The ‘Predator’ franchise has seen a lot of ups and downs in its time – the 1987 original (which saw Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mercenary go up against an alien creature who arrives on Earth with some time to kill) remains a classic.
Since then, the movie series has never quite soared to the same heights. The first sequel couldn’t recapture the bloody intensity, ‘Predators’ came close, while even Shane Black (who appeared in the first film) struggled with ‘The Predator’. The less said about the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ spin-offs, the better.
Hopes are high, yet nervous, then, for the latest attempt to bring the stalking extraterrestrials to screens. This one comes courtesy of ’10 Cloverfield Lane’ director Dan Trachtenberg who, along with writer Patrick Aison, has developed a prequel that spins the clock back long into the past for the first actual encounter between humans and Predators.
‘Prey’, set 300 years ago, is the story of a young woman, Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
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The Comanche Nation is a Native American tribe today headquartered in Oklahoma, having migrated through Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Trachtenberg and his team have stated their intent to present a respectful portrayal of the Comanche people in ‘Prey’. “The filmmakers were committed to creating a film that provides an accurate portrayal of the Comanche and brings a level of authenticity that rings true to its Indigenous peoples,” says a statement. “[Producer Jhane] Myers, an acclaimed filmmaker, Sundance Fellow, and member of the Comanche nation herself, is known for her attention and dedication to films surrounding the Comanche and Blackfeet nations and her passion for honouring the legacies of the Native communities.
Aison has written for shows including ‘Treadstone’ and ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’, while Trachtenberg broke out in the short film field and TV commercial space. Since directing the most successful ‘Cloverfield’ spin-off, he’s mostly been making episodes of TV including ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘The Boys’.
This teaser actually works to make you eager to see the movie without giving much away – the tone is there, and what more do you really need to know? Hopefully future trailers will not reveal everything. After all, Predators prefer to stay hidden.
‘Prey’ represents the hope for a new way forward for the ‘Predator’ franchise and will arrive on Hulu on August 5th.
1982’s ‘Blade Runner’ Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
With the sheer number of movies and TV series that Ridley Scott (through his Scott Free) company has in the works, you wonder when he finds the time to eat, sleep or see his family. And yet, the announcements just keep coming, with confirmation that Scott is one of the executive producers on a new, live-action TV expansion of his original ‘Blade Runner’ called Blade Runner 2099).
Silka Luisa, who has worked on shows including ‘Strange Angel’ (and has Elisabeth Moss-starring mystery thriller series ‘Shining Girls’ on the way) has been hired to run the series.
And, if this new project makes it out of development, Scott may direct at least the first couple of episodes, as he did with fellow sci-fi series ‘Raised by Wolves’ at HBO Max.
For the (very) who might be unfamiliar with the futuristic noir classic, 1982’s ‘Blade Runner’ is set in 2019 (well, it was futuristic in the 1980s) in a world where mankind can create “Replicants”. These bioengineered humanoids are employed for warfare or dangerous tasks but became a problem after an off-world mutiny by recent models who fled back to Earth.
Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, a “Blade Runner” law enforcer despatched to track down and eliminate troublesome replicants. But as he digs deeper into the issue, he discovers a much bigger conspiracy.
That first movie adapted Philip K. Dick’s 1968 book ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’, expanding on the concept, and painting a compelling, neon-drenched world that made it become a cult favorite, even if it didn’t set the box office on fire.
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Still, it was followed by 2017’s ‘Blade Runner 2049’, directed by ‘Dune’s Denis Villeneuve, and moved the story on 30 years. Ford returned as an older Deckard, and Ryan Gosling starred as Blade Runner (and replicant) K.
‘Blade Runner 2099’ as the title suggests, sets the clock ahead again, 50 years. No plot details have been revealed yet, though Scott told the BBC last year that that the pilot was already written and that a plan for an initial season of 10 episodes was being shopped around.
