My Movie Report Card - A Look Back The 2013 Sci-Fi Films I Saw and My Grades For Them

My 2013 Sci-Fi Movie Report Card

It was a great year for science fiction in the theaters and on television.  I spent a lot of time at the movies this year, the most I have since I closed my theater.  I liked most of what I saw and loved some of what I saw.  So I thought I would recount the movies I saw in the theaters and a few on television and assign grades to them.   I also took the time to compile the ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB just to see how I stacked up against them.  I think the results are interesting.  You may agree or disagree with my grades, and please feel free to feed back to me on Facebook, Twitter, or G+ if you wish.  I would love to know what you think, one way or the other.  So here are my grades of the films I saw.  In each the title is also a link to my review of the film in question.

After Earth

Tomatometer: 11%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 38%

IMDB: 5/10

My Grade: A-

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit.  One thing that helped my enjoyment of this movie was reading the prequel book After Earth: A Perfect Beast by Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, and Peter David.  While others have mentioned that they don’t like Jaden Smith, I had no problem with her performance.  The scenery for this film was breathtaking and the story was solid.   It is a fun movie, but I would have liked to see more action from Will Smith, whom I have come to respect as an outstanding actor.

Elysium

Tomatometer: 69%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 62%

IMDB: 6.8/10

My Grade: A

An action packed film with a decent story and a few surprises.  It centered around the state of health care in the future, with the haves versus the have-nots.  The story was solid, and action was nonstop, and the performances of the actors were well done.  While the main character, portrayed by Matt Damon, wound up sacrificing himself in the end, it was satisfying to see that his sacrifice was not in vain, and the poor downtrodden did finally prevail.

Ender’s Game

Tomatometer: 61%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 74%

IMDB: 7.2/10

My Grade: A+

I read the book in preparation for seeing this film and was impressed that the film actually was the book.  I completely recognized the characters in the film and thought they were played excellently by the actors.  The parts of the book that weren’t in the film didn’t affect the film at all and so it wound up being Ender’s story.  The visual effects were outstanding and on a large scale.  For me, it was superior in every way, and it was a film that I was able to take my family to.  It was great to see Harrison Ford back as well.

Europa Report

Tomatometer: 79%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 59%

IMDB: 6.5/10

My Grade: B

A found footage style film, which I am not a big fan of, was a decent film with no big named actors.  I was not able to watch this in the theater because it was held to a limited release; too bad too because I would have loved to see this on the big screen.  The visuals were incredible.  I found the story a bit hard to follow at times not understanding where some of the dialog was relevant to the film.  I was also a little taken aback when I learned that there are giant luminescent squid on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.  In order to see this, I bought it on BluRay, so I will be seeing it again to see if the parts that didn’t fit for me will become a little more clear.

Gravity

Tomatometer: 97%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 85%

IMDB: 8.4/10

My Grade: A+

From the first time I saw the trailer for this film, I knew that I had to see it.  The plot wasn’t all that remarkable; just a rehash of a theme of survival of a single person, but it was done well.  Were there plot holes?  Oh yeah, there were plot holes big enough to fly the ISS through.  But despite the inconsistencies with physical science and orbital mechanics, this was still a great film and one of the best of the year as far as I was concerned.  One didn’t have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate it.  The visuals were absolutely stunning.  Sandra Bullock and George Clooney played their parts as astronauts well.  I am looking forward to getting this on BluRay when it is released, the sooner the better.

Invasion Roswell

Tomatometer: N/A

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: N/A

IMDB: 4.2/10

My Grade: C

SyFy advertised the heck out of this movie for its television release.  I just had to give it a look.  This was an unintentionally comical movie that surprisingly held my attention for two hours.  I laughed most of the way through it because it reminded me of the films that they used to poke fun at on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show.  I could actually imagine Mike and the robots comments.  One of Syfy’s big selling points was that Denise Crosby was the star.  I suppose that they were hoping to get us Trekkies watching because of this, and it worked, at least in my case.  Crosby actually played a very small part in the film.  For me, I thought this movie was so bad, it was good, or at least it was entertaining for its high level of stupidity.

Iron Man 3

Tomatometer: 78%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 80%

IMDB: 7.4/10

My Grade: D

I am not a fan of the Iron Man film franchise to begin with, but of the three Iron Man films, I didn’t like this one the most.  Yes, I know I am in the minority, and I’m okay with that.  For me, this film was not as much about Iron Man as it was a two-hour Robert Downey Jr. running stand-up comedy act.  It was nothing but a string of lame jokes and backhanded remarks that did nothing to add to the story.  I didn’t care about the characters, and I didn’t care about the story.  Add to that the way they destroyed one of the best characters of Marveldom (the Mandarin), and demolished another one of the coolest characters, War Machine (changing him into Iron Patriot), left me cold.  The two things that were good and saved this from me giving a grade of ‘F’ was that the visuals were good, and that Tony Stark decided to hang up the armor at the end.  I hope it stays that way, because I am hanging up on this franchise until some major changes are made.

