31) 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

(3 's out of 5)

"All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landing there. Use them together. Use them in peace."

Director
Peter Hyams

Cast
Roy Scheider - Heywood Floyd
John Lithgow - Walter Curnow
Bob Balaban - R. Chandra

Helen Mirren - Tanya Kirbuk

Madolyn Smith - Caroline Floyd
Dana Elcar - Dimitri Moisevitch

Douglas Rain - HAL 9000

Candice Bergen (credited as Olga Mallsnerd) - SAL 9000

I didn't know that director Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi "masterpiece" (as it's often considered) "2001: A Space Odyssey," based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke, has a sequel. I only found out about this tidbit of trivia when I bought Gary Gerani's book "Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies." It goes with my set of his books that include "Top 100 Horror Movies," "Top 100 Comic Book Movies," and "Top 100 Fantasy Movies."

The 1984 sequel "2010: The Year We Make Contact," which is based on Clarke's 1982 novel "2010: Odyssey Two" sits at number 82 in Gerani's book. 

He also puts "2001: A Space Odyssey" at number two. What did he put for the number one sci-fi movie? I'll give you a hint. It's my number 27 on this platform.  

I put "2010: The Year We Make Contact" on my must-review list for this blog. I was curious. And I happened to find a copy a few months ago at a Half-Priced Books in Omaha. It was marked somewhere around $5, so I snagged it. 

The first and only time (to date) I watched "2001: A Space Odyssey" I was thoroughly confused. In fact, I had to pause the movie and read a plot summary and synopsis just to figure out what was going on and where it was all going. In other words, I didn't understand it. 

While I found the 1968 movie confusing and difficult to understand, thankfully I found its sequel easier to follow as far as the plot goes. That's not to say I wasn't somewhat confused. I could follow the general storyline, but I was still baffled at what it all meant. Maybe I don't have the sophisticated mind for such intellectual science fiction. 

This is a sophisticated sequel orbiting deep in the shadow of "2001: A Space Odyssey." So much so, even I didn't know of its existence until I saw it Gerani's book. 

The monolith endures.

The story picks up nine years after the first film when the Discovery mission spacecraft took off for Jupitar. That's the ship that was commanded by David Bowman (Keir Dullea) in the first film. 

Bowman, his crew, and the ship became lost back in 2001 and Bowman is surely died. Or is he?  

Tension between the United States and Russia, which was the USSR back in 1984, are high. And yet, both nations are tasked with individual missions to find out what happened to the Discovery. 

The Soviets are working on a spaceship called "Leonov" while the Americans are working on their own spaceship called "Discovery Two." 

Even though the Russians are farther along in the development of their Leonov, only the Americans can reactivate the sentient computer HAL 9000.

The reason for Discovery's demise is blamed on HAL 9000. If you've seen "2001: A Space Odyssey," then you know all about HAL and the chaos he, or it, created. Evidently, he's not evil. He was just programmed by evil government bureaucrats. 

Out of the kindness of their dumb ol' hearts, the Russians agree to bring NCA Director Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider - formerly played by William Sylvester in Kubrick's movie) as well as the Discovery designer, Walter Curnow (John Lithgow) and Dr. R. Chandra (Bob Balaban) who designed the HAL 9000. The Russians take them because the Discovery is spiraling its way towards, Io - one of the moons of Jupitar.  

Chandra, by the way, uses another supercomputer similar to the HAL 9000 called the SAL 9000 which was used as an earth-bound mission simulator for the Discovery. He experiments with the SAL 9000 to figure out what went wrong with HAL. Fun fact - Candice Bergen voices the SAL 9000, and is credited as "Olga Mallsnerd."

However, there's a mystery in their path. That mystery is none other than the enigmatic alien monolith. It's the same sort of monolith that confused me when I watched the first movie. 

I think I need a better grasp of the original story to fully appreciate this movie. 

The more I think about it, the more part two helps clarify some elements from part one. I've only seen "2001: A Space Odyssey" once so maybe it's time for a revisit. 

"2010: The Year We Make Contact" doesn't flow as majestically and pretentiously as Kubrick's flick, but it does flow with some complexity. It's not as intellectual as Kubrick's movie, but it certainly tries to be. Thankfully, it doesn't make a fool of itself when trying to do that. 

That's not to say it isn't a smart flick. It doesn't go out of its way to try and convince the audience that it's a lofty complex highly intellectual science fiction experience. 

It has a slow drag feel to it thanks to all the explaining it constantly puts the audience through. Its charm comes from its being a sequel to none other than Kubrick's highly regarding movie. 

Maybe I've been too spoiled by sci-fi that has laser fights and a variety of colorful and crazy planets and aliens blowing stuff up. This movie doesn't utilize any such tropes to tell a compelling follow-up sci-fi story. 

Despite it being just a little easier to follow, the ending left me with the same question as I had after watching the first. "Wait! What happened?" Again, I had to consult a plot summary on Wikipedia to make sure I understood what I just watched. The ending is a sappy product of its time - the United States and the then U.S.S.R. seeking peace, blah, blah, blah. 

"2010: The Year We Make Contact" doesn't set out to out-perform Kubrick's movie. It's clearly interested in simply continuing the story. 

The movie slowly builds up anticipation and intrigue one step at a time. The space visuals, while looking dated, are still well done. Before I forget, kudos to the story for redeeming the HAL-9000 and making it a good super computer!  

Despite my lack of proper understanding to Arthur C. Clarke's story, and Kubrick's movie, this movie seems to be a decent enough follow-up. It managed to make me want to go back and give "2001: A Space Odyssey" another chance. 

28) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

(3.5 's out of 5)

"This is Thanos we're talking about. He's the toughest there is." 

Directors
Anthony Russo
Joe Russo

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark/ Ironman
Chris Hemsworth - Thor
Mark Ruffalo - Bruce Banner/ Hulk
Chris Evans - Steve Rogers/ Captain America
Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow
Jeremy Renner - Clint Barton/ Hawkeye
Don Cheadle - James Rhodes/ War Machine
Josh Brolin - Thanos

The stakes are higher in this third Avengers movie - the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It feels like this Avengers thread of movies within the broader MCU is finally narrowing in on a worthwhile and entertaining story. Plus, the heroes that make up the Avengers, played by the same actors as before, are up against their greatest threat, Thanos (Josh Brolin). 

"Avengers: Infinity War" tries to out-Avenger the previous Avengers. And being the grand spectacle that it works so hard to be, I'd say it succeeds in outperforming the other movies at least as far as the entertainment factor goes. It feels more focused than the previous movies, and it seems to know where it wants to go. 

In this movie, the evil alien warlord, Thanos (Josh Brolin), continues his efforts to acquire the infinity stones - six gems that when brought together give the possessor power over existence. Once he acquires all six stones, Thanos plans on using them to erase half of all life in the universe. All it will take for him to do that once he has all six stones is the snap of his fingers - literally. 

Each of the infinity stones control some specific part of existence - space, the mind, the soul, reality, power (as vague as that sounds) and time. Personally, I would think control over reality would, ipso facto, mean control over the other parts of existence. I guess that cynical mindset is why I don't write movies. 

Josh Brolin as Thanos in 'Avengers: Infinity War.'

Thanos has just got his hands on the power stone when he intercepts a ship carrying survivors from Asgard's destruction. That's where Thor is from for those wondering where Thor is from. 

