders, the entire Lucian Alliance, etc.). The creators jumped the shark and kept jumping more as seasons 9 & 10 progressed.
As for Atlantis... Well that show is really a gem, post season 1. I haven't seen anything past season 4 (I wait for the DVD box sets, so I can watch them all in 1 go) but it became a much better show than post season 8 SG-1. I really suggest getting into it, especially now that it's ending (and gracefully I might add (unlike SG-1)). :)
EDIT: Almost forgot, I loved the Lost Tales movie, both episodes really captured the old B5 feel and inspired me to go out and buy all 5 seasons on DVD (plus the movie box set). I was really saddened to see JMS deciding not to continue the series, I really wanted to see a Garibaldi episode! :) Maybe WB will be more willing to allocate more funds in the future *crosses fingers*
I don't even know what the Ori are. I lost interest long before that and only saw a little with Anubis. I didn't like the direction they took it. The first few episodes of SG-1 are the best. You know, where they actually discuss what Earth cultures the worlds seem to be continuations of and NOT EVERYBODY SPEAKS ENGLISH.
I heard about the Arthurian stuff and I just couldn't get behind that at all.
I've thought about getting back to SG-1 and into Atlantis. Something I could watch with my GF, anyway. For myself I still have about 25 seasons of Doctor Who to get through as well as the B5 episodes / movies with commentary.
JMS just wanted more money for it and said he didn't want to dilute B5 with more sub-par stories...thing is, everyone I talked to loved The Lost Tales. No one seemed to think that was sub-par. I really wanted to see the Londo episode. JMS said he would only do more if WB would fund a theatrical release. I can't put into words how happy that would make me...
Quote from: Ninja D!I don't even know what the Ori are. I lost interest long before that and only saw a little with Anubis. I didn't like the direction they took it. The first few episodes of SG-1 are the best. You know, where they actually discuss what Earth cultures the worlds seem to be continuations of and NOT EVERYBODY SPEAKS ENGLISH.
That's easy to explain. The creators have stated that due to the limitation of an hour broadcast, & TV in general, it was necessary to make believe Daniel (or Jonas for 1 season, or Teal'c) had spent time off air learning the people's language and was playing the part of interpreter. They couldn't do this because 1) it would get old quick and 2) it would take too much on screen time, which diminishes the story as a whole. However, I would submit that much of the galaxy would know a 'common' tongue, that being Egyptian (since most of the System Lords (even the nonegyptian ones) used heiroglyphics).
Quote from: Ninja D!I heard about the Arthurian stuff and I just couldn't get behind that at all.
Actually, it was my favorite thing about the last 2 seasons of SG-1. It (and Vala) really revitalized the show (which was subsuiquently dragged down by too many story lines).
Quote from: Ninja D!I've thought about getting back to SG-1 and into Atlantis. Something I could watch with my GF, anyway. For myself I still have about 25 seasons of Doctor Who to get through as well as the B5 episodes / movies with commentary.
I can't imagine buying the entire series of Doctor Who (I'm broke just buying 1 DVD box set >.< ). Stargate will be here for a long time seeing as it is currently the most popular Sci-Fi show on TV.
Quote from: Ninja D!JMS just wanted more money for it and said he didn't want to dilute B5 with more sub-par stories...thing is, everyone I talked to loved The Lost Tales. No one seemed to think that was sub-par. I really wanted to see the Londo episode. JMS said he would only do more if WB would fund a theatrical release. I can't put into words how happy that would make me...
That would tickle me pink... Even if the movie was released in select theatres only...
I had an INSATIABLE urge to kick in Vala's head. She was the last straw for me, personally.
M.
Quote from: CheomeshI had an INSATIABLE urge to kick in Vala's head. She was the last straw for me, personally.
M.
How can you say that? She single handedly revitalized SG-1 and made group dynamics far more interesting. My biggest disappointment was that the actress who played Vala didn't sign on to be a full time cast member earlier!
What didn't you like about her?
Everything from her character pretense to the shitty attempts at humor from her. She was even worse than the failure that replaced O'Neil. She also never SHUT UP >:|
M.
Quote from: CheomeshEverything from her character pretense to the shitty attempts at humor from her. She was even worse than the failure that replaced O'Neil. She also never SHUT UP >:|
M.
You didn't like Ben Browder?
Speaking of sci-fi shows I loved, Farscape rocked (which also featured Claudia Black for those that missed it).
I feel I should stay out of this...
I couldn't stand Vala either. I think what they were shooting for was 'lovable rogue.' What I got from it was 'whiny kleptomaniac who isn't an asset in any measurable sense.'
Quote from: Elemental_ElKQuote from: Ninja D!I don't even know what the Ori are. I lost interest long before that and only saw a little with Anubis. I didn't like the direction they took it. The first few episodes of SG-1 are the best. You know, where they actually discuss what Earth cultures the worlds seem to be continuations of and NOT EVERYBODY SPEAKS ENGLISH.
