Summer: Time to look at new movies!

Well, summer is finally here and we can finally take a break and watch some of the many recent, highly anticipated science fiction movies that have come out. There have been some really nice additions recently that science fiction fans can all kick back and enjoy. Here are some highlights:

The most popular ones:

Star Trek: After quite some time, our old friends, the famous crew of the USS Enterprise are back! Yep, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, and especially Captain James T. Kirk are back in uniform, younger, and more spiced up. This is about the early days of Kirk's career, the building of the Enterprise, and the formation of the crew after leaving the Starfleet Academy. I'm sure hardcore fans will enjoy a comeback from their beloved franchise despite some incongruity with the original series, but this movie is intended to gain a bigger audience and welcome new fans of Star Trek. The original show is an old classic. "This is not your father's Star Trek,"a quote from the filmmakers really says something about this film. The makers of this film have highly modernized everything and have used more CGI than ever. The character are played by new, and younger actors, but some of the old ones will also show themselves somehow. All sci-fi fans should consider seeing this.


Terminator: Salvation: This is the fourth Terminator film. After all the talk of a future war between man and machine in the previous films with Arnold Schwarzenegger, it has finally come! Christian Bale from Batman will play as John Conner, leading humanity's struggle for survival against the machines. This apocalyptic war is filled with heavy usage of CGI, cool robots and lots of action. I have been told to try not to let my nostalgia of the wonderful Terminator 2 ruin my enjoyment of this film. See how you like it.

Other ones you should check out:

Monsters vs. Aliens: A lot of kids will probably enjoy this 3D computer animated movie. Earth is attacked by powerful aliens. Humanity cannot defend itself. The main character is a girl who gets hit by a meteorite and turns into a giant. She is taken to a secret government facility where she becomes part of a rag-tag team of monsters who will have to job of saving the Earth.

Battle for Terra (or just Terra): Another nice computer-animated movie. There is a beautiful planet called Terra inhabited by cute little aliens which faces destruction from colonization by the displaced remainder of the human race. This this the story of a Mala, a teenage Terrian and her struggle to save her planet and species. This film shows how precious and vital our natural resources are.

Land of the Lost: This is a nice adventure comedy about a scientist played by will Ferrell who gets sucked into a space-time vortex with some friends. They explore fantastic lands in this parallel universe of strange creatures, dinosaurs. You don't have to be a Sci-fi fan to enjoy this funny adventurous film.

Knowing: This story takes place in the present. A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: A remake of the classic 1951 film. When a sphere from outer space lands in the Central Park in Manhattan, a group of scientists are summoned by the American government under the call of the Secretary of Defense Regina Jackson. The reborn alien form Klaatu is brought to a military facility and Dr. Helen Benson decides to help him to escape and become the only chance to save the mankind from destruction.

Alien Trespass: If you enjoy those good ole B-movies of the past, you might want to watch this. After crash landing near a desert town, an alien enlists the help of a local waitress to re-capture a monster that escaped from the wreckage of his space ship.

Race to Witch Mountain: A production by Disney worth looking at. A Las Vegas cabbie enlists the help of a UFO expert to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.

Robots of War (we are really getting there)

Robots have been a fascination for man-kind even before their invention because of the imaginative minds of science-fiction writers and producers. Many have hope for this amazing field of technology in that it will enhance our lives, allow us to explore where no human can go, provide for more efficient and precise labor, or become good companions. Science-fiction has reflected these optimistic views with movies like, Forbidden Planet, Star Wars, Star Trek, Lost in Space, Bicentennial Man and various stories by Issac Asimov among others. Many others however, have a grim view on the future of these things and often fear them. Their fears run from losing jobs to having too much control over out lives to becoming dangerous. There have been countless stories and movies that reflect this pessimistic view on this growing technology. IRobot, Terminator, The Matrix, Doctor Who, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Metropolis, et cetera. Well recently, the the constant, unstopable advancing of technology has led to further involvement of robots in warfare, particularily in America.

The U.S. military went into Iraq with just a handful of robotic drones in the air and zero unmanned systems on the ground, none of them armed. Today there are more than 5,300 drones in the U.S. inventory and about another 12,000 on the ground. These can spy on the enemy and if they get caught, they can't be persuaded to tell secrets. They have saved thousands of lives, defusing hundreds of bombs and IEDs in Iraq and taking out scores of terrorist leaders hiding in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including most recently two key Al Qaeda leaders. But they also have no pulse and have killed at least three people who the United States thought were Osama bin Laden, but who later turned out not to be.