Surprisingly, given Scott’s existing connection to HBO and the fact that WarnerMedia has produced both movies, Amazon Studios was able to swoop in and seal the deal, putting it on the fast track through development (according to Deadline, the company’s Prime Video arm is already starting to look at potentially shooting it this year).
And this is not the only TV spin-off for Scott’s original film, either: anime series ‘Blade Runner: Black Lotus’, which is set in 2032 and features the voices of ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Jessica Yu Li Henwick and ‘Succession’s Brian Cox, arrived last year.
So, while neither ‘Blade Runner’ movie moved the needle in terms of box office, it’s clear there’s still plenty of interest in the idea.
‘Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Poster Courtesy of Disney+
Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now that’s a name we’ve not heard in a long, long time. At least not properly on screen in a ‘Star Wars’ movie or show. But we’re about to be hearing it a lot more as the series named for him, Disney+ show ‘Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi’ has an official start date of May 25th.
If that date sparks memories for you, chances are you know that’s the day (in 1977) that ‘Star Wars’ launched in theaters, changing the face of cinema forever.
The series, which stars Ewan McGregor as the venerable Jedi master, will be set nearly a decade after the events of ‘Revenge of the Sith’, and finds Obi-Wan still grappling with the betrayal he suffered from former pupil Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin – or more likely, the part-man, part machine Sith lord he became, Darth Vader – also seems likely to show up here, with Hayden Christensen in the cast. Christensen, of course, played Anakin in all three of the ‘Star Wars’ prequel movies and ended up suited the dark lord. Whether he shows up in full Vader costume or in flashback as Anakin remains to be seen. Why not both?
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This new Lucasfilm/Disney+ show has been in the works for a while now, hitting something of a speed bump in January 2020 when original writer Hossein Amini left the project over creative differences and script issues. ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’s Joby Harold was brought into replace him and, after another delay because of the pandemic, the series started shooting in January last year.
“I think the scripts are great. They’re in really good shape. They want them to be better. I think we keep our same airdate. All good. Everybody is going, ‘Oh, my god!’” McGregor told Variety when asked about the script issues. “But it’s not really as dramatic as it might seem.”
Deborah Chow, who won praise for her work directing fellow ‘Star Wars’ show ‘The Mandalorian’, has made all six episodes of this one.
Returning to the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy alongside McGregor and Christensen is Joel Edgerton, who played “Uncle” Owen Lars, the ill-fated moisture farmer whom Obi-Wan entrusts to raise an infant Luke Skywalker. He appeared in both ‘Attack of the Clones’ and ‘Revenge of the Sith’. Given all the talk of a de-aged Luke Skywalker in ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett’, we can’t help but wonder what a 10-year-old Luke might look like. Perhaps there are things the human brain should not comprehend.
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ will launch, then, in May. Disney has yet to reveal whether it’ll kick off with more than one episode and of course, what we all want to see now is a trailer.
‘Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Poster Courtesy of Disney+
With the premiere of ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ and the recent news about the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it’s obvious that the Star Wars extended universe is here to stay! So if Kenobi and Boba Fett can get their own series, who else could Disney tap to get their own series? Read on to check out our top five picks of characters that could maybe make the best Disney+ series.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
First appearance – Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn (1991)
Grand Admiral Thrawn, as seen in ‘Star Wars: Rebels’
Considered by many to be one of the greatest characters of the “Legendary” line of stories, Grand Admiral Thrawn got reintroduced in his 2017-2019 trilogy of books by his original creator and made a major threat in the ‘Rebels’ TV series. In the canon, Thrawn was a Chiss warrior who joined the Empire after being exiled. Many fans consider Thrawn to be one of the best side characters in the series, and it appears Lucasfilm has way more plans for him as he received not one, but two book trilogies, with the last novel releasing in the middle of November. With his character being a tactician of the Empire, a TV show just focusing on him, and his backstories as chronicled in multiple books and comics seems like a no-brainer. It would be an interesting take on the Star Wars TV universe, turning away from the action of shows such as the Clone Wars and Bad Batch to focus on the political side of the Empire seems like a fascinating premise in of itself. And with the popularity of the character, Disney is honestly sleeping on a hit TV show.
