The Fate of the Future
Is this simply inevitable when it comes to long running franchises? Does the weight of continuity and content naturally reach a breaking point? Or is there someway to avoid this? One person who did know how to build a franchise which lasts was none other than Gene Roddenberry.
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In 1965 Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction novel Dune was released. Though initially rejected over 20 times by other publishers, the novel went on to receive widespread acclaim, multiple awards and become one of if not the best selling science fiction novel of all time. Long before blockbusters like Star Wars, the task of translating the book to the big screen was thought to be impossible. But after multiple attempts, in the 1980s a movie version of this unfilmable work finally made it to the big screen.
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Returning to the Wing Commander series now. While Rowan appreciated Wing Commander III Heart of the Tiger a lot, he had heard Wing Commander IV The Price of Freedom was even better. Spoiler alert: it is.
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A wee reupload from Side Adventure: Here’s a look at one of the few FMV games which wasn’t sh*t, Wing Commander III Heart of the Tiger.
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For the longest time the sci-fi genre was defined by the titans of Star Trek and Star Wars. But 1997’s The Fifth Element by French filmmaker Luc Besson came at the genre from a totally different angle. With its colourful visuals, otherworldly soundtrack and explosive action, The Fifth Element remains a unique entry in the sci-fi genre to this day.
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In 2003 science fiction television was changed forever following the release of Battlestar Galactica. While it’s final season and ultimate ending were highly controversial, it was clear there was still appetite for more Galactica stories, thus the end of the series wouldn’t be the last we heard from this version of the Battlestar Galactica universe.
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Star Trek Picard has finally ended after three seasons. Looking back at the series as a whole, it’s a pretty mixed bag. We got two seasons of Picard running around with a new ragtag group of characters, getting into some Tal Shiar and Timey Whimey shenanigans, before the series essentially threw in the towel and made it’s third season an extended fan service laden tribute to The Next Generation. So what happened here? Why is Star Trek Picard such a mess? Where did Star Trek Picard go wrong?
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Rowan recently released his Battlestar Galactica (2003) Retrospective/Review, which he’s happy to say is doing very well. However he feels as though he could have gone into more depth in the season 4 segment. Therefore this video is here to expand on the themes and ideas of Battlestar Galactica season 4 and a lot of that has to do with the “God” question. While a lot of fans felt as though this element of the show didn’t have much payoff, this video is here to explain what exactly the whole “God” thing was about in Battlestar Galactica.
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In the late 1970s, the epic space opera Battlestar Galactica debuted to strong ratings and box office success. However it was largely dismissed at the time as a shallow Star Wars ripoff and was cancelled after a single season. However a cult fan base continued to celebrate the series and over the years they wishes for a continuation. Battlestar Galactica would eventually return in 2003, but not in the form anyone expected.
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In the late 1970s, following the release of Star Wars, the wider film industry was scrambling to find their own answer to George Lucas’ monster sci-fi hit. For Paramount, this lead directly to the production of Star Trek The Motion Picture. Disney’s response came in the form of Black Hole. But Universal’s Star Wars cash in – Battlestar Galactica – would go on to have a far more unique legacy among the titans of science fiction.
Superman Movie Retrospective, Part 3: Despite the behind the scenes conflicts of Superman The Movie which saw director Richard Donner fired, Superman II was still a huge success. Capitalising on this, the Salkinds moved forward with a third Superman movie. However due in large part to an awkwardly crowbared in Richard Pryor, Superman III is where things started to go off the rails.
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After the surprise and smash hits of RoboCop and Total Recall, Paul Verhoeven’s career in Hollywood took a hit following the flop of Showgirls. In order to get things back on track, he once again ventured into the science fiction genre with Starship Troopers. Though an adaptation of the Robert A Heinlein novel, Verhoeven’s take on the themes of the book resulted in a much different political message in the movie. Nevertheless it would form the final chapter of the Paul Verhoeven Sci-Fi Masterpiece Trilogy!
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In 1978 RoboCop hit the big screen. Written by Ed Neuemier and Michael Miner, many assumed it would be a piece of schlock. However under the direction of Paul Verhoeven, RoboCop became a surprise hit and recieved critical acclaim. In 1990 Paul Verhoeven would make another forway into the sci-fi genre with the Philip K Dick adaptation Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Superman Retrospective, Part 2: After an arduous and expensive production, Superman The Movie won widespread critical acclaim and became a box office smash. Its influence would be felt across the cinematic landscape for decades. However, as director Richard Donner and the cast prepared to resume filming on Superman II it wasn’t long before they ran into trouble… The chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:32 Development/Richard Donner’s Firing
05:55 Production
10:20 Superman II (1980)
15:20 Release and Reception
16:10 Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
17:35 Outro
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The 1980s was a great decade for science fiction. Between Star Wars and Star Trek, original blockbusters and scrappy low budget B-movies, my favourite three from this era make up what I call the “Paul Verhoeven Sci-Fi Masterpiece Trilogy.” Those movies are Starship Troopers, Total Recall and the subject of this retrospective, Robocop!
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