Many call this the precedings to a revolution in warefare. Though far from buff androids that look like Arnold, this could still change both how and who fights in battles. It can also create confusion and numerious dillemas in diplomacy and strategy, many of which are probably unforseen.

One senior State Department official, believe that it all "plays to our strength. The thing that scares people is our technology." But a leading news editor in Lebanon described this as "just another sign of coldhearted, cruel Israelis and Americans, who are also cowards because they send out machines to fight us. ... They don't want to fight us like real men. ... So we just have to kill a few of their soldiers to defeat them." Or, as one American military analyst put it, "The optics of the situation could look really freaking bad. It makes us look like the "evil Empire" [from "Star Wars"] and the other guys like the "Rebel Alliance," defending themselves versus robot invaders."

Though, I repeat, we are nowhere close to robots replacing soldiers and controling the battlefield, we cannot deny the fact that science in growing at an exponential rate, and cannot be stopped. Once wars get increasingly desperate, and lives are lost, and technology become ever more tempting, someone WILL use this growing technology to attain their goal, whatever that may be. These robots have done their jobs well, while keeping Americans safe, but have created diplomatic situations and in some incidences have killed the wrong people.

The X Files (plus the new movie)

I'm sure every fan of one of the greatest science fiction shows ever created was overjoyed from the news that there is a new X Files film. I think the title is perfect,
X Files: I Want to Believe.

The first movie, Fight the Future was about the great government conspiracy story that was a central point in the series plot. This will be different. If you haven't seen the movie yet you are not supposed to know what the plot is.
But I can give a short background on what the X Files is about. Fox Mulder, one of the main characters, is an FBI agent who is devoted to investigating paranormal mysteries. Such an interest has gained him an unfavorable reputation within the Bureau and he is often mockingly referred to as "Spooky" Mulder. Agent Dana Scully who is also a medical doctor is a skeptic and is assigned to Mulder to watch over him and control his unorthodox methods. Together, they face a wide variety of strange cases involving UFOs, aliens, bizarre events, government conspiracies, strange creatures, and the supernatural.

Fans have categorized two main types of episodes. One is a story about a large conspiracy within the government involving alien visitation and contact and a coordinated invasion. Mulder has devoted his life to finding out the truth about this. These episodes are referred to as the Mytharc or Mythology. The other type of episode is the Monster of the Week. These are stand alone episodes involving some kind of strange creature or being. These became more popular and accessible to newcomers as the mythology became ever more complex.

For 9 years the X files have sure developed quite a cult following. Its opening music, the characters, the intriguing slogans (e.g., "The Truth Is Out There", "Trust No One", "I Want to Believe") have all become pop culture touchstones. It has really inspired people to watch the skies and watch their backs and explore the world. The only science fiction show that was more popular than this is Star Trek. But that is more a collection of shows.

The 90s was the perfect time for the X Files. It was a time when there was much widespread mistrust of governments, interest in conspiracy theories and spirituality, and belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Now with the cold war long gone and a lot of changes, many are satisfied that there really are no alien conspiracies, that the Roswell crash was secret military equipment not an alien craft or a weather balloon. We now know that most of the cover ups had to do with terrorists or military hardware and research or the Cold War. The old guys in the military-industrial complex can't handle state-building in Afghanistan let alone coordinate an alien invasion. More people have too many things to think about already. Frankly the world is more concerned about other things now. I can't help but feel a bit of decade-nostalgia for those days.

However, there are and always be those among us who are still fascinated and mystified by the strange unexplained mysteries that are present in this world. Humans are inquisitive by nature and want to believe in something greater, more magical, more interesting. Fox Mulder represents that quality. Dana Scully is the skeptic who relies on previous scientific information and provides medical information. She is extremely intelligent and resourceful. She serves to keep Mulder honest and rational. Scully is the only person Mulder can truly trust. Apart from those are the fan favorite amateur investigators and hackers, The Lone Gunmen, whose skill, and charisma have earned a special place in the series.

This new movie is like a high school reunion. We are happy to see Mulder and Scully again after 6 years of change. Though many have been disappointing with this film, I thinks the loyal fans will surely enjoy it. Richard Roper seems to like it very much!
Chris Carter said if this movie does well financially, another X Files film will be made. This one may involve the great conspiracy. So I advise all fans to pitch in and watch this current movie or get the DVD!