Doctor Aphra
First appearance – Star Wars: Darth Vader #3 by Karen Gillen and art by Salvador Larroca (2015)
Doctor Aphra
This entire list is just going to be filled with characters we love. Doctor Aphra was so well received when she was created for the ever-popular Darth Vader Marvel Comics run that she’s the first new canon character to get her own comic series, with Star Wars: Doctor Aphra releasing in 2016. She’s beloved, and her characterization is partially to thank for that. An archeologist who teams up with Darth Vader to make him an army of assassin droids, Aphra has been described as unlike most Star Wars side characters. Basically, she’s not the top person to do the right thing…most of the time. A TV show about her escape from working with Vader would be a fun, Indiana Jones-style time and would even be introducing one of Star War’s few LGBTQA+ characters, and banter between her and her romantic partner Magna Tolvan would be incredibly fun to witness on screen.
Poe Dameron
First appearance – ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (2015) directed by JJ Abrams
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
Okay, this is really a personal choice. Poe is, in my opinion, one of the more interesting characters in the new trilogy. A brash, damn good pilot, Poe is one of the Resistance’s poster boys and best pilots. With his family military background and his trusty copilot BB-8, he became a much-loved member of the Star Wars canon. But where could a TV show go? Well, with the last Star Wars film, we know that Poe wasn’t always a golden boy. He was a spice runner, and while that was a rather weird-handed story beat, that’s easily something that can be expanded on. Where was he before the battle against the Resistance and the First Order? Did he even work for them at one point? A TV show based on everyone’s favorite pilot, learning the dark and seedy side of the new Star Wars trilogy would bring a new (darker!) light to the new trilogy and characters behind it. Plus, showing Star Wars’ new golden boy—and his dark side that he had before all the Resistance stuff—will bring it a lot more of the extended universe fan base who maybe couldn’t get into the base series.
Chewbacca
First appearance – ‘Star Wars’ (1977) directed by George Lucas
Chewbacca
Now for something completely different and more fun. We all know Chewbacca, we all know what he’s done for this franchise (and the galaxy!) and how let’s be real, he is the major hero that no one deserves, but everyone is lucky they have! But what would Chewie’s own show look like? Would his show follow his origins, or possibly what he was doing with Han Solo in between the original and the new trilogy? What if it was none of those things? Going completely off canon for the fun of it here, what if Chewie ran his own intergalactic talk show? Interviewing every major, or up and coming, figure in the galaxy. While it would never happen, we can only dream at the idea of a non-canon—but fun—entry into the Disney Star Wars TV universe. Especially with the freedom of characters you can have on. From canon video game heroes to the recent comics. It could be a fun way to introduce the soft core fans into the extended universe with a bit of humor and flare.
Cal Kestis
First appearance – Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Cal Kestis as seen in ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’
For our last entry, we honestly have no idea why Disney has not greenlit a Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order project. Considered by most to be one of the best Star Wars video games, the title follows Cal Kestis, a canon Jedi survivor of Order 66 as he is hunted by the Empire. The possibilities of this are endless, from following the game’s lore and its characters to continuing Cal’s story after the events of the game, to even Cal’s experience during Order 66. Respawn and their writing team created an incredibly engrossing entry into the Star Wars canon, and Cal is to be thanked for that. While other Star Wars stories before have discussed Jedi survivors of the Empire’s attack before, none have gone into much psychological detail as Fallen Order has. To most, a TV show is much more approachable (and appealing) than a video game is. And it’s a crime that more low-key fans have not seen Cal’s story yet. That’s why it would make a fantastic starting point for any Disney+ show.