He and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) clash, and Thanos gets the upper-hand. He then takes the space stone from the Tesseract which I've mentioned in my previous Avengers reviews. 

Thanos kills Loki and Thor's Asgardian pal, Heimdall who while dying sends Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) down to Earth. 

When Hulk/ Bruce Banner hits Earth, he crashes into Sanctum Sanctorum in New York City where Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is residing. He warns Strange about what Thanos has planned. 

Bruce and Strange get Tony Stark/ Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) to help stop Thanos from destroying half the universe. 

Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (Tom Holland) also joins the effort as do none other than the Guardians of the Galaxy. That part got me excited as "The Guardians of the Galaxy" vols. I and II are my favorite flicks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, I was all in with their inclusion. 

Anyways, more Marvel superheroes assemble to keep Thanos from fulfilling his evil plan. 

When they all fail and Thanos ends up destroying half of all life in the universe including several members on the Avengers and other important superhero characters, the stakes are raised to a level with seemingly no solution. 

As far as the Avengers are concerned, there is no solution. What's done is done.

Dr. Strange jumps around other universes, called multi-verses, to see how the Avengers could have prevented Thanos from destroying everyone he did.  

Out of the millions of ways this event could have gone, only one of those ways has the Avengers defeating Thanos and preventing the snap from occurring. Getting to that solution is impossible, though. Stay tuned for "Avengers: Endgame." 

To me, this is where the Marvel movies reach their Zenith (continued onto the next movie, "Avengers: End Game.") The rest just can't climb that high, or it would look like Marvel is trying to make lightning strike twice. Everything after this and the next Avengers movie doesn't seem as monumental or exciting enough to have to run out and seen it. 

"Avengers: Infinity War" carries an intensity that increases as the story progresses. It keeps the audience more and more invested. 

What's impressive about the movie is how many characters are packed into the story, yet it's easy to recall what each character is doing while the story transitions from character to character, from one scene to another. The story is taking place in various locations. It other words, it's not hard to follow nor is it confusing. 

Thankfully, to the movie's credit, every character has something worthwhile to do that's neither forced nor superfluous. It's all necessary for the plot. And it's entertaining for the audience. That certainly deserves praise.

The story balances all the plot points carefully for the sake of the audience's attention. 

This movie has really big ambitions and makes it a priority not to strain the audience, nor burden them with such interwoven plot points and storylines. It's impressive. 

This is Marvel's equivalent of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" minus the comedy. The story packs in a lot!

But as the story ends on a major cliffhanger after two and a half hours of so many superheroes fighting and doing superhero things, only to pick up again with the even longer "Avengers: Endgame" it feels like an excessively drawn-out pretentious flick. Maybe that's why producers tossed the word "infinity" into the title? 

I'm being generous with that half a star..or half a Thanos... up there. I want to give this movie three Thanoses, but it's better than the last two movies. So, three and a half Thanoses it is. 

For the number of characters and the interwoven subplots making up the entire story is quite an accomplishment. It manages to be entertaining and very well assembled. Still, there's truckloads of action, split into two movies, just so some good guys can take down one bad guy! "Avenger: Infinity War" certainly takes itself too seriously. 

26) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

(3's out of 5)

"I once had strings, but now I'm free."

Director
Joss Whedon

Cast
Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark/ Ironman
Chris Hemsworth - Thor
Mark Ruffalo - Bruce Banner/ Hulk
Chris Evans - Steve Rogers/ Captain America
Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow
Jeremy Renner - Clint Barton/ Hawkeye
Don Cheadle - James Rhodes/ War Machine
Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Pietro Maximoff
Elizabeth Olsen - Wanda Maximoff

Paul Bettany - J.A.R.V.I.S

James Spader - Ultron

The stakes are greater, and the fight is certainly narrowed down in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the sequel to "The Avengers" and the second movie in the Avengers line-up from Marvel. My thoughts and feelings about this movie are scattered.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is a slightly more entertaining film than the previous movie. It's packed in with as much Marvel-ly stuff as it can hold. It also feels like it's making the plot up as it goes along. 

The movie begins as the Avengers- Iron Man, Hulk, Capt. America, Black Widow and Hawkeye- attack a Hydra facility headed up by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. The Baron had previously been conducting experiments on people with Loki's staff from the first movie. 

While raiding the joint, the Avengers find two of Wolfgang's subjects - Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who are twins. It turns out Pietro has the ability to travel at superhuman speed. Wanda, as those who tuned into the Marvel series "WandaVision" know, possesses telekinesis. So, they're quite the brother and sister duo. 

Loki's staff contains a gem that possesses an intelligent power. Ironman/ Tony Stark (Robert Downy, Jr.) and the Hulk/ Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) use this gem to enhance Stark's global defense program named "Ultron." 

Ultron, voiced by James Spader, in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

Well, as one would expect in a superhero movie, Ultron (James Spader) becomes self-aware and sentient, and all evil and stuff. By "evil" I mean he starts to think that he needs to eradicate all of humanity to save the earth. 

He sets his crosshairs on Tony Stark's personal AI system "J.A.R.V.I.S." So, to get to J.A.R.V.I.S. Ultron attacks the Avengers' headquarters. 

He also consistently upgrades himself while doing all this. 

J.A.R.V.I.S, meanwhile, is hiding somewhere in the deep corners of cyberspace (does anyone still call it that anymore?). 

Stark and Banner manage to secretly transfer J.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic body (Paul Bettany) and use that gem from Loki's staff to animate J.A.R.V.I.S.'s body. 

Somewhere around this time, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to help his fellow Avengers save Earth after he has a vision that the gem inserted onto J.A.R.V.I.S.'s forehead is one of the six infinity stones.

So, the Avengers square off with Ultron for the sake of humanity's existence. 

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is an improvement from the first movie. There's so much packed into it that the movie doesn't waste a moment. There's certainly less in-between scenes with a lot more dialogue than anything else. Afterall, "Age of Ultron" isn't trying, or trying as much as the first, to set things up like the first film did. 

There's more substance in this sequel. That is, there's more action and, basically, stuff other than dialogue happening. 

While the movie manages to entertain, and despite how lofty a production it is with a major stellar cast returning, it's still a lot of the same as the other Marvel movies. Nothing much stands out.  

Regardless, I was much more involved and interested in this story than I was in the first movie. 

It plays out much better than before. My investment into the film didn't quite fade. 

There's some character insight as well, particularly with Hawkeye. The introduction of the Maximoff's and their turmoil with Tony Stark was also an intriguing plot point. They, along with Hawkeye, convey the most emotion and personality compared to the rest of the characters who are pretty much just as dry as they were in the first movie. Otherwise, the movie just pushes ahead. 

Aside from that, there's not much room from much character development among anyone else. 

I guess character insight was dealt with in each of the superhero's respective stand-alone movies. It's up to audiences to watch them and figure it all out themselves. 

Watching this second installment made me realize that Ultron is a much less interesting villain compared to Loki. Ultron turns out to be just another out-of-control intelligent robot that isn't intimidating nor possessing much, if any, personality. Give one point to part one for having a better villain. 

As for the overall plot, though it kept me interested, it seems like everything that happens is made up as the movie progresses. It's as though the producers were desperate to make this experience better than before and careful not to forget all the typical Marvel comic tropes. Nothing, if anything, about the movie feels fresh. There's hardly anything eye-popping. 

