THE RETURN OF SCI-FI (DISTRICT 9, STAR TREK, MOON)

I love science fiction. Every breed of it. I can jive with our grandparents’ sci-fi: black and white “I can see the zipper on that corny looking alien’s suit” type stuff; classics like War of the Worlds (not the rehash with Tom crazy couch-jumping Cruise, the ‘50s one) and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Hell, I even love the so bad it’s good ones like Night of the Lupus and stuff ripe for Mystery Science Theater mockery.

I dig the pre-Star Wars ‘60s-‘70s retro, “they must’ve been high as a kite getting an earful of some Pink Floyd when they thought of this” type bizarre, imaginative flicks with special effects so cheesy Chester the Cheetah might threaten to sue (i.e. Logan’s Run, Zardoz). I treated the Star Wars (the first three of course) series like some kind of false idol for a good chunk of my life and while I don’t dream of being a Jedi anymore, I still think it’s some of the best sci-fi ever committed to celluloid.

Speaking of trilogies, the Back to the Future flicks were a bit of a childhood obsession as well that I still consider excellent examples of great sci-fi. Then there was Brazil, Blade Runner, 12 Monkeys, The Matrix and then…the drought. Post-Matrix, you could count the good sci-fi flicks on one hand. I’m not saying they haven’t been producing sci-fi, I’m saying other there’s only been one or maybe two (if that) good sci-fi movies a year in the last decade.

Serenity and Sunshine were awesome (and The Mist was surprisingly cool; particularly the ballsy, brutally grim ending), but I struggle to come up with much else worth recommending or even remembering. Sci-fi was dying. So, they gave us shoddy (or maybe I mean shitty) unnecessary remakes (i.e. The Day the Earth Stood Still). But in my humble opinion, we saw sci-fi return with a vengeance in 2009.

Surrogates (09) was an enjoyable enough time-waster, but not a good film. Parts of Knowing (09) were rad, but it tried to be or do too many things and the result was an interesting mess but not a good one (it progressively got more ridiculous as well). But three amazing films were added to the canon this past year, and each was probably strong enough on its own to pull sci-fi out of genre purgatory and thrust it back into the realm of quality entertainment.

DISTRICT 9 (09):

The film takes place in an alternate timeline, beginning with a sequence of newsreels and documentary-like footage to explain the situation. In 1982, an alien ship crash-lands on Earth in South Africa. 28 years later, the extraterrestrial race that was aboard the ship are subjugated and quarantined and forced to live in slum-like conditions in a militarized ghetto.

A munitions corporation is contracted to evict the alien population, nicknamed “Prawns.” Wikus van der Merwe, head of the operation, is exposed to alien biotech and is forced to rely on the prawns for help. This movie has imagination to spare. Neil Blomkamp has penned a brilliant allegory about post-apartheid conflict in South Africa.

Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus, does an astounding job with his role, which is critical because his character’s development is a central focus of the film. Even the prawn he befriends is a more well rounded character than you would typically find in a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster and he’s a freaking CGI alien.

The action sequences are magnificent, the camerawork is spot-on for this type of film, and once things really get going they don’t slow down. This sucker moves, and those seeking thrills will get their money’s worth and more. Most importantly though, this is smart sci-fi. The story is superb and Blomkamp does an excellent job tackling a difficult subject in a provocative way. There are minor flaws, but nothing that truly detracts or distracts from what is all-in-all one of the best and most powerful movies I’ve seen all year.

Some will argue that it’s a tad predictable or clichéd, but they are missing the point and ignoring the real focus and purpose of the film. My advice to you is to read a bit about post-apartheid South Africa and watch it in the context of the allegory that it is meant to be. Focus on Wikus transformation and the ingenious commentary/subtext regarding human nature and violence. This is destined to be a sci-fi classic for years to come. 9/10

STAR TREK (09):

Beam me up, Scottie, to a damn good time at the movies. This reboot of the popular sci-fi franchise delivers the goods and thensome. You don’t have to be a Trekkie to enjoy this space romp. In fact, newcomers and naïve non-nerds might get even more of a kick out of this new Trek, because unlike the Trekkers (many of them prefer this term apparently), they won’t have anything to nitpick and throw a conniption over (except maybe a debatable plot hole or contrivance or two, but this is sci-fi people, c’mon).

J.J. Abram’s & Co. managed to successfully revamp and reboot the series and provide one of the most entertaining movie-going experiences this year. The casting directors deserve a big Obama fistbump for their apt choices: Syler as Spok, Simon Pegg as Scottie, Harold minus Kumar as Sulu, and Aussie badass/the Hulk Eric Bana as rogue Romulan nemesis Nero (Chris Pine even shines as Kirk). And way to write in an extended cameo/critical role for Mr. Nimoy (a.k.a. the OG Spok).

For anyone that just wanted to see stuff get blown up in outer space, you’ll be satisfied with the fireworks on display here. For those that also like a provocative story, superb characterization and consistently clever dialogue, it’s got all that and a bag of popcorn (if you bought one, which I didn’t cuz’ that shit’s expensive as hell).

For the Trekkers, the film’s loaded with throwbacks, pretty much stays within the existing Star Trek universe, and provides an origin story for Kirk and crew. (There are no serious blasphemies here, so shut your mouth you bad mutha Trekkers!) And for all of you ADHD, MTV-watching “everything’s gay” types, this movie is more fast-paced than The Flash (the Marvel character), more exhilarating than a firecracker up your butt (except in a good way), and infused with smart humor to offset the glut of awesome action/adventure scenes and the occasional emotionally resonant story arc. If the new Trek franchise stays this good, I hope it will live long and prosper. 8.7/10

MOON (09):

You’ve probably never heard of it, but this is one of my favorite movies of the year. Compared to the big-budget Hollywood blockbuster Star Trek (09), Moon seems incredibly minimalist, but this does not make it any less good. Though his movie is much smaller in scope, first-time director Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie) shoves just as big of a spark plug up sci-fi’s ass, breathing new and beautiful life into a seemingly forgotten or neglected genre.

Moon takes place almost entirely in one location and primarily concerns a cast of one. And yet, the story, the acting, and the directing are all so sublime that the film engages and resonates at a level many Hollywood popcorn flicks could never achieve. Sam Rockwell is brilliant as usual as astronaut Sam Bell, whose three-year solitary stint on the moon mining for Helium-3 (a significant, much-coveted energy source in this future) is finally coming to an end.

He is excited about returning to Earth and seeing his wife, but things take a strange and unfortunate turn in the last few days of his journey. Sam is getting a bit squirrelly and we wonder if the drama that unfolds is really happening or merely playing out in his muddled mind. I’m being purposefully vague, since this is a film with an intriguing narrative that probes the human condition and touches on many issues and to say too much would spoil the whole show.

This is thought-provoking sci-fi that does not need aliens or light sabers to entertain, but it is worth mentioning that a la 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sam’s only companion on the ship is a HAL-like robot named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey!). It’s not the action or special effects spectacle that some viewers crave, but if you desire food for thought this flick’ll tickle your brain’s palate. 8.8/10