That’s our picks for the best Star Wars characters that totally need Disney+ shows. Did we miss any, or were we, unlike the aim of most Stormtroopers, on the target? Let us know in the comments below!
When it comes to anime, no one show is more respected than Evangelion. Originally airing in 1995, ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ blew up the anime scene with its dark imagery, unorthodox take on the mecha genre, and it’s tackling of incredibly hard-hitting topics for an anime, such as its personification of depression. It raised an entire generation of anime fans, and even inspired directors of modern cinema. A recent example is director Jordan Vogt Roberts name-dropping the series as an inspiration for ‘Kong: Skull Island.’ Recently we were treated to Amazon Video buying the rights to the recent Evangelion Rebuild films, including the finally released in the west, ’Rebuild 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time.’ For those unaware, the Rebuild films are a retelling of the original anime, with a little bit added in there for hardcore fans. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the series, and it has inspired me in my personal works. So, I’m about to give you four reasons as why film aficionados, even if you’re not an anime fan, should seek out the Evangelion Rebuild films to view on your own time. Don’t worry, it’s all spoiler free!
The Setting
The year is 2015, a good fifteen years after a near world ending event called the Second Impact. Evangelion’s world is colorful, but muted. It looks like a normal, small Japanese town, but the familiar image of a bustling school and buildings have been replaced with a ravaged lake, broken-down train cars and light poles. Part of the world has just vanished, leaving seas of red and a foreboding feeling that something isn’t right. If you’re a fan of movies having atmosphere so thick you can cut it with a knife, Evangelion is up your alley. While the entirety of the series seems to run on the ‘living on the last edge of civilization’ trope, the films take their time to show us just how humanity is living in this new normal. We see the settlements that civilization has built, the way people are just trying to go through normal lives, even though they’re seemingly dwarfed next to the giant mecha versus monster battles constantly taking place. City streets turn into battlegrounds, with buildings replaced by stark white shields and mech deployments. The world of Evangelion holds so many secrets and has given us an apocalypse that is darkly beautiful in both good and bad ways. You never know if the safest places will protect you from what comes from the heavens.
The Monsters
Speaking of which, the Heavens are not what they seem to be. During Evangelion, the giant mechs called EVAs fight beings called Angels. But don’t go in thinking about tall, blonde, and winged. These angels are monsters, with extra limbs, eyes, and incredibly deadly. Kaiju films might have us normally thinking about giant lizards and insects, but the angels are another thing entirely. The animators really make you feel the fear when an EVA stares down an angel. They’re tall, menacing, and filled to the brim with symbolism, named after actual angels from the Bible. This is a darker, more dramatic take than something like ‘Pacific Rim.’ Like that film, the mechs are fighting something that isn’t just monstrous, these beings can cause the apocalypse. But there’s a spiritual element that adds a sense of dread.
The Characters
Let’s just start this right off the bat: None of these characters are really a good person. Shinji, Asuka, Rei or anyone else…but that is the point. Evangelion’s genre-bending also moves to its characters. On the surface they seem like stereotypical teenage anime characters; Shinji is the quiet one, Asuka is loud and abrasive and Rei is the innocent one. They are obvious archetypes we’ve seen in other places, not just anime. But the films look a bit deeper, letting us see Shinji’s depression, Asuka’s loneliness and Rei’s mental anguish. These animated characters have grounded, human emotions and problems. We’re shown the anxieties and turmoil literal teenagers deal with, even as they have the weight of the world put on their shoulders. Instead of portraying them as the ultimate heroes, the films show them in a pained light; the fear they have over losing the war—and themselves. It humanizes these pilots and ups the tension with the fear of losing them at any time. These aren’t just badass soldiers, they’re teenagers risking it all to save the world, with everything resting on them.
