The problems: the story should have been at least ten minutes longer, the characters needed more development, the alien Drej needed more development. But I have a thing for animated films where things like this are almost negligible if the movie is done well enough. As it is, you care about the characters, the action scenes are some of the best you'll ever see, and the overall look of the movie is different from Star Wars, yet it would look at home in the Star Wars universe. Also, if you think about it, the plot is a little more fleshed out than the original Star Wars:A New Hope movie. If you don't believe me, compare Star Wars:A New Hope with The Empire Strikes Back in terms of story style. Also, despite the cliches(which I have no problem with if they are handled well and creatively), the story and setting is pretty fresh. If the movie had not flopped, it would have made for some good sequels. Well, it is far more creative and fun than some of the more recent Disney movies, excluding the action packed Tarzan, and the music for the most part is very good. I recommend you buy the Soundtrack for the film. Also the last 20 or so minutes, starting with Ice Rings to the end, are phenominally beautiful and fast paced. This movie is better than a lot of summer movies due to it's immense visual imagination, and it has far more imaginative space scenes than any of the Star Wars movies. George Lucas, take note.
Reviews
25 Reviews
Exosquad
(1993–1995)
My favorite growing up
14 December 2000
When this show was on the air, my father and I watched it repeatedly. We rewatched every episode untl it was pulled off. He and I stil miss it. The animated shw had a strong storyline, lovable (likable is to weak a word for these characters) heroes, villains that had reasons for their hatred of humanity, and strong dramatic moments. Characters die, planets are treatened, and the heroes of ExoFleet continue till they finally win the war. But, on the very last episode, the stage was seat for a third season, which was never made. There are rumors of a movie being made. I hope to god there is. This is the best of it's kind folks. I hope you can find it. Amazon has videos, but they are from th first season only. There are 52 episodes total; season one consisted of 13.
The Lion King
(1994)
Disney's best movie
11 December 2000
Warning: Spoilers
This movie has it all. Strong characters, great animation, and a good script. Disney will be hard pressed to make a better movie than this one. Ever. You always laugh at the comedy, (Spoiler)we feel like crying when Mufasa dies, and we feel joy when Simba wins. And Scar has to be the best villain ever on Disney, except for maybe Malificent from Sleeping Beauty.
The Bride with White Hair
(1993)
One Word: MAGIC!
10 December 2000
This movie is a fantasy film in the strongest sense of the word. It has such rich photography, special effects, music, and characters that you are swept away in it's spell. It has a real sense of romance, yet it has well handled violence which, though graphic, is not over the top and uncontrolled like a bad horror movie. The only flaw is the dubbed version, which is half good and half bad, depending on who was dubbed. I haven't seen a movie this rich and stylish since The Terminator.
Willow
(1988)
The most Tolkien like fantasy adventure ever put on film.
10 December 2000
For those that say that this film is like Star Wars because George Lucas wrote it, let me tell you people something: George Lucas wrote Star Wars after watching a lot of good movies, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon comic books, westerns, and a lot of science fiction. Now, the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's master piece, is like Star Wars in telling an epic story, in a fantasy world, with unlikely heroes. In other words, it's hard to come up with an original film nowadays. And if you, the audience, don't like it, consider this quote from a popular author(I don't remember his name, but I remember he was popular): If I want to read a good book, I write one. Now back to the movie. This film is incredibly rich with fantastic scenery, magnificent special effects, and extremely likable characters. Val Kilmer and especially Warwick Davis are fantastic in this movie. It is extremely enchanting, and (unless the live action versions of the Lord of the Rings movies are absolutely spectacular) it is about as close to Tolkien as we can get. And who better to do that than George Lucas and Ron Howard? So quite your carping and enjoy it!