The fight scenes were entertaining, though. I wouldn't call it exciting, though. The movie is a service to fan as it strives to meet audience's expectations before the next movie, "Avengers: Infinity Wars" was to come out. All in all, "Age of Ultron" builds upon what the previous movie setup and manages to tell a story, leaving all the set-up to "The Avengers." That's about all this movie has going for it. It's not great, but at least it's not part one. 

23) Ready Player One (2018)

(3.5 's out of 5)

"I'm not crazy about reality, but it's still the only place to get a decent meal." - Groucho Marx

Director
Steven Spielberg

Cast
Tye Sheridan - Wade Watts/Parzival
Olivia Cooke - Samantha Cook/Art3mis
Mark Rylance - James Halliday/Anorak
Ben Mendelsohn - Nolan Sorrento
Lena Waithe - Aech
Win Morisaki - Toshiro Yoshiaki/Daito
Philip Zhao - Sho
Simon Pegg - Ogden Morrow
T.J. Miller - i-R0k

The 2018 sci-fi action movie. "Ready Player One," based on Ernest Cline's novel of the same name and directed by Steven Spielberg, is one long eye-popping pop-culture fest. 

I enjoyed the book very much, and the movie is just as loaded...saturated even...with all things pop culture from the last 50 years. So many characters and properties are crawling throughout this story that it'll take a lot of viewings to catch half of them, especially characters who have a second or less of screen time. 

Otherwise, "Ready Player One" is high energy entertainment. It doesn't waste any time. 

The takes place in the year 2045. All of society has grown immensely despondent, and everyone collectively escapes from reality by immersing themselves in a virtual reality world called the OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation). Every participant takes the form of an avatar and conduct themselves in all manners of entertainment, commerce, education, etc. It was created by programmers James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg) both of whom founded the fictional company Gregarious Games. 

Users can choose their own avatar, which are often characters from various movies, television shows, music groups. or video games. They can also purchase or acquire various power-ups or accessories also taken from various properties. So. the OASIS is jammed with just about every pop culture reference you can think of. 

As Halliday has since passed away, his avatar known as Anorak, previously announced to all the world that Gregarious Games and the entire OASIS will be handed over to one single lucky winner of an on-going contest taking place inside the OASIS. All the lucky winner has to do is be the first player to find an Easter egg hidden somewhere in the artificial world. The egg is locked away and can only be obtained with the use of three separate keys that also need to be found. 

To achieve the keys, players need to accomplish three separate challenges which aren't easy to win. 

OASIS avatars Parzival (left) and Art3mis in "Ready Player One."

Any egg hunter looking for these keys are referred to as "gunters." 

One of these gunters happens to be Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), the corrupt millionaire CEO of Innovative Online Industries, or IOI for short. 

Sorrento utilizes both IOI employees and indentured servants to work around the clock digging through all of Halliday's interests life events which may serve as clues as to where he hid this egg so IOI can own Gregarious Games and control the OASIS. These workers of his are known within the OASIS as "sixers."

Meanwhile, one random teenager named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) not only immerses himself in the OASIS as frequently as anyone else, he's also a dedicated gunter. 

Inside, he goes by the avatar "Parcival" and is friends with a few other gunters called Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Aech (Lena Waithe), Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao). 

Wade studies the life and interests of James Halliday closely as records of Halliday's life, interests, writings, likes, dislikes, life events, achievements and failures, and other works and points of interest are all recorded in an archive database. 

After Wade figures out how to win the first challenge - a race that no one has yet won - and becomes the first gunter to win and score the first key, he works tirelessly with Art3mis, whom he has a crush on, and his other friends to find the remaining keys and be the one who scores the egg.

Wade becomes the first played to find the first of the three keys, which grabs the attention of Sorrento. He's willing to do anything to make sure he finds the egg before Wade does. 

It's comical to watch a corporate type wrack his brain and spend hours upon hours trying to figure out rather insignificant things (well, to most people) such as how to maneuver through now obsolete Atari 2600 games such as "Adventure" for clues alongside memorizing the importance of retro junk as it all pertained to one dude, Halliday. And he puts himself up against one teenager who's smarter than he is. It certainly says a lot about greed - corporate greed, which is certainly a plot point of the story. 

The whole thing feels satirical. So much energy, importance, life and death, over a giant virtual reality system. Of course, the prize is immense. It's like a modern day, or futuristic, action packed, geek version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."  

There has to be hundreds of pop culture references dating between the 1970s to the mid-2000s jammed in here. Unless you watch "Ready Player One" which has a run time of 140 minutes, one frame at a time, or you have the attention and eyesight of a falcon, or just have nothing better to do on a Friday night and are desperate to accomplish at least one thing in your life, there's otherwise no way to catch them all. 

The Iron Giant attacks Mechagodzilla in the OASIS.

Most of the ones that are catchable have less than a second of screen time. Nevertheless, the movie depends so much on all the pop culture jampacked into the story that it seems the movie forgot to add some much-needed depth and development to the characters. 

They're too stale. It's not necessarily bad to focus on what Wade and the other characters are trying to accomplish. The movie feels completely full. There's a lot happening at every inch of the story, which alternates between the OASIS, Sorrento, and Wade's activities. Yet, the one thing that's missing is any insight into the characters. There's some insight, but not nearly enough. That's really the only initial problem I have with "Ready Player One." 

There's a fortune at steak, but it's hilarious watching everyone treating the OASIS like an absolute necessity. I'm sure there's some social commentary in that as far as modern society's dependence on technology and its addiction to constant visual gratification. That's on top of the commentary of corporate greed. All these references to other movies and such brings to mind those "member berries" from "South Park." Remember that? Remember? Oh, sure - I remember that!

Anyways, Spielberg knows how to wow an audience with eye-popping visuals and can tell a story that completely immerses the audience's attention. The pacing is great, and the story is entertaining. Weirdly enough, its audience is broad yet specific. Pop culture fanatics, geeks and nerds probably get the most out of this movie. There's enough pop culture and video game culture to feed the movie's intended audience of Gen X'rs, Millennials, and maybe some Gen Z'rs which spans more than 50 years. 

I read the book before the movie's release, and I enjoyed it. I also read the sequel, "Ready Player Two" as well, also by Ernest Cline. It felt slower and not as thrilling as the first book. 

Anyways, I like this movie for two reasons. The first being its dedication to irreplaceable reality (believe it or not), and that reality is where we all need to really need to spend most, if not all of our time. And two - the notion that we need to work for our success no matter what amount of success we achieve. No one's entitled to anything. Halliday makes each player use their brains to find his ultimate Easter egg. The entire experience comes down to its entertainment factor, and it is entertaining! 

16) Starman (1984)

(3 's out of 5)

"Please come and visit our planet Earth!" 

Director

John Carpenter

Cast
Jeff Bridges - Scott Hayden / Star Man
Karen Allen - Jenny Hayden
Charles Martin Smith - Mark Shermin
Richard Jaeckel - George Fox
Robert Phalen - Major Bell
Tony Edwards - Sergeant Lemon
John Walter Davis - Brad Heinmuller
Ted White - Deer Hunter


If our government... heck, if several governments around the world got together and sent a message into the vast spaces of space inviting whomever is out there to come visit Earth, and someone from another planet accepted that invitation and showed up, these governments would probably welcome them with a lot of firepower. If aliens are visiting us, that's probably why they do so cautiously and secretly. Such a global welcome wagon doesn't seem far-fetched and alies are too smart to put it past us.