That's easy to explain. The creators have stated that due to the limitation of an hour broadcast, & TV in general, it was necessary to make believe Daniel (or Jonas for 1 season, or Teal'c) had spent time off air learning the people's language and was playing the part of interpreter. They couldn't do this because 1) it would get old quick and 2) it would take too much on screen time, which diminishes the story as a whole. However, I would submit that much of the galaxy would know a 'common' tongue, that being Egyptian (since most of the System Lords (even the nonegyptian ones) used heiroglyphics).
I see that as a lame explanation. The didn't react to things like one person was translating. That still hurt the show as a whole for me. Removing those aspects damaged what I liked about it, not the other way around.
Quote from: Elemental_ElKQuote from: Ninja D!I've thought about getting back to SG-1 and into Atlantis. Something I could watch with my GF, anyway. For myself I still have about 25 seasons of Doctor Who to get through as well as the B5 episodes / movies with commentary.
I can't imagine buying the entire series of Doctor Who (I'm broke just buying 1 DVD box set >.< ). Stargate will be here for a long time seeing as it is currently the most popular Sci-Fi show on TV.
I haven't bought the newer seasons on DVD and don't know if I will ever invest that money. The older ones there are not DVDs for the whole series. There aren't even episodes for the whole series. A lot of it was scrapped. A good geek can always find what he / she wants, though.
Quote from: PhoenixQuote from: CheomeshEverything from her character pretense to the shitty attempts at humor from her. She was even worse than the failure that replaced O'Neil. She also never SHUT UP >:|
M.
You didn't like Ben Browder?
Speaking of sci-fi shows I loved, Farscape rocked (which also featured Claudia Black for those that missed it).
I didn't like that show at all.
Quote from: CheomeshEverything from her character pretense to the shitty attempts at humor from her. She was even worse than the failure that replaced O'Neil. She also never SHUT UP >:|
M.
Wha!? Wow, i can't really respond to a plain dislike. i never really thought of Vala as a controversial character. To me she was the happy go lucky thief who was redeemed by the kindness and love presented to her by Daniel.
I do have to agree on Mitchel (Ben Browder) though. I don't think it was the actor so much as the writing. He was sort of like O'Niel's weird step son that no one wants to talk to. The writers would have been better served by making him more of an action Hero, though that would have drawn too many parallels between Mitchel and Shepard & Ronnan (from Atlantis)... The weird thing was that the writers really made Jonas feel different than Daniel which allowed the audience to move past Daniel, which is why their failure with Mitchel is so shocking.
Quote from: Stargate525I feel I should stay out of this...
I couldn't stand Vala either. I think what they were shooting for was 'lovable rogue.' What I got from it was 'whiny kleptomaniac who isn't an asset in any measurable sense.'
In the beginning I would agree with you. She was just a Klepto Rogue but the character grew SO much over the course of 2 seasons, to the point where she really became the true 4th member of SG-1 in my eyes (as opposed to Mitchel). I just feel Vala brought such a feminine vibe to a show that, in all honesty, Carter could never really portray. I really enjoyed Vala.
Quote from: Ninja D!I see that as a lame explanation. The didn't react to things like one person was translating. That still hurt the show as a whole for me. Removing those aspects damaged what I liked about it, not the other way around.
It never bothered me. Honestly, it was such a burden the first few seasons that it was simply easier to drop it and get on with a great show.
Quote from: Ninja D!I haven't bought the newer seasons on DVD and don't know if I will ever invest that money. The older ones there are not DVDs for the whole series. There aren't even episodes for the whole series. A lot of it was scrapped. A good geek can always find what he / she wants, though.
Very true. I've seen some of the earlier stuff and, IMO, the new/revamped show is much better (even if I have to suffer through an entire season with the 9th Doctor). :)
Admittedly the writing and stories for Browder's SG-1 character were certainly weaker than those for his Farscape one.
But yeah, maybe it was hard to find a niche for the character. You wouldn't want to type-cast as one too much like Chricton. And Daniel/Sam already covered the intellectual, Teal'C the badass/wry humor guy. That only left something like O'Neil's ironic leadership and reluctant heroism, or pure comic relief (which wouldn't work as well for a field leader).
Quote from: PhoenixAdmittedly the writing and stories for Browder's SG-1 character were certainly weaker than those for his Farscape one.
But yeah, maybe it was hard to find a niche for the character. You wouldn't want to type-cast as one too much like Chricton. And Daniel/Sam already covered the intellectual, Teal'C the badass/wry humor guy. That only left something like O'Neil's ironic leadership and reluctant heroism, or pure comic relief (which wouldn't work as well for a field leader).
Which is why, maybe, they should have cast a new female to replace O'Niel. Nothing is more opposite of a male than a female. They could have made her more of a Commander Shelby (from TNG episodes "The Best of Both Worlds") -esque character. Meaning some one who is on the fast track to General-ship and is often unsympathetic towards those under her. As the first season with her proceeds, she softens up, slightly and bonds with Daniel (the obvious choice). She would be the bull headed 'marine' of the group. Alternatively, they could have made Jack's replacement a Russian, which would have been a true break with the past and could have opened more doors for interesting geo-political sub-plots.
The writers had far more avenues open to themselves than 'a corn fed Jack O'Niel.'