Soldier
(I) (1998)
Surprise
27 October 2000
Warning: Spoilers
Frankly, I found this movie to be extremely enjoyable. The special effects were not the focus of this science fiction movie, an extreme rarity nowadays. Kurt Russell is simply incredible as Todd. The refugees on the planet on which Todd is dumped are likable and understandable. The villain, Colonel Mekum is not as well developed as he should be, but he is good enough. Possible spoilers ahead: Todd is raised from birth to be the perfect soldier. We see him in action and in training. Then Mekum comes along with new soldiers that are cloned to perfection. Todd and two others are defeated by one of the new soldiers and are all presumed dead. Mekum orders them to be dumped on a planet to avoid paperwork. Todd is still alive when he is dumped on the planet. He meets the refugees that crash landed there earlier, and his wounds get treated. He saves the life of one of them, but when he has flashbacks of a previous battle, he nearly kills the same man. When he tries to teach the son of the family that cares for him how to kill a snake to defend himself, the parents think he is just allowing the snake to attack their son. The refugees asks tell him to leave, but they will still help him if he needs anything. When the parents of the boy are asleep, a snake crawls into their bed, and their son kills it before either of them get bit. The father realizes what a mistake he made, and races out to find Todd and bring him back. No sooner does he find him, when Mekum arrives with the new soldiers to test them out. Russell makes Todd a fully fleshed out character. In every scene involving Todd, we never feel like we are in the dark about his feelings. He is easy to read, and despite all the people he killed in his battles, we feel for him. All his life he was used as a machine, not a human being. Same as his fellows. When he lands on the planet, he sees a community that has people that care for one another. There is not one despicable refugee on the planet. The one character who could have been, offers to help Todd when the refugees are under attack. With people like this to protect, who couldn't root for Todd to win? The fight between Todd and Caine is perfectly handled: fast paced and realistic. The only sour part was at the end when the two officers besides Mekum were left to die on the planet. Those two didn't deserve it. And who can forget the ending, when the little boy Nathan, the son of the family, wanted Todd to pick him up. After the death of his father, Todd was the only one left that he could look up to. Todd, despite having very few lines, is one of the most sympathetic characters I have ever seen. Ditto for the rest of the old soldiers who follow Todd at the end. This movie did not deserve to bomb as bad as it did.
The Terminator
(1984)
The best science fiction movie ever.
26 October 2000
This movie has the best hero and one of the best villains in the history of science fiction movies or any movies in general. Kyle Reese(the hero played by Michael Biehn) is the greatest. He crossed time, with no chance of going back, to protect a woman he never meet. The woman is Sarah Connor. She is to be the mother of John Connor, humanity's leader in the war against the machines. This man has tremendous courage. He has to go back without weapons or clothing to face a Terminator, so Sarah can live. Arnold is absolutely terrifying as the unstoppable machine. Even though people have been seeing parodies of his portrayel for nearly twenty years, his performance is still powerful. The ending is perfect. Those who think that Cameron's Titanic is a terrific love story should see this. That's what The Terminator really is: a love story. I gave it 10 stars.
Nosferatu the Vampyre
(1979)
This could have been great.
16 October 2000
The first half of the movie is fantastic to watch. Great use of Dracula's castle, hypnotic camera work, and excellent dialogue describing Dracula's realm. Then, when the ship arrives with Dracula, the film becomes shapeless, stupid, and worst of all, BORING. The second half really ruined the joy of the first half. If those of you were disappointed by It because of the inferiority of Part 2, just watch this film. It makes Part 2 of It look like a classic.
Farscape
(1999–2003)
My favorite tv series
10 October 2000
Farscape is quite possibly the best piece of science fiction ever. It has realistic and mostly lovable characters. They change and have opinions and have complex morality. Even Rygel(think of Yoda crossed with a Jawa), a largely selfish character, has moments where he actually cares about his fellow crewmates. That's once in a great while though. Ben Browder is excellent as a human stuck in a different part of the universe where no one knows about Earth except for him. The way he handles the situation and the way the aliens try to handle him makes for very entertaining episodes. Also the aliens are excellent as are the villains. Some of my all time favorite villains made appearances or are regulars on the show, especially the manipulative Scorpius. But the thing, we keep getting new aliens and new villains that keep expanding the already huge Farscape universe. I will be watching this show until they show the last episode. May that not happen for many many years.