On a personal note, I've unwittingly focused on sci-fi movies about charming and likeable aliens released during the 1980s in my last few reviews. Maybe I ought to toss in a few movies with hostile aliens trying to take over Earth and ruin everyone's good time. Remember in "Ghostbusters II" when Dr. Venkman (Bill Murray's character) said, "And that is the whole problem with aliens, is you just can't trust them. Occasionally you meet a nice one: Starman, E.T. But usually they turn out to be some kind of big lizard!"

John Carpenter's 1986 sci-fi romance "Starman" is a movie that pops up in conversation from time to time. Not often but comes up.  

In this movie, Marion Ravenwood from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and...uhh... the last two Indiana Jones movies, "Crystal Skull" and "Dial of...weak characters," hooks up with "the Dude" from "The Big Lebowski" who's actually an alien from Alienland. 

In 1977, in "Starman" time, a space probe is launched carrying a gold LP. That's a record for anyone who has no idea what an LP is. This record has a message inviting any alien civilizations with record players that might exist out there to come visit Earth. 

Well, an alien civilization picks up the invitation and accepts the offer.

Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges in "Starman."

So, they send a scout to Earth to see if it's safe to visit and worth their time, because these aliens aren't stupid. To nobody's surprise, the U.S. Government shoots down the alien scout spacecraft, which was sent to make contact with earthlings. 

The ship crashes somewhere in Wisconsin. 

The alien scout, which looks like a ball of glowing energy, makes its way into the home of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). She's a widow living on her own.

While she's asleep, it rummages through some photo albums of her late husband Scott (Jeff Bridges). She keeps a lock of his hair in her album. The alien extracts some of her husband's DNA from that lock of hair, and is able to take his form. 

Jenny witnesses the alien's quick development from baby to grown man right in her own living room. Once the shock where's off, she thinks this thing that looks just like her deceased husband  must be hostile. So, she tries to escape.

The only English this alien knows is what he and his race heard from the message sent by the government. 

He doesn't know how to ask Jenny to drive him from Wisconsin to a rendezvous point in Arizona to meet up with the head ship his people are sending to pick him up. He only has a few days to meet up with them, or they'll ditch him and he'll die. 

Jenny thinks he's kidnapping her and forcing her to drive him to Barringer Crater in Arizona. He finally reveals to Jenny that he means no harm, and is really a friendly entity. He's here to observe.

National Security Agency director George Fox (Richard Jaeckel) is able to determine that the spaceman's ship was initially heading to the Barringer Crater before being shot down. So, he sends scientist Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith), who helped develop the original invitation, to find the spaceman and capture him on behalf of the U.S. Government. 

Shermin manages to figure out that the spaceman is disguised as a human, and that he and Jenny are travelling across the U.S. towards Arizona.

Meanwhile, as Jenny and the Starman drive day and night to get to Arizona, the spaceman closely observes how people of Earth behave. He also has special alien powers, like the power of healing and reviving dead things. 

As expected, Jenny falls in love with him, which is understandable considering he's a clone of her deceased husband! The Starman, meanwhile, is a kind-hearted loveable alien who just wants to see how people on Earth behave, and do good things along the way, like revive a dead deer.

I have to take some points off for a weird sex scene that's presented as charming. Since the alien is basically a clone of Scott, he and Jenny have sex on board a box car. And afterwards, he tells her, "I gave you a baby tonight." It's awkward!

Earlier, Jenny told the alien she and Scott had tried to have a baby but couldn't due to medical issues.

So, since he has Scott's DNA, he says the baby is from both himself and from Scott's. The baby will have his huge alien intellect and special alien powers. It's creepy and anything but touching. 

Jeff Bridges doing weird alien things in "Starman."

Anyways, "Starman" is basically E.T. turned science fiction romance. The main character comes to Earth for a visit (like aliens tend to do) and then has to get back home quickly. 

The movie could easily go into the realm of being a silly fish-out-of-water flick, but it doesn't. It narrows things down between two characters and makes them interesting and memorable. It's a more personable and relatable film, with some feel-good elements. I'm not referring to that weird sex scene.  

How Karen Allen could maintain a straight face working alongside Jeff Bridges as he delivers his lines like he's impersonating an dubbed monster movie while moving his head like a timid canary deserves a round of applause. 

Director John Carpenter needs no introduction. He's directed some fantastic and popular movies. Carpenter is a legend in the realm of horror and sci-fi.  

I've mostly seen his horror movies, which is what Carpenter is best known for - "Halloween," "Christine," "In the Mouth of Madness," and "The Fog" to name a few titles, his science fiction movies don't normally go the route of romance. "The Thing," "They Live," and "Village of the Damned" are certainly not light-hearted feel-good sci-fi flicks. 

His 1992 comedy-drama "Memoirs of the Invisible Man" with Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah, which I watched over 20 years ago, might be considered a bit similar to the kind of story "Starman" is as far as its romance is concerned. Carpenter's style is something I'm eager to dig into and discuss at some point. That'll be another post at another time. 

Until then, there's one or two more friendly alien movies from the 80s I plan to get to. Whether I do them next, or avert my attention to the hostile aliens, I haven't decided yet. 

12) Rollerball (1975)

(3's out of 5)

"Understand it!"

Director

Norman Jewison

Cast
James Caan - Jonathan
John Houseman - Mr. Bartholomew
Maud Adams - Ella
John Beck - Moonpie
Moses Gunn - Cletus
Pamela Hensley - Mackie
Barbara Trentham - Daphne
John Normington - Ballard
Shane Rimmer - Rusty

Before there was "The Hunger Games," "The Maze Runner," "Squid Games" and even before Arnold Schwarzenegger was "The Running Man," there was "Rollerball." 

In fact, in the realm of dystopian sports movies, there's not too many before "Rollerball." The movie is based on the short story, "Roller Ball Murder" by William Harrison which was published in "Esquire" back in 1973. Harrison wrote the screenplay for this movie, which came out in 1975 - the same year another dystopian sports movie called "Death Race 2000" starring Sylvester Stallone and produced by Roger Corman was released. "Rollerball" is older by a few months. 

There were a few survival sports movies released before the 1970s. The earliest one I can think of is 1932's "The Most Dangerous Game." That was remade in 1942 with the title "A Game of Death." The 1961 horror movie "Bloodlust" about a young couple who's hunted by a deranged lunatic on a desert island has a similar premise. But these movies aren't really futuristic dystopian films like "Rollerball." 

Honestly, I never heard of "Rollerball" until I bought a copy of "Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies" by Gary Gerani. It's a wonderful companion for this blog, and the last book of his I needed to complete my set that includes, "Top 100 Fantasy Movies," "Top 100 Comic Book Movies," and my personal favorite, "Top 100 Horror Movies." 

In this movie, the future took place six years ago in 2018. James Caan plays Jonathan E., the captain and star player for the Houston rollerball team. In this movie's version of 2018, large corporations control society. So, that's not too far-fetched from current reality. Corporations have some much dominance that, before a rollerball game, fans stand to sing the corporate anthem instead of the National Anthem. 

Rollerball is a savage contact sport that looks like roller derby but involves beating opponents while trying to chase a metal ball around a rink, capturing it, and then throwing it into a hole for points. Anyways, Energy Corporation is one of those said ruling corporations, with Mr. Bartholomew (John Houseman) as acting chairman. Energy Corporation also sponsors the Houston team. 