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: Ninja D!I see that as a lame explanation. The didn't react to things like one person was translating. That still hurt the show as a whole for me. Removing those aspects damaged what I liked about it, not the other way around.
It never bothered me. Honestly, it was such a burden the first few seasons that it was simply easier to drop it and get on with a great show.
I didn't see it as a burden at all. I saw it as the best thing about the show. It wasn't really the first few seasons, either. It was pretty much only the first few episodes.
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: Ninja D!I haven't bought the newer seasons on DVD and don't know if I will ever invest that money. The older ones there are not DVDs for the whole series. There aren't even episodes for the whole series. A lot of it was scrapped. A good geek can always find what he / she wants, though.
I didn't have a problem with Christopher Eccelston. I kind of liked him. Of course, I don't think I'll ever like a Doctor better than David Tennant. I don't have very high hopes for the new guy. I'm giving the show one season with the new Doctor and production crew but if it turns out like the 'The Next Doctor' Christmas special, that show and I may have to part ways.
This thread is so derailed...
We may as well derail it further. What are others all time favorite sci-fi shows (if you had to pick only one)? I already mentioned mine was B5.
Quote from: PhoenixThis thread is so derailed...
We may as well derail it further. What are others all time favorite sci-fi shows (if you had to pick only one)? I already mentioned mine was B5.
Yeah, at first I felt a little bad...then it just went so far off track there was no turning back. I should have created a new thread when I had the thought.
Quote from: PhoenixWe may as well derail it further. What are others all time favorite sci-fi shows (if you had to pick only one)? I already mentioned mine was B5.
I love B5 and Stargate, Star Trek and Star Wars are obvious favorites... Sliders is a good dark horse favorite, at least the early seasons... OH! Earth: Final Conflict is a good call. I loved that show.
I watched Sliders when it was originally on but never got into it when the Sci-Fi channel revived it.
I like early Stargate SG-1.
I love all things Babylon 5.
Firefly is amazing. 'nuff said.
I also have been enjoying me some Doctor Who but I would consider that more fantasy as it tend to completely ignore logical science.
Firefly... Why did they have to cancel that show? loved it...
I thought Firefly was too western. Never been a western fan.
Is the remake of B5 any good? I've never seen any of them, old or new.
M.
Firefly was canceled because Fox put it in a bad time slot with heavy competition and aired the episodes out of order. It never had the chance to build a large fan base.
There are no B5 remakes....
I don't really get why Companies air episodes out of order. Cartoon Network is doing that with 6teen... its so annoying.
Quote from: Elemental_ElfI don't really get why Companies air episodes out of order. Cartoon Network is doing that with 6teen... its so annoying.
Because they're run by execs who have no idea that some shows have continuity.
Quote from: Ninja D!Firefly was canceled because Fox put it in a bad time slot with heavy competition and aired the episodes out of order. It never had the chance to build a large fan base.
Sign of a good show: When it can build a fanbase large enough for a movie DESPITE all that shit.
Quote from: Stargate525Quote from: Ninja D!Firefly was canceled because Fox put it in a bad time slot with heavy competition and aired the episodes out of order. It never had the chance to build a large fan base.
Sign of a good show: When it can build a fanbase large enough for a movie DESPITE all that shit.
Indeed. If Fox were willing to release the rights, the Sci Fi channel wanted to bring the show back. Of course, Fox was making too much money off of DVD sales to do that. Bastards.
The comics are almost as good as the show, though. They just don't come out often enough.
Quote from: Ninja D!Sign of a good show: When it can build a fanbase large enough for a movie DESPITE all that shit.
Indeed. If Fox were willing to release the rights, the Sci Fi channel wanted to bring the show back. Of course, Fox was making too much money off of DVD sales to do that. Bastards.
[/quote]
And yet they wouldn't buy Enterprise even though the last season redeemed, in my eyes, then entire series (except the last episode, which was (I suppose) meant to feel epic and cyclical but utterly, utterly failed).
Wait, I thought B5 had a remake? Wasn't the original a 70s or 80's show?
M.
That's Battlestar Galactica.
You're right, silly me. Any good?
M.
Quote from: Elemental_ElfQuote from: Ninja D!Indeed. If Fox were willing to release the rights, the Sci Fi channel wanted to bring the show back. Of course, Fox was making too much money off of DVD sales to do that. Bastards.
And yet they wouldn't buy Enterprise even though the last season redeemed, in my eyes, then entire series (except the last episode, which was (I suppose) meant to feel epic and cyclical but utterly, utterly failed).
But, you see, there were probably many people like me that watched the first season of that show with high hopes and, when those hopes were ripped apart, stopped watching regularly. In my case, even the later episodes I did see didn't catch my interest. I wouldn't have watched it on the Sci-Fi channel, either. If you drive away your audience early, you're doomed.
Quote from: CheomeshYou're right, silly me. Any good?
M.
The new Battlestar Galactica is excellent (at least up to the third season, which I have yet to see), actually. I'm a fan of the old one, too. I used to watch it every day after school, until it was replaced by B5...then I watched that.