The Plot
Evangelion, while boasting compelling characters and iconic giant robot fights, the real acclaim has mostly gone to the storylines. We’re treated to the human elements of a story about grief and loss and how someone can easily push away those who wish to help, leading them to spiral even farther down. Although this is a franchise about mechs, the monster battles and the threat of human annihilation are catalysts for the real story; the emotional journey of its characters, the investigation of what makes them tick, their acknowledgement of their flaws and how they end up overcoming them through their own strength. But, even if the giant fights are put to the back for the character drama, they still make the series a wild and fun ride to watch. With colorful scenery and violent mech vs. kaiju fights.
In the end, Evangelion is a genre-bending masterpiece that deserves a spot on everyone’s watchlist. Even if you aren’t an anime fan, any level of movie fan can watch the Rebuild movies and experience a story so important and powerful that it has inspired filmmakers across all genres.
‘Reminiscence,’ starring Hugh Jackman, is a movie that sits squarely in two genres – science fiction, and film noir. But this is far from the first time that filmmakers have combined those genres. Showing the traditionally noirish dark, fog-covered streets alongside futuristic (but still plausible) technology can heighten the mood a director is going for. With that in mind, here are four different films that fit in both genres; maybe check these out for the first time, or add them to your rewatch list.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – directed by Denis Villeneuve
Ryan Gosling in ‘Blade Runner 2049’
A sequel to the original 1982 classic (itself a shining example of sci-fi noir), Blade Runner 2049 follows Ryan Gosling’s ‘K’ as he goes on search for Deckard, the protagonist of the first film, after discovering a what might be a massive secret. Leading up to the release, people basically considered it impossible to do a worthy sequel of the original Blade Runner, but Villeneuve blew it out of the park. Beautifully dark environments with neon highlights, subtle storytelling, and a powerful message about what it means to be human, and a dark detective story. It basically has it all, and people were witnessing something… we never really thought would happen. To say ‘2049’ is a peak of the genre is an understatement, as the film basically told the doubters that the genre that ruled in the 80s-90s never really died. Basically, everything you need in terms of the science fiction noir, even down to the stereotypical fog/smoke down every alleyway. What more could one need in a ‘Blade Runner’ film? How about Gosling’s best work of his career?
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Cat People (1942) – directed by Jacques Tourneur
Kent Smith and Simone Simon in ‘Cat People’
This title is may seem much more noir than it is science fiction, but it would be crazy if this missed the list. Released in 1942, Cat People was a brand-new take on film noir. The horror elements of the foggy streets and impressive use of shadows convey the hidden nature of main character, Irene. The film is not about looking for a killer, or a missing person, but more about the tension of ‘is she really doing this?’ Will she really turn into a panther when she’s jealous? The use of noir elements makes the 40s black and white film into a tense and thrilling masterpiece. The back and forth the film gives you, up until the end, will have you questioning if you have even solved the mystery. It’s been argued that ‘Cat People’ is the first noir of mixed genres, combining both horror and noir. We wouldn’t exactly consider Cat People a horror film now, but through the technology of the time and use of practical effects, one could truly believe Irene can turn into said cat.
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Ghost In the Shell (1995) – directed by Mamoru Oshii
Mokoto Kusanagi, the cyborg detective protagonist ‘Ghost in the Shell’
The next film on our recommendation lists takes us to an anime classic. Released in 1995, ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is a great noir-style film, obviously influenced by the likes of the original ‘Blade Runner.’ The story is about cyborg police agent Mokoto Kusanagi and her partner Batou, and the film follows the two of them in futuristic slums of New Port City as they track a dangerous hacker through dark, foggy, dilapidated streets with flashy, dying out neon. They’re cramped, riddled with shadow, and every noir fan’s dream. Mixed with the advanced tech, cyborgs, futuristic setting, it’s a wonderful evolution on the genre pieces that came before it. It has the spy elements, the darker tone of its world, characters and plot, and tackles elements with well-thought-out commentary. Anime is not everyone’s cup of tea, but you’d be absolutely amiss to let this one pass by.