Mr. Bartholomew tells Jonathan to announce his departure from rollerball. In return, he offers Jonathan a cushy lavish retirement. He instructs Jonathan to make this announcement during a televised special about his career in rollerball. 

It sounds like a sweet deal, but Jonathan refuses. Before the story begins, the corporation took his wife, Ella (Maud Adams) because one of the scummy executives wanted her for himself. 

So, obviously Jonathan is weary of the corporations. 

His friend and former coach, Cletus (Moses Gunn), who now works as an executive, is convinced that the powers-that-be within Energy Corporation are scared of Jonathan. But Cletus doesn't understand why that's the case. 

John Beck and James Caan in "Rollerball."

Meanwhile, the rules for rollerball are changed to make the game much more senseless and violent. The corporate execs make it that way as an attempt to get Jonathan to retire. These new rules are to be implemented immediately at the next game between Houston and Tokyo. This time, there will be limited substitutions and no penalties. 

The violence that's allowed in the game is turned up several notches as well. That way, the chance of Jonathan getting seriously hurt to the point of no return is greater than before. Jonathan isn't deterred. 

The violence is so bad that some of Jonathan's teammates are beaten to the point of death. His buddy, "Moonpie" (John Beck), is beaten on the cranium by three opponents during the game and left in a coma. 

After the Tokyo game, a bunch of unsympathetic executives along with Bartholomew decide the next game will be played with no penalties, substitutions or limits whatsoever. The idea is that this'll be Jonathan's final match as he'll surely die during the game. 

The executive powers think if Jonathan keeps playing, and continues exciting the fans, the greater the risk he poses in arousing thoughts of individuality among the controlled masses. 

As Bartholomew says, "The game was created to demonstrate the futility of individual effort."

Ella returns to Jonathan and tries to convince him to retire. She tells him that the next game against New York will be played to the death. Obviously, the executives set him up and are using Ella to get him to leave the game.

Regardless, Jonathan decides to play anyways. The game is an all-out free for all where anything goes. Jonathan just needs to play until the end. 

"Rollerball" has some Stanley Kubrick vibes to it. Thanks to its soundtrack, particularly Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" played in the opening, it feels a little like Kubrick's dystopian crime movie, "A Clockwork Orange." 

The dystopian feels are there with the deep corporate influence over society that demands allegiance while cramming the notion that individualism is a futile way of thinking. 

The story boils down to one man, disenchanted with the system, up against that system and then getting the better of it. 

It's eerily similar to our modern society. And it gets that point across with such ease.

There are so many lines of dialogue to consider. 

In a scene after the game at the beginning of the movie, Bartholomew and his hoard of suited up execs visit the locker room. Bartholomew, stiff necked and strutting his dominance, focuses some attention on Moonpie as he reclines. 

"Sweet dreams, Moonpie. That's a bad habit you've got there. You know what that habit will make you dream, Moonpie? You'll dream you're an executive. You'll have your hands on all the controls, and you will wear a gray suit, and you will make decisions. But you know what, Moonpie? You know what those executives dream about out there behind their desks? They dream they're great rollerballers. They dream they're Jonathan. They have muscles, they bash in faces."

One depiction that's particularly relevant is the corporate bosses attempts to erase history. This happens when Jonathan goes to a library to access a supercomputer known as "Zero" which stores digitized copies all books - heavily edited in accordance with executive ideologies. It's also a global source of all human knowledge. 

However, it turns out "Zero's" memory has mysteriously become corrupted. 

"The whole of the 13th century. Misplaced the computers, several conventional computers," the librarian tells Jonathan. "We can't find them. We're always moving things around, getting organized, my assistants and I. This - this is Zero's fault - Zero, he's the world's file cabinet. Pity, poor old 13th century....Now, we've lost those computers with all of the 13th century in them. Not much in the century, just Dante and a few corrupt Popes, but it's so distracting and annoying!"

Even with the overall decent writing, the only exciting parts of "Rollerball" are the actual rollerball scenes. There's barely any emotion in the talking scenes. It gets dull after a while, especially when sandwiched in between the high energy full-force sports scenes. 

James Caan, who was a fantastic actor with many memorable performances, and who is greatly missed, does well with what he's given. He delivers a character the audience can get behind and rally for. John Houseman, who's an actor that deserves much appreciation, also delivers a great performance and carries a lot of this movie on his shoulders. Houseman is like a poor man's Alfred Hitchcock. He has the voice and mannerisms for horror movies, and can use that same talent to be funny. 

Moses Gunn deserves recognition here. His name tends to randomly pop up in movies and television, and it gets my attention each time. No two of his performances are alike. It's no exception here in "Rollerball." 

Gunn has been in some of my favorite movies such as "The NeverEnding Story" and "Firestarter." I've seen him on "The Cosby Show" and on my favorite horror anthology series, "Tales from the Crypt." I've mentioned him before in a review I wrote on the TV movie "Bates Motel." I've never seen a performance from Gunn I didn't like. He also plays Booker T. Washington in the 1981 movie, "Ragtime" which I've been trying to get my hands on for a while as it's directed by "Amadeus" director, Miloš Forman.

Before I forget, Richard LeParmentier (Admiral Motti from "Star Wars" and Lt. Santino in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit") is in this movie, too. So, there's that. 

I'm being generous with my rating of 3 out of 5 flaming roller skates because of its cast, some of the dialogue, and John Houseman's performance 

Director Norman Jewison has directed some respected films such as "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Moonstruck." Sadly, he passed away in January, 2024.

"Rollerball" tries to be a true thought-provoking flick, hoping to be taken seriously as a 'one man against the system' story. It has been a trope repeated so many times before and after. It works to some extent. Like I said, this movie is really only worthwhile when the actual game is on.

"Rollerball" was remade in 2022, which the Los Angeles Times called one of the most expensive box office flops of all time. I have no desire to watch it. Seeing the original film was good enough for me. As far as Gary Gerani's book...I guess "Rollerball" is among the top 100 sci-fi movies.  

8) The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)

(3.5 👽's out of 5)

"Gemini to ground control. Reading you loud and clear. Lift off - smooth. Ready for checklist. Fuel is go. 1.2G Cabin. 14 PSI. Oxygen is go. Telemetry is go. All systems: go."

Director

Edward Montagne

Cast
Don Knotts - Roy Fleming
Leslie Nielsen - Maj. Fred Gifford
Joan Freeman - Ellie Jackson
Arthur O'Connell - Buck Fleming

Jeanette Nolan - Mrs. Fleming
Frank McGrath - Plank
Paul Hartman - Rush

I initially picked "Forbidden Planet" with a young Leslie Neilsen and Robby, the Robot to be number eight on this blog. 

I sat down to watch it with my kids, but we all changed our minds. We wanted a comedy. 

My wife has a collection of Don Knotts films which includes five movies. One of them is "The Reluctant Astronaut." 

So, we put that on instead. And to my surprise, it also stars Leslie Neilsen.

This comedy is a stretch as far as being an actual science fiction film. It involves rockets, NASA, and space exploration so I'm throwing it in. 

In this movie, Knotts plays Roy Fleming who works as a ride operator at a children's fairground out in Sweetwater, Mo. For his job, he dresses as an astronaut while operating a rocketship, pretending to take children on a space mission. 

