Back for the new year where I will hopefully be writing much more often.
So, I’ve been working through some classic Doctor Who and I just finished The Androids of Tara (part 4 of the Key To Time series). This is one of the better classic Who serials, probably because Douglas Adams was a part of the writing team at the time (he would take over as script editor on the last serial of this season) and he really knows how to get the best out of an absurd premise such as Doctor Who (I love the show, but let’s face facts).
Anyway, this series takes place on the planet Tara, a world with a feudal government, but very advanced technology (androids, electrified swords, crossbows that fire electric bolts). The Doctor and Romana arrive and the Doctor decides to go fishing while Romana looks for the fourth segment of the Key To Time. Romana easily acquires the fourth segment, but is discovered by a Count who finds her appearance very interesting. Meanwhile, the Doctor is discovered by men working for the Prince.
It turns out that Romana looks exactly like the Princess of Tara and the Count thinks her to be an android replica. He has plans to take the throne, and now Romana is a key part in those plans. As Romana is kept prisoner, the Doctor is taken to the Prince where he is asked to help fix an android replica of the Prince for his coronation. The Prince and his men suspect the Count’s treachery and want to be prepared.
What follows is a tale of political intrigue and a fantastic sword fight between the Doctor and the Count. Tom Baker shows some impressive swordsmanship in this one.
Of course, this serial takes place during the Doctor’s time with K-9, so he is a big help to the Doctor and some occasional comic relief as well. I like how, depending on the circumstances, the Doctor may or may not take K-9 with him, but he always winds up calling him with his whistle eventually.
Also, the way Romana changes outfits in every serial is kind of hilarious, yet interesting in that she always tries to fit in to her surroundings (she has an outfit specifically for Tara because it’s “what they’re wearing right now”).
This is classic Who at it’s best. If you get a chance to see it, I definitely recommend it. As of this writing (Jan. 2nd, 2012) it is streaming on Netflix.
District 9 is a 10!
August 23, 2009For the most part, science fiction is formulaic and predictable. We go off to some far-off future place (even if it was “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far way) with crazy technological spectacle and curious alien life and just . While District 9 has both technological spectacle and curious alien life, it’s anything but formulaic.
It seems very rare that sci-fi movies are also thought-provoking (unless you’re a sci-fi nerd like myself and you spend plenty of time afterwards studying the theories set forth). This particular science fiction movie feels like it could easily become science fact.
Using a great deal of social commentary, Neill Blomkamp says a lot about how we treat people (human or not) who may seem different. Setting the film in Johannesburg, South Africa, an area that is familiar with many issues similar to the segregation dealt with in D-9, Blomkamp uses some pretty amazing computer animation and documentary-style storytelling to tell the story of a rather unique alien “invasion.”
The short version, 20 years ago an alien space-ship appeared in the skies over Johannesburg and lost it’s command module. This stranded the aliens on Earth. The government eventually boarded the ship to discover a whole host of “prawns” (the derogatory term for this race) and moved them down to the surface. The “prawns” quickly began to adapt to their surroundings and mimicked most shanty-town, poverty-stricken cultures. Certain criminal elements moved in to gain access to the advanced technology the “prawns” possessed.
The shanty-town, called District 9, is governed by a company called Multinational United (MNU). The movie is the story of MNU’s efforts to evict the aliens from District 9 into the newly sanctioned “District 10” lead by MNU employee Wikus van der Merwe. A documentary crew follows Wikus and the rest of his team through their day evicting “prawns”. Along the way, we see interviews with MNU employees and specialists in various aspects of alien life.
The first half of this movie truly does have a documentary feel to it. It seems like this could actually be happening right now.
District 9 is in the same category of Blade Runner and Children of Men for emotionally-charged, thought-provoking science fiction that truly feels like it’s right around the corner from actually happening. One of the initial goals of science fiction was to show us the error of our ways by presenting a unique world-view.
District 9 delivers on that goal and is simply amazing to see.
See this movie! It’s a must.
William, the Movie Nerdfighter
who may be going to see this movie again before it leaves the theaters.
Tags:alien, district 9, johannesburg, mnu, multinational united, neill blomkamp, peter jackson, prawns, science fiction, social commentary, south africa
Posted in Movies, Postive Reviews, Ramblings, Reviews | 2 Comments »