Andromeda
(2000–2005)
Just the first episode
7 October 2000
I have just seen the first episode of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. One word: ACTION! This episode starts with a bang and continues on through. It is surprisingly fast paced and excting. I hope all the episodes are this exciting. I hope the series is good. So far the only show I really enjoy is Farscape. While not as intelligent as Farscape, this show has strong possibilities. Hopefully Kevin Sorbo will be allowed to stretch his acting muscles in future episodes as well; it would be a shame if he were typecast as Hercules. This is just as exciting as Star Trek is talky.
Wizards
(1977)
Pathetic and disappointing.
12 September 2000
What begins promisingly, carries on and dies boringly. The story was really good at the beginning, what with the origins of Avatar and Blackwulf, and their battle. But the rest of the movie is bad, with only the occasional good line(example:Let's get one thing straight pal. If you hurt me or my friends, especially the broad, I've got stuff planned for you that will take 20 years to kill you. And you'll be crying for mercy in the first five seconds!) The animation is pathetic. The only good stuff is the live action tracings of scenes from the movies El Cid and Zulu, creating spooky phantom like armies. If you want to see good fantasy, watch Willow,Ladyhawke, or Jason and the Argonauts. No wonder Disney doesn't have any compitition with dreck like this!
It
(1990)
A very scary movie.
18 August 2000
This movie caught me completely off guard. It was actually scary, especially the first part. The kids, actors and characters, were incredible. The movie is a lot better than the novel. In fact, skip the book and buy this wonderful movie. They should make more movies like this, with kids versus a dangerous monster. My only qualm about the miniseries as a whole is, that Tim Curry seemed a bit restrained, especially when compared with his performance in Muppet Treasure Island and Legend. Still, a very good movie.
City in the Sea
(1965)
A major disappointment.
18 August 2000
You know a movie is going to be poor when even Vincent Price gives a boring performance. Yes that's right, the late, great Vincent Price gives a poor performance in this movie. His character is boring and cliched to the point where even Vincent Price can't do anything to make him better. The sets are great, but the only other good thing about this movie is David Tomlinson's(the father in Mary Poppins) performance as Harold. Just skip it, unless you like to torture yourself with bad movies.
Dudley Do-Right
(1999)
Very dull.
6 August 2000
The good stuff:Brendan Fraser is the best klutz in Hollywood, Eric Idle is hilarious as Kim(I am evil. Evil!), and the guy who plays Whiplash is perfectly cast. However, the laughs are few and far between, the best gags being Eric Idle's training of Dudley, and the sight of bikers playing violins. Also, Whiplash's laughter is funny, but can only carry the movie so far. Stick with George of the Jungle instead. Also, Sarah Jessica Parker's character is absolutely terrible!
X-Men
(2000)
The best superhero movie since Superman(1978) and The Crow.
6 August 2000
I have just seen X-Men today(August 6, 2000), and I have only one word to say about it: terrific! Thespecial effects are terrific, everybody is well cast, and the action fast paced. But the thing about this movie is, you actually care about what happens. It has a good plot to match the actors and special effects. Best of all, it leaves oom for a sequel or two. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are magnificent, fleshing out the characters to a realistic level. Hugh Jackman and Tyler Mane are also great, but for different reasons. And chalk up another good part for Ray Park as Toad(Ray Park played Darth Maul in Star Wars:Episode I). The only complaint I have about this film is that they couldn't flesh out all the characters in the alotted time. Can't wait for the sequels!
Heavy Metal 2000
(2000)
Far and Away superior to the original.
16 July 2000
I hated the original Heavy Metal, with it's cheap animation and bad script. Even the best stories, the two at the beginning and the one at the end, were poor. I watched HM:2000 and while it is not one of my favorites, I say it is better. Better animation, better characters, and a nice plot. I wish the final battle was better though. It was more violent than Braveheart's battle scenes, but it didn't have the same pizzaz. I liked Julie, but she is no Iria. (check out Iria:Zeiram the Animation on this same website). She's a strong character, but she was also a tad mean spirited. Michael Ironside probably had a lot of fun playing Tyler.