However, Fleming is terrified of heights. He's also 35 and still lives with his parents. His father, Buck Fleming (Arthur O'Connell) is a WWI veteran and wants only good things for his son. So much so that he sends NASA an application for Roy.

Roy feels like he doesn't have a word in edgewise regarding what he wants to do. 

His mother (Jeanette Nolan) informs him, to his surprise, that he has been accepted by NASA for a WB-1074 position. What Mrs. Fleming doesn't know is that this is a janitorial position. 

So, he heads to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston to start his career. 

Don Knotts in "The Reluctant Astronaut."

When Roy arrives, it doesn't take long before he learns what his job really is. 

His family, and his girlfriend Ellie Jackson (Joan Freeman) all think he's preparing to be an astronaut. 

Roy befriends veteran astronaut Maj. Fred Gifford (Leslie Nielsen) who gives him plenty of encouragement. 

Roy takes a weekend back home to try and explain the situation to his parents but they're just so happy for him that they don't give him an opportunity to tell them. 

Back in Houston, Roy's dad and his buddies make a surprise visit. 

Roy ditches his job waxing the floor to go swipe one of Giffords space suits before meeting his dad and company. 

He fools them into thinking he is indeed an astronaut. 

However, when showing them around, he hops on a rocket sled which they accidentally set off. 

Roy is immediately fired and returns to Sweetwater, dejected and downtrodden. 

Meanwhile, the Russians are gloating about sending an untrained civilian up into space in the next 48 hours. 

Not to be outdone, NASA wants to do the same. They just need an untrained civilian. 

Gifford recruits Roy to be that untrained civilian. 

While it sounds like a dream come true, for Roy and his fear of heights, he has second thoughts about it. 

But up into space he goes, and hilarity ensues. 

The movie was released in an era of high expectations and anticipations for the U.S. and space exploration not-too-long before astronauts walked on the moon. 

Unfortunately, its release fell at a most unfortunate time. Its January 25, 1967 premiere occurred two days before the Apollo 1 tragedy ended with the death of three astronauts. 

Don Knotts's comedy compliments the story about Roy and his family relationship, as well as his father's hopes for him while he works as a janitor at the space center in Houston.

Leslie Nielsen (center) as Maj. Fred Gifford in
"The Reluctant Astronaut." 

The comedy is mild and doesn't come through full force until the final act where the lone acrophobic Roy being launched into space without a clue as to what he's doing.

Director Edward Montagne produced several Don Knotts movies around this time such as "How to Frame a Figg" (1971), "The Shakiest Gun in the West" (1968), "The Love God?" (1969), and "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" (1966). 

This isn't as popular a Knotts film compared to "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" or his live-action animated comedy "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." 

I still had fun watching it, primarily because Don Knotts is enjoyable to watch. And to see a young Leslie Nielsen play a heart-throb heroic astronaut before he became the comedy legend he's now famous for, is a trip.

"The Reluctant Astronaut" is a perfect Sunday afternoon kind of movie. It's lighthearted fun with comedy that has lasted all these years. 

5) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

(3 's out of 5)

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so." 

Director 

Garth Jennings

Cast 

Martin Freeman - Arthur Dent

Mos Def - Ford Prefect

Sam Rockwell - Zaphod Beeblebrox

Zooey Deschanel - Trillian

Warwick Davos- Marvin

Alan Rickman - Voice of Marvin

Stephen Fry - Narrator 

Helen Mirren - Deep Thought
John Malkovich - Humma Kavula
Bill Nighy - Slartibartfast

The last thing I expected after watching the 2005 movie "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was the hint of depression it would leave with me. I anticipated a comedic satire, and that's actually what I got. Still, if I'm to take the movie's advice and that of the author of the book it's based on, Douglas Adams, seriously, well... what's the point of anything in life? 

I wasn't familiar with Adams's book of the same until after I saw this movie several years ago. 

I had heard of title before then, but that's about it. After seeing this, then I read the book. However, I haven't read any of sequel books.  

I've seen this movie several times before now because I thought maybe there was more to it than I initially caught. Or, I was reading too much into it. 

I had no idea what to expect going into this movie for the first time. 

Though sci-fi spoofs are nothing new ("SpaceBalls" and "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" for instance) this movie has an original feel to it. I did get a subtle taste of old fashioned anti-organized religion sentiment in the movie. At least, it's satirized. 

In this movie the world has been inconveniently demolished by a bunch of unemotional and unreliable bureaucratic aliens called Vogons who need the earth’s occupied space for a hyperspace express route. In the plus column, two people actually survive the end of the world. What are the odds, huh? Maybe they're similar to the odds of being rescued should you ever find yourself floating aimlessly in the infinite vacuum of space?

The film starts as Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) wakes up as usual, on a Thursday morning, feeling a little down because he totally blew it with a girl named Trisha 'Trillian' McMillan (Zooey Deschanel) at a costume party the night before.

All that is pushed aside when he finds a demolition crew outside his home getting ready to tear his house down to make way for a bypass. 

Dent lies down in front of a bulldozer in an attempt to stop them. Meanwhile, his friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) somehow manages to convince Dent to join him at a nearby pub despite his home moments from being demolished. 

At the pub, Ford reveals that he's actually an alien from the vicinity of Betelgeuse. He's also writing a new book called, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." And what's worse, he warns Dent about the impending doom about the befall Earth in a few minutes. So, they need to drink up!

During their chat, Dent mentions how he blew it with Trisha when were interrupted by a guy who claimed to be from another planet and invited Trisha to see his spaceship.

As they leave the pub, a large Vogon destructor fleet surrounds the entire planet. 

Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel,
and Mos Def in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Before the Vogons carry out the plans to destroy the planet, Ford sneaks Dent and himself onto one the Vogon ships. 

Of course, the Vogons quickly discover their presence and take them into custody. 

They attempt to torture Ford and Dent by reading them Vogon poetry, which the film's narrator (Stephen Fry) says is the worst poetry in the universe. 

While Ford suffers under the unbearable pain, the poetry has no effect on Arthur. 

They're then placed in a cell, only to be kicked off the ship through an airlock and left in the vacuum of space to die. 

As improbability would have it, they're picked up by a starship called "Heart of Gold." 

Onboard, they find Ford's semi-cousin, Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), who's also the newly elected president of the entire galaxy, and Trisha McMillan. Their also joined by Marvin, a depressed robot programed with GPP (Genuine People Personality) played by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman. 

It turns out Zaphod happens to be the guy from the costume party who invited Trisha to see his spaceship. 

Zaphod, by the way, is being chased by the Galactic Vice-president Questular Rontok (Anna Chancellor) and the Vogons for kidnapping himself, the president of the galaxy. He's on a mission to find out the answer to the "ultimate question" of life, the universe, and everything. 

A supercomputer known as "Deep Thought" attempted an answer to that question centuries ago only to come up with the underwhelming answer, "42." As Deep Thought puts it, it needs to know what the actual question is before the answer makes sense. 

Zaphod thinks the answer can be found on the planet Magrathea. The only way he can get to Magrathea is by using the Heart of Gold's "improbability drive" which will take the ship to any random part of the universe without having to bother going through hyperspace. Zaphod keeps using this feature to hopefully get to Magrathea someday.

At one point, the improbability drive takes everyone on board to the planet Viltvodle VI. Magrathea will have to wait a moment now. His presidential opponent, Humma Kavula (John Malkovich) resides there. And Zaphod has a bone to pick with Humma, who had the audacity to call him "stupid" during their presidential campaigns. 

