Tag Archives: sci-fi

Although the story will need to add some more complexity if it is to carry future issues, the humor in 'It Came!' is first-rate and the artwork, done in a sort of cleaned-up 'Dick Tracy'-esque style, is very good.

In terms of B-movie essentials 'Riddick' delivers nasty deaths, turn-off-your-brain plot, neat technology, bad CGI and gratuitous nudity, yet the gaps between action scenes are too long and too stationary to carry through. The best creature features know how to play silence as terror; 'Riddick' treats silence as empty.

'Grabbers' is a fun and likable comedy-horror/sci-fi hybrid that fans of this genre in general, and Shaun of the Dead in particular, will definitely appreciate.

What keeps 'The Shining Girls' from being just another popular paperback novel on the rack at the airport is the addition of a dash of Stephen King-esque supernatural, and I truly enjoyed the idea of this sci-fi augmentation to what was a decently written thriller.

Bluewater Comics' treatment of 'Logan's Run' in these three collected volumes are all very much enjoyable in their own way, and as a whole they constitute one of those rare sequels that enhance and deepen the appreciation of fondly remembered source material.

In what is turning out to be a highly successful collaboration between Stephen Baxter and the author of the popular Discworld series, Terry Pratchett, 'The Long War' is an absorbing story that insightfully explores the political, sociological, and theological implications of the Long Earth.

We loathe our corrupt governments and hate our two-faced presidents and iron-fist dictators, but by seeking to overthrow them as a result of our unhappiness, we become them. 'Snowpiercer' offers a different solution.

I loved the idea behind 'Writing Fantasy Heroes,' and it has some good advice for writers, but the execution left something to be desired. I recommend using it more as a reference book than something you read from cover to cover.

There is even greatness somewhere beneath the surface of 'Elysium.' But the film doesn’t do the needed digging to bring out its potential. It definitely packs a punch. It just doesn’t know where to aim.

'Snowpiercer' is a masterpiece. As far as futuristic, allegorical dystopian sci-fi epics go, it is of the highest order, on a par with classics like '2001: A Space Odyssey,' 'Blade Runner,' 'Terminator 2' and 'Children of Men.'

'Pacific Rim: The Video Game' is SO bad, I'm pretty sure that for every minute you play it, a kitten somewhere dies. It's the arcade equivalent of shoving $10 worth of quarters up your ass. Enjoy!

The release of both 'Pacific Rim' and 'Grown Ups 2' this past weekend and their respective box office intake raises a growing concern on the current state of not just the film industry, but on those who keep it alive: us.

In a summer where most of the big, event movies have been overly cheerless, 'Pacific Rim' arrives like a titan to defend moviegoers from the gloom of monster blockbusters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the strength to prevent a' barrage of clichés from beating it down.

'Turbulence' is entertaining and full of funny, knowing witticisms that could only come from a genuine, longtime fan of comics and superheroes. Besides, it’s refreshing to see the fate of the world, for once, hang in the balance of non-Western characters.

"Damn it, Jim, I'm a discriminating gamer, not an adulating fanboy!" As so very badly as I wanted to passionately LOVE 'Stark Trek' whose development I‘d been following for what seemed like light years, I’m afraid that my final reactions have left me feeling like quite the Vulcan.