The Last Days On Mars

Tomatometer: 20%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 29%

IMDB: 5.5/10

My Grade: C+

Fine performances from a good cast, good sets, and good locations couldn’t make up for a weak story and script.  Films using the subject of Mars haven’t been very great movies in the past and this one is not an exception.  What starts out as an interesting film soon deteriorates into a sci-fi/horror version of a zombie apocalypse on the Red Planet.

Man Of Steel

Tomatometer: 56%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 76%

IMDB: 7.4/10

My Grade: A+

In the review of this film, I called this the best superhero film I have ever seen, and that still holds up.  This reboot of the superman story had everything I want to see in a film.  Great characters, great writing, great story, and great filming.  But what stole the show for me was Michael Shannon’s portrayal as General Zod.  He was incredible as the single minded guardian of the people of Krypton.  In previous incarnations, Zod was just evil, but in this movie, he was a character trying to fulfill his role in his society.  Some have complained that Superman killed Zod, which goes against what Superman stands for, but in my estimation, Superman had no choice in the matter.  I am eager to see the next installment of this saga that includes an aging Batman, and perhaps even Wonder Woman.

Oblivion

Tomatometer: 54%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 61%

IMDB: 7/10

My Grade: A

Not a very fast moving film, but one that challenges one to think a bit.  I thought this was one of Tom Cruse’s best films.  It was an original story and the ending was somewhat reminiscent of the ending of Logan’s Run.  I liked the vehicles and the scenery and the surprises that were in this film.

Pacific Rim

Tomatometer: 72%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 78%

IMDB: 7.1/10

My Grade: B+

This was a visual effects romp that didn’t pretend to be anything more than it was, just a fun film with robots fighting monsters.  There were lots of cool moments during battle scenes.  This film didn’t require its audience to think, and was nothing but action from beginning to end.  There was really no hard hitting story, nor was there much character development, it was just a good sci-fi/action film, as it was apparently intended to be.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Tomatometer: 87%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 90%

IMDB: 7.9/10

My Grade: A-

While I thought Into Darkness was a great film, I didn’t think it was a great Star Trek film.  What I wanted was a new and fresh Trek story from JJ Abrams.  After all, he did what I though was an awesome job of creating an alternate timeline for the franchise, I wanted and was expecting a new story, but instead we get a retelling of TWOK.  I have a few nit-picky problems with Into Darkness which I covered in my review on the blog.  I am very comfortable with the actors playing the classic Enterprise crew, and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch did a fine job portraying Kahn, but I didn’t care for the look of the new Klingons.  I am relieved to learn that JJ will not be directing the next film, and am likewise relieved that there will be a new writing team.  Perhaps we will finally get something new.

Thor: The Dark World

Tomatometer: 65%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience: 83%

IMDB: 7.6/10

My Grade: A+

Marvel did this one right.  For me, at least, Tom Hiddleston as Loki stole the show.  One doesn’t know whether he is an ally or a foe, but he and Thor have some fantastic exchanges or dialog.  This film had everything that one might want from a marvel film and was the most like seeing a comic book come to the big screen as one can get.  It had action, it had some humor, and the actors were perfect for their roles.  Outstanding in all aspects in my opinion.

A Look Ahead…

So what does the sci-fi movie landscape look like to the upcoming year?  I don’t think it will be as strong as last year.  I have compiled a list of films that are slated for release in 2014 and based on the previews that are available, give them a yes, I will see them in the theater, no I will not see them in the theater, or maybe I will.  Here it is with the trailers, where available…

I, Frankenstein – January 24^th – Maybe

 

RoboCop – February 12^th – No

 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman – March 7^th – No

 

Divergent – March 21^st – No

Noah – March 28^th – Yes

Captain America: Winter Soldier – April 4^th – Yes

Transcendence – April 18^th – Maybe

Godzilla – May 16^th – Maybe

X-Men: Days of Future Past – May 23^rd – Yes

Edge of Tomorrow – June 16^th – Maybe

Transformers: Age of Extinction – June 27^th – No

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – July 11^th – Yes

Jupiter Ascending – July 18^th – Maybe

Guardians of the Galaxy – August 1^st – Maybe

The Giver – August 15^th – Maybe

Resident Evil 6 – September 12^th – No

The Maze Runner – September 19^th – No

 Sorry, I couldn't find an official trailer.

Interstellar – November 7^th – Maybe

 Sorry, I couldn't find an official trailer.

Tomorrow Land – December 12^th – Maybe

 Sorry, I couldn't find an official trailer.

Left Behind – No Date Given – No

 Sorry, I couldn't find an official trailer.

Well, there it is…

QaplaH’!

Ender's Game - A Really Great Film

Ender’s Game – 2013

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the book Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card; that review can be accessed by clicking HERE.  This evening I went to see the film based on the book and was frankly blown away by this film.  Many of the superlatives that come to mind cannot come close to describing how much I enjoyed seeing this film.  It is based very closely on the book with a few differences; however the story of Ender Wiggin remains intact in the film.