Also, Humma possesses coordinates to Magrathea that Zaphod wants to get his hands on. 

Humma offers to give him those coordinates if Zaphod finds the "point of view" gun, created by Deep Thought, and brings it back to him. Anyone shot by this gun temporarily sees things from the shooter's point of view. 

As they're about to leave Viltvodle VI, the Vogons show up to rescue the president and shoot his kidnapper (again, himself). They take Trisha as prisoner instead for aiding the president in kidnapping himself. So, Dent, Ford, and Zaphod have to go rescue her. 

While in Vogon custody, Trisha learns that the destruction of Earth is Zaphod's fault as he signed the paperwork to have it destroyed thinking the form was an autograph request. 

Zaphod goes to the Vogon offices to sign a presidential prisoner release form to rescue Trisha and then escapes before the Vogons realize the president's kidnapper is within their grasp. 

As they escape, the improbability drive finally takes them to Magrathea. However, while approaching Magrathea, they're met with a couple of automatic defense missiles launched from the planet. 

In an attempt to escape, Dent hits the improbability drive again which takes them, despite the odds, right back to Magrathea. Thankfully, this makes the missiles turn into a bowl of petunias and a very confused whale. 

After they land, the crew come across some interdimensional transports which Trish, Ford, and Zaphod jump through. Dent is too scared and misses his opportunity. 

The transports take Zaphod and the rest of them to Deep Thought who tells them after coming up with the answer "42," it designed a supercomputer that could come up with a better answer. Unfortunately, the Vogons blew up this supercomputer in order to make room for a hyperspace express route. This supercomputer, which is obviously Earth, was commissioned by interdimensional beings that appear as mice. 

Zaphod recovers the point-of-view gun just before he, Trish, and Ford are captured by unknown entities. 

Still on Magrathea, Dent runs into a guy named Slartibartfast (Bill Nighy) who designs and builds entire planets in a factory. 

He takes Dent to the planet showroom where they have a second backup Earth just about ready to go for habitation. 

His house is also recreated on this backup Earth where Dent meets his pals, Trisha, Ford, and Zaphod. 

The mice who commissioned Earth's construction are also there. The mice prepare an exquisite feast for everyone which puts all but Dent to sleep. Then the mice reveal their true plan - to take Dent's brain. This, they think, is the last piece they'll need to get the answer to life's ultimate question. 

But Dent gets the upper-hand and kills them. 

Then the Vogons show up, and this is the last chance for Dent, Ford, Trish, and Zaphod to take them down once and for all. 

Spoiler - they conquer the Vogons. And after they do, Dent agrees to explore the universe with Trisha, Ford, and Zaphod. But first they plan to stop for a quick bite at a restaurant at the end of the universe. 

"Hitchhiker's Guide" is a movie unique in style and atmosphere as far as sci-fi films go. It's also a movie solely for fans of Douglas Adams's works. I think anyone else will find this movie too bizarre, convoluted, confusing and, maybe, a bit full of itself while not taking itself seriously, to be enjoyable. 

I can't think of another movie similar to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Part of it feels like a parody of science fiction while trying to make a satirical statement about the shortness of time, the meaning(less) of life, creation, human behavior, and the insignificance of it all according to Adams. It's comedic just as it is depressing and sad. It's as though all the tidbits of life and the universe are neat and nice to look at like shiny little trinkets, but in the end, it's all meaningless. And when it all

goes away, what will it matter to anybody? While everyone in the story hitchhikes around the galaxy, what's meaningful to some is pointless and useless to others. Still, as the movie suggests, it would be fun to galivant around the galaxy and see all the pretty things.  

A lot of the effects are done through practical effects and puppetry, created by the Jim Henson Workshop, which I truly value and appreciate. Their work is impressive and beautifully constructed. 

However, the acting is off at times, such as the moment Trillian is told Earth has been destroyed. She's annoyed, but it's the kind of irritation someone would have after being told they have to come in to work Saturday and Sunday. 

I found the movie entertaining and visually fun enough; however, there's a variety of themes that don't sit well with me. 

For instance, the more the characters try to comprehend the purpose of life and all of creation, the more unhappy and disappointed they seem to be. This ties into the idea that creation, time, improbability, impossibility, plausibility...is all absurd. 

All the "sciency" jargon, like the improbability drive, demand the audience understand these concepts. Of course, audiences likely aren't experts on these things, just like the characters aren't either. Concepts like these are confusing, and the movie (and Adams) know that. And they know that the audience knows they're confusing. So, audiences are just as surprised as the characters are when situations and circumstances go a certain and unexpected way. It's an ingenious method of storytelling that works for this movie. 

As for creation, and the human desire for exploration, the movie acknowledges that it's exciting to explore until something is discovered. Discovery is reduced to the fizzling out of the thrill of exploration. 

The mice are anxious to know what the answer is to the "ultimate question... of life, the universe, and everything." Of course, they don't actually ask a question. Still, this non-question leads to an underwhelming non-answer. And all the characters end up in an endless pursuit. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, they pursue, and THEY PURSUE, and they pursue, pursue, pursue, pursue. 

But how often, the movie asks, does discovery meet expectations? 

It's a downer of a satirical comedy. 

The joys of life are really meaningless in the end, or so the movie indirectly claims.

"Time is an illusion," Ford Prefect tells Dent. "Lunchtime, doubly so." Well, that stinks! 

2) The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

(3 👽's out of 5)

"No matter where you go, there you are!" 

Director

W.D. Richter

Cast

Peter Weller - Dr. Buckaroo Banzai
John Lithgow - Dr. Emilio Lizardo / Lord John Whorfin
Jeff Goldblum - Dr. Sidney Zweibel
Christopher Lloyd - John Bigbooté
Ellen Barkin - Penny Priddy
Lewis Smith - Tommy "Perfect Tommy"
Robert Ito - Prof. Tohichi Hikita
Vincent Schiavelli - John O'Connor
Bill Henderson - Casper Lindley
Damon Hines - Scooter Lindley
Carl Lumbly - John Parker
Clancy Brown - Rawhide

No doubt Sci-Fi fans across the interwoven makeup of my personal social media accounts have waited with shaking breath full of anticipation, unable to contain themselves wondering what movie I'd post about next. Well, here it is. 

When I came up with this particular blog, the 1984 star-studded cinematic Sci-Fi experience, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" was one title I had on forefront of my mind to watch and comment on.

And by star-studded, I mean it has RoboCop himself, Peter Weller along with John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli, and that moody prison guard from "Shawshank Redemption," Clancy Brown.

I have never seen this movie before, but I've definitely heard of it. You don't forget a title like "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." It sounds corny yet intriguing. It draws you in with the idea that you just gotta see this. It's one of my favorite Sci-Fi titles, second to the 2001 movie, "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack." It just rolls off the tongue.

This movie feels like an ode to all self-proclaimed nerds and geeks out there. Perhaps that wasn't the case back in 1984 when it was released. But it sure feels that way now.

Banzai (Peter Weller) is a half Japanese, half American race car driving nuclear physicist, neurosurgeon, rock star crime fighter who has to battle aliens. 

He and his mentor, Dr. Tohichi Hikita (Robert Ito), have successfully designed a breakthrough device called an "oscillation overthruster" which allows a solid object to pass through another solid object. 