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Hellboy (2004) – directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Ron Perlman in ‘Hellboy’
What may seem like a surprising last entry, ‘Hellboy’ is actually the most genre-bending movie on this list. While the world of ‘Hellboy,’ and all of its mystical creatures, may not scream noir… its main character does. Hellboy, the titular anti-hero of the story, basically wears the genre on his sleeve. While he is just as fantastical as the characters around him, Hellboy is presented as the stereotypical noir protagonist, in a long trench coat, a cigar in his mouth, and he acts like the grumbling and hardheaded detective you’d expect in a Mickey Spillane mystery. But instead of hunting classic noir criminals or following thugs through dark alleys, he’s working for the BPRD and hunting supernatural threats. Hellboy, as a film, does an excellent job of exploring the noir genre and how far it can be pushed. Can you replace dark, foggy alleys with a foggy, dim-lit lab? What if you replaced your hardened human detective and made him a demon? It’s a perfect film for those wanting to expand their genre take. If your fan of the fantastical, enjoy some demons and fish men in your crime stories, ‘Hellboy’ is a great addition to the genre(s).15961
‘Reminiscence’ is now in theaters, and the listed films are streaming on digital platforms.
People need their escapism these days. These are the best sci-fi and fantasy franchises of all time, including a couple that blur the line between the two.
14. Blade Runner
The fact that “Blade Runner” qualifies as a franchise now rather than one really beloved sci-fi movie is a pretty neat development. To date, the franchise only consists of two films, a couple animated shorts and a tenuous connection to the “Alien” movies, but here’s hoping it continues to grow.
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13. Godzilla
The “Godzilla” series is both one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of all time and one of the most prolific. This is a series that spans dozens of sequels and all sorts of random spinoffs, with the tone varying between serious contemplation of nuclear age horror to rampant monster-on-monster zaniness. We wish American studios had better success translating that formula, but you can’t argue with the sheer amount of Godzilla goodness on tap.
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12. The Hunger Games
You can pretty much trace the current YA dystopian fiction craze straight back to the “Hunger Games” series. And it’s little wonder it turned out to be such a trend-setter. These four movies offer a captivating look at a world so deranged the wealthy elite make hungry teenagers fight to death for their amusement. The allegory is pretty obvious in this case.
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11. X-Men
The “X-Men” franchise has seen some pretty extreme highs and lows over the course of almost two decades of existence. Fortunately, those highs are enough to make up for everything else. These aren’t just great superhero movies, but terrific sci-fi parables about outcasts banding together to make the world a better place. Here’s hoping that things will only improve as the franchise makes it way to Marvel Studios.
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10. Alien
1979’s “Alien” and its 1986 sequel both rank among the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. One is a claustrophobic sci-fi horror mash-up, and the other is a delightfully enjoyable action romp. Sadly, none of the sequels, prequels, and spinoffs have quite lived up to that standard, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t always eager to spend more time in this universe.
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9. Harry Potter
It’s rare to find a franchise that stays good for even two or three movies, much less eight. But for the most part, the “Harry Potter” series only got better with time. And now that series has spawned a whole new spinoff franchise in the form of “Fantastic Beasts.” Between the two, you have one of the most consistently entertaining fantasy properties in Hollywood.
The “Mad Max” movies remain the gold standard when it comes to post-apocalyptic action. And thanks to “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the franchise has proven itself to be more relevant and daring than ever in the 21st Century. That belated sequel shows that this series doesn’t need to rest on the shoulders of Mel Gibson, or even the Max Rockatansky character at all.
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7. The Lord of the Rings
For decades, many “Lord of the Rings” fanatics considered this franchise to be impossible to adapt to the big screen. But all it took was a crafty team led by director Peter Jackson to do justice to J.R.R. Tolkien’s sweeping saga of men, elves, orcs and Hobbits. The original trilogy ushered in a whole new weave of