The Crow
(1994)
A masterpiece of style and theme.
16 July 2000
The Crow is quite possibly one of the best superhero movies ever made. It is better than the Batman movies(Jack Nicholson notwithstanding), a bit better than Blade, and about as good as the first two Superman movies with Christopher Reeve. Hollywood lost a probable superactor(Brandon's father Bruce preferred the term superactor to superstar) when Brandon was accidently killed. The darkness and incredible set designs, special effects, and characters make this a cinematic classic. All this on a budget of $6 million. Skip the sequel.
Enter the Dragon
(1973)
One of the best action movies ever.
16 July 2000
It's a shame Bruce Lee died after this was made. It would have been great to have other big budget kung-fu epics like this one starring him. The movie is chock full of action(even by today's Terminator 2 standards), surprises, and of course, Bruce Lee. Not even Jackie Chan measure up to him.
The 10th Kingdom
(2000)
Too weak a story for 10 hours
9 July 2000
Th 10th Kingdom is unforgettable. Whether that is a good thing or not depends on whether you like it or not. For me, the parts were greater than the whole. It had excellent effects, beautiful locations, and a nice cast. However, the whole story could have been told in three parts at the most. It seems like the makers of the show were trying to stretch the length as much as possible. It's worth watching once. But I did enjoy Scott Cohen immensely, and will be looking out for future movies starring him.
House
(1985)
If you like the Evil Dead movies....
9 July 2000
Warning: Spoilers
What surprised me about House was it's sense of fun and humor. Nothing beats the'racoon' gag, which I will not describe since it would be a spoiler. William Katt is excellent, he shuld have had more good parts like Roger Cobb. This is more of a spoof than horror, but it has a sense of humor that Evil Dead fans will appreciate. Oh, despite it's budget of only 3 million dollars, the special effects are terrific. A lot of fun once the plot hits full stride.
The Black Hole
(1979)
An enjoyable movie.
9 July 2000
Granted, the special effects are not as grand as they once were, especially when compared with Star Wars, Armageddon, or even 2001:A Space Odyssey. But, it's a visually strong movie, with good lasers, a neatlooking evil robot, and the spaceship Cygnus is a ciematic wow with it's radical gothic design. The only problem with the robot Vincent is that he 'looks' kiddish. But, he can fly by himself, he has two lasers attached to his body, and he has the wonderful voice of Roddy McDowall. The plot could have stood another half hour of extra development and explanations, but it is very entertaining. John Barry's scoreis good and creepy, especially during the title sequence(the first use of cgi for images). Also, get the widescreen vsion. It is the only way to watch this movie.
The Best Heroine Ever.
7 July 2000
Iria is beautiful. Iria is young. And Iria can kick more butt than Xena on her best day. The animation is terrific, and Zeiram is a terrific monster. Okay, the plot. Iria's brother dies on a mission that involves the invincible monster Zeiram. She vows revenge on it, using every weapon she has and every plan she can possibly conceive. For those of you who are tired of Ellen Ripley being the only real tough Science Fiction heroine, I recommend Iria.
Braveheart
(1995)
One oh my all time favorites
30 June 2000
Braveheart is full of memorable villains and heroes. It's battle scenes are phenomenal, the two female protagonists are charming to look at, and the film has a very high emotional impact on a person. If this is any indication of what Mel Gibson is capable of as a director, then I cannot wait for his next film. You are guaranteed to enjoy it.
Dune
(1984)
Epic Science Fiction.
30 June 2000
This movie is one of the few epic science fiction movies ever made. Full of wondrous imagery, good performances, and an astounding music score. The action is also terrific. I first saw this movie sometime in January, 1996. I then got the book from the library, read it, loved it, bought a copy of both movie and book. I hope they will release an uncut 4 hour version of this film sometime.
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