The film opens as they test the overthruster by strapping it to a jet car that Banzai drives straight towards the side of a mountain. 

The car successfully travels through the side of the mountain and comes out on the other side in one piece. When Banzai is within the space occupied by the mountain, he breaks through into the 8th dimension. 

When he's back in the normal dimension on the other side of the mountain, Banzai discovers an alien creature attached to the underside of the car. 

Anyhow, this amazing scientific breakthrough makes the news. Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow), who's incarcerated at the Trenton Home for the Criminally Insane, catches the story on T.V. 

This news sets him off as he and Hikita built a prototype oscillation overthruster back in 1938.

Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai.

However, Lizardo tested it before all the kinks and bugs were fixed, and his attempt to pass through matter caused him to be stuck between dimensions. 

While in the 8th dimension, Lizardo was attacked by aliens until his colleagues were able to free him. 

He came out of his experience with much more violent aggression than he previously had. 

Well, now he knows Banzai has travelled across the 8th dimension. So, Lizardo escapes the asylum to go find and steal the overthruster. 

Meanwhile, Banzai and his band, "The Hong Kong Cavaliers" are performing at a night club when Banzai stops the music to address a girl, Penny Priddy (Ellen Barkin), who's crying in the audience. 

He talks to her for a moment before dedicating his next song to her. While he croons Penny, sheattempts suicide by pointing a gun to her head. 

However, someone bumps her arm, and she accidentally fires in the air. The band mistakes the gunshot as an assassination attempt, leading to her arrest.

Banzai goes to visit Priddy in jail and discovers she's the long-lost identical twin sister of his late wife, Peggy. So, he gets her out of prison. 

Later, during a press conference where Banzai answers questions about the overthruster, the journey through matter, the alien creature he found on his car, and his experience in the 8th dimension, Banzai gets a phone call from the President of the United States. 

When he takes the call, there's phone interference caused, unbeknownst to Banzai, by aliens in their spacecraft heading to Earth. 

The aliens send an electric shock to him through the phone which programs his brain to see aliens disguised as humans. 

John Bigbooté (Christopher Lloyd) and John O'Connor (Vincent Schiavelli) are two of these humanoid aliens present at the press conference. 

They disrupt the conference and kidnap Hikita before Banzai chases them around and rescues his mentor. Banzai can see them as the horrible aliens they really are. The Cavaliers come to rescue Banzai and Hikita, and then all return to the Banzai Institute.

While they're all there, a humanoid alien named John Parker (Carl Lumbly) delivers a message to Banzai on behalf of the leader of the peaceful Black Lectroids of Planet 10.

The message is from a female Lectroid named John Emdall (Rosalind Cash) who informs Banzai that the Black Lectroids have been at war with Red Lectroids, and banished them from the 8th dimension. 

When Lizardo was trapped in the dimension back in 1938, the leader of the Red Lectroids, Lord John Whorfin, took over Lizardo's mind and body. On top of that, Whorfin helped a lot of his allies escape that day. 

So, now that Banzai and Hikita have successfully mastered the overthruster, Whorfin and his allies will certainly try to steal it so they can free more Red Lectroids.

John Emdall wants Banzai to stop him. If he doesn't, she promises the Black Lectroids will attack Russia from their ship, blame it on the U.S. and that'll start a nuclear war which will destroy the world and the Red Lectroids. 

Well, Banzai doesn't have much of a choice now.

Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Sidney Zweibel.

So, he and the Cavaliers track the Red Lectroids to a company called Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems in New Jersey.

They also figure out, thanks in large part to Dr. Sidney Zweibel (Jeff Goldblum) that Orson Welles's 1938 broadcast of "War of the Worlds" was actually a real news broadcast cover the arrival of the Lectroids. But they forced him to claim it was all fictional.

At Yoyodyne, the Reds have been trying to build a craft, disguised as a U.S. Air Force Bomber, that can successfully cross into the 8th dimension.

As the Cavaliers are figuring out what they're going to do, Red Lectroids break in and kidnap Penny Priddy. It won't be long before the aliens realize she has the overthruster with her. 

Banzai and the Cavaliers need to rescue her and get the overthruster back before it falls into the hands of the Red Lectroids, and the Black Lectroids attack Russia which will destroy humanity. 

"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" is definitely a product of its time. Still, it's a movie that doesn't get enough attention. 

After all, it was up against some strong competition as "Ghostbusters," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "The Terminator," "Amadeus," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," and "Gremlins" were all released the same year. 

It's a spectacle that needs to be experienced firsthand. 

It's a cult classic in the true meaning of the term. That is, it has its fanbase while it tends to whiz past mainstream audiences. I sincerely appreciate that fanbase. 

John Lithgow's performance really carries the movie. He has so much energy and enjoyment in his insane villainous role. It's a performance that deserves so much acclaim and nods, if it hasn't received a lot already. Check out this 2016 interview where Lithgow discusses his role in this film. 

A lot of the lines, as quirky as they are, are hard to forget. There's a lot of quotable catchy stuff in this flick. 

"History is-a made at night. Character is what you are in the dark."

Or, "Lithium is no longer available on credit."
How about, "Evil pure and simple by way of the eighth dimension!"

John Lithgow shouts this line in brilliantly insane over-the-top typical 1980s Lithgow fashion, "May I pass along my congratulations for your great interdimensional breakthrough. I'm sure, in the miserable annals of the Earth, you will be duly enshrined." 

Then there's this line! 

"Buckaroo, I don't know what to say. Lectroids? Planet 10? Nuclear extortion? A girl named 'John'?" Try dropping that line out of context at a party, or something. 

Also, Christopher Lloyd's character is called "John Bigbooté." That can't be ignored. It definitely came from the mind of an eight-year-old. All throughout the movie, they keep addressing him as "Bigbooté." It's said over and over again! Bigbooté!

I believe this is the directorial debut of writer W. D. Richter. His name would next be found as a writer for the 1986 John Carpenter movie, "Big Trouble in Little China." He was also a writer on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) and the 1991Stephen King movie "Needful Things" which stars Max von Sydow.  

This movie is like a mix of Dr. Who, Star Trek, and a of 80's punk to taste. 

It drags on a bit at times, especially with Banzai and the Cavaliers chasing aliens and all that. 

It packs in too many plot points for the audience to take in, coming across as scatterbrained and disjointed. 

Even so, the movie has creativity which makes it clear that the movie is trying really hard. It deserves recognition for its efforts. 

It's supposed to be a Sci-Fi satire, but the satirical nature comes across subtly, except with names like, well... Bigbooté. 

Some of the lines sounded very scripted and are delivered awkwardly. 

And some of the actors portraying aliens clearly sound like they're talking through Halloween masks. That's likely because they're wearing masks.

However, the characters are likeable enough, but too many of the side characters aren't captivating nor interesting. And I have no doubt Goldblum tapped back into his role, Dr. Sidney Zweibel, when he played Dr. Ian Malcolm in "Jurassic Park."   

Looking past all the problems, the movie manages to be a fun film that allows the audience to let loose, not take the experience seriously, and escape life for 102 minutes. I can see why "Buckaroo Banzai" has a cult following. The imagery and story, as overpacked as it is, is imaginative and fun. 

The movie ends with the claim that Buckaroo Banzai would return in "Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League." That unfortunately never happened. I'd watch it. 

Anyways, this movie is definitely an experience to say the least.