Fifty years before the events of the main story takes place, Mazer Rackham becomes a hero by defeating a race of beings known as the Formics, an insectoid race that sought to colonize Earth as the sought out water.  It was thought that Rackham had made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to save the population of Earth.

Those events prompted the training of children to find the ultimate commander to stop a second Formic invasion that would certainly end civilization on Earth.  The children of the Wiggin family were seen as possible candidates to command the final defeat of the Formics and thus end the possibility of further conflict.  It was determined that Ender, the youngest of the three Wiggin children would be best suited to the task.  He is removed from his family and taken aboard a training facility that orbits the earth.

Ender undergoes training under the watchful eye of Colonel Graff, who manipulates situations that allow Ender’s leadership abilities to grow stronger.  While Ender is a formidable young man, he embodies qualities found in both of his siblings.  His brother, Peter seems to be a very cruel while Ender’s sister, Valentine is far too compassionate to be an effective commander.  The qualities of Peter and Valentine are well balanced in Ender making him the ideal candidate.

In Battle School, Ender takes numerous classes, plays computer simulations, and trains in the Battle Room.  As he develops according to Graff’s agenda, Ender is promoted and given his own “Army” to command.  In one simulation, he defeats his former commander, Bonzo.  Bonzo decides that he is going to take revenge on Ender, but is again defeated, and severely injured.  Upset that he has done this, Ender decides to quit and returns home.  Graff persuades Valentine to talk ender into returning to Battle School and complete his training and move on to Command School.

Much to Ender’s surprise, he and Graff are transported directly to Command School where Ender is to be trained by none other than Mazer Rackham.  Rackham is responsible for programming the battle simulations that Ender and his command crew perform during training.

Finally, Ender is sent into the simulator for his final simulated battle with the Formics.  What ender doesn’t know is that he is actually commanding a real fleet that is making an attack on the Formic home world.  His strategy during battle is very successful resulting in the genocidal destruction of the Formic race.  When he is informed of this, he is insensed.

The film ends with Ender finding on remaining member of the Formic race guarding an embryo.  He takes the embryo and launches on a small vessel to find an appropriate planet for this embryo to repopulate the Formic civilization.

This story is a stripped down version of the book.  It would have to be to tell the story.  The story has been shortened in many ways leaving out much detail of Ender’s training, his relationships with his fellow students, and his relationship with his siblings.  One large part of the story as portrayed in the book that has been completely left out of the film is the political narrative of Peter becoming a commentator that would eventually allow him to wield great political power.  The sole focus of the film is Ender’s story, and it is extremely well done.

One of the most impressive aspects of this film is the soundscape of the film.  When ships launch, one can feel the rumble and I can only believe that it is much like it would be if one were to actually see a launch in person.  This detail of the film was perfectly done and I was stunned throughout the entire film by this.  At the same time, the background music was also perfectly fitted to the action and added much to the emotion of the production.

The performances of Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield as Graff and Ender were brilliant.  I really had the feeling that Ford did his homework for this movie and channeled Graff as perfectly as anyone could have.   Ben Kingsley as Rackham was well done and very accurate to the character from the book, but unfortunately, he didn’t get the character development that he would have deserved, but that was only due to time restraints.  Graff’s assistant, Major Anderson as played by Viola Davis was also well acted and an important part of the film acting as Graff’s conscious.  I got the feeling that the film’s director and writer, Gavin Hood was also well read on Ender’s Game and did an outstanding job of telling the story that is relevant to a science fiction audience.

As is the case with most films using CGI, the visuals are stunning and believable.  It isn’t too difficult to suspend one’s disbelief during this film and become immersed in the story.

As I mentioned in my review of the book, there is much controversy surrounding the political and social views of the author, Orson Scott Card.  He has enraged many people with his views on several subjects to the point that many are calling for a boycott of the book and the film.  I am not going to go into where I come down on any political or social views put forth by anyone on either side of these issues.  You can say that I am copping out is you want to, but this is, after all a sci-fi blog and I will not turn it into a political forum.  I have friends that are on both sides of the issues that are causing the controversy, and I have a great deal of respect for many of those friends.

Suffice it to say that I have never put any author, film maker, composer, or producer of art under a microscope to see if I agree or disagree with their political, religious, or philosophical points of view to decide whether I will or will not consume their product in the past, nor will I begin doing so now.  What I value for the purposes of what I choose to consume is the potential for entertainment value.

I learned about Ender’s Game from a trailer before another film I watched earlier this year.  What got me interested was that Harrison Ford was in the cast.  I had heard about the book from time to time over the years and had been intending to read it for some time.  The film trailer is what prompted me to read the book.  I have to admit that I was not aware of the author’s political and social views, nor did I much care.  I have my own views, opinions, and philosophies and I choose to think for myself on these matters.  So I didn’t read the book or watch the film with the intention to support  the opinions of Orson Scott Card, nor did I read the book and see the film to spite those that disagree with his opinions.

I just wanted to be entertained for an evening.  And I was.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplaH!