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’!

A Review of Man of Steel - A Fresh Retelling of an Old Story

 ***The Spoiler Light Is On***

Man of Steel (2013)

Oh my, what a film.  I went into the theater with some very high expectations for this film; and was not disappointed in the slightest!  As a matter of fact, my expectations were well exceeded by this movie, and I will definitely be seeing it again before it leaves the theaters here.

I was not planning to see Man of Steel at all.  I have been repeatedly disappointed by superhero films time and again; most recently by Iron Man 3.  I had pretty much decided to give up on this particular branch of the genre, but I saw the trailer for Man of Steel earlier this spring.  The trailer looked so good that I figured I would give this one a try, and I am glad I did.

Everyone knows the basic plot of the Superman saga; Krypton is a dying planet, Jor-El sends Kal-El to Earth, where the air is less dense, and the gravity is lower, thus allowing Kal-El to have powers beyond that of mortal man.  Dubbed Superman by Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, he faces numerous foes and defeats them in the name of “Truth, Justice and the American Way.”  The writers and director of Man of Steel do indeed preserve the basic Superman plot line, but they go for a more serious brand of movie-making focusing on the stories of the characters and their motivations.

The film opens on the planet Krypton whose population has overextended their natural resources resulting in the imminent destruction of the planet due to an unstable core.  While Jor-El meets with the ruling council of Krypton about how to save their race, General Zod enters the picture perpetrating a coup to take over.  Despite Jor-El’s appeals to Zod to focus on the problem from a scientific point of view, Zod proceeds to kill members of the council and take control.  Jor-El sees the futility of his efforts, retrieves the Codex (that which contains the genetic codes for all Kryptonians), and places it in a small spacecraft along with his naturally born son, Kal-El, and launches the craft to Earth.  Zod tries to stop the launch, but is too late.  He kills Jor-El and is captured by security forces and sentenced to a long period of imprisonment in the Phantom Zone.  Finally, Krypton explodes and releases Zod and his followers from the Phantom Zone.  They promptly go off in search of Kal-El to retrieve the Codex and revive the Kryptonite race.

Flash forward to a young Clark Kent, who begins discovering his powers, but he doesn’t know what is happening to him.  He has x-ray vision and super-strength and is not sure where it is coming from or why.  After several incidents being witnessed by others, John Kent (Ckark’s human surrogate father) shows Clark the vessel he arrived on Earth in and gives him a key which unlocks the powers of devices that appear throughout the movie.   This takes place during a series of flash back and forth scenes showing how Clark grows up.  John manages to convince Clark that even though he has these special abilities, he must keep them a secret for the time being.  The final act that John demonstrates his belief in secrecy is during a tornado scene where John is unable to save himself from being killed, but he prevents Clark, who would have been more than able to save him, from doing so.  This is a very poignant scene.  There are numerous scenes showing the development of Clark Kent as he grows into the man that would become Superman.

Clark, who is acting as a worker with a military expedition in an arctic region, discovers a ship that has been buried in the ice for thousands of years.  It was put there by the people of Krypton in anticipation of their planet’s demise as an attempt to find suitable places to colonize.  This ship also becomes Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.

In the last part of the film, Zod and his followers finally discover where Kal-El is because when Kal used the key to activate his Fortress, it also inadvertently set off a distress beacon that leads Zod to Earth.  A battle ensues between Zods forces and Superman, while the U.S. Army is trying to kill ALL of the aliens, including Superman.  While downing several aircraft, Superman manages to save several soldiers including the commander of the Army forces, who decides that Superman is actually fighting to save lives and destroy Zod.

Zod separates his ship into two parts that take places at opposite points on the globe and they begin to send a pulse through the planet in an attempt to terraform the Earth into a new Krypton.  The part of the ship that is parked above Metropolis contains unborn children of Krypton, but Zod needs the Codex that is discovered to be contained in the cells of Superman.  Superman, in the meantime flies to the other side of the Earth to destroy that part of Zod’s ship while the military takes Superman’s ship that brought him to Earth to use as a bomb to destroy the piece of Zod’s ship above Metropolis.  This strategy works by creating a small singularity (black hole) that destroys the ship, and swallows up all of Zod’s forces, as well as the seeds of the new Kryptonite race.  This leaves Zod alone to face Superman in a fight to the death.  Zod tells Superman that it is going to end with either the death of himself or that of Superman.  This turns out to be prophetic because as Zod declares and begins to carry out his new mission to eradicate all life on Earth, Superman is forced to snap his neck to prevent him from starting his genocidal plans with a family.  After killing Zod, Superman falls to his knees in anguish having killed the last of his kind, other than himself.

The movie ends with Superman posing as Clark Kent, a new reporter for the Daily Planet.  Roll Credits.

There are many reasons aside from the story that has been reworked and made into a completely new retelling of the Superman saga.  First in my mind are the performances turned in by the actors, especially the lead, Henry Cavill who portrays Superman as an unassuming character who is working to learn who he is and what his purpose in life is.  Jor-El portrayed by Russell Crowe turns in a performance that is beautifully done.  He not only appears in the beginning of the film, but comes back throughout the film to help Superman learn and grow as well as try to appeal to Zod one last time, however unsuccessfully.  Kevin Costner as John Kent gives a very convincing performance as a father who really wants to guide his son right to the end, finally sacrificing himself to keep Kal-El from exposing himself and his abilities too early.  And finally, Michael Shannon as Zod was absolutely brilliant in showing that his character was not just an evil nemesis for Superman, but rather someone who was charged with preserving his race, and was driven to do his job, no matter the cost.

While the scenery through most of the movie was good, the CGI created to show the Planet Kryptonite was some of the most impressive and imaginative to date.  There is so much to see in the vistas created by the CGI team that just that first 40 minutes of that film would be worth seeing again to see what was missed the first time around.

 

If there is a weakness to Man of Steel, I would have to say that the Character of Lois Lane would be the weak link.  I just didn’t think that the writers were sure of what to do with her and she was popping up n some very unrealistic places.  Her weakest link though was at the very end of the film when she was introduced to Clark Kent coming in as a new reporter for the Daily Planet, especially after she had met with Clark’s mother, and visited with him as Clark in several places in the film.  But, this is a Superman move and Lois had to be in there somewhere.

I would actually say that this was three films rolled into one with the first part depicting the origins of Kal-El, the destruction of Krypton, and the story of how Zod was chastised for doing what he was born to do.  The second part is the character development, especially that of Superman.  And finally the third part that is the battle to either resurrect the Kryptonite society, or preserve the people of the Earth.

In any case, this is an outstanding movie that runs the complete gambit of emotions, is packed full of life and death, and consequences of one’s actions.  This is one of those films that I think MUST be seen in a theater on a big screen at least once.  I viewed in in 2D and didn’t see very much that would be added by seeing it in 3D, with the possible exceptions of the CGI work in the first part of the film.

As I mentioned before, I have been very disappointed in the past with superhero films, but I think that Man of Steel sets the bar pretty high.  I will go as far as to say it is the best superhero film I have ever seen.  If I may be so bold as to quote myself from a post I made to Facebook right after I arrived home: “Hey Marvel and Disney, want to know how to make a great superhero film?  See Man of Steel!  Now That’s How It’s Done.”

Well, there it is…

QaplaH’

Coming Soon to Jim's SciFi Blog, a book review and some news on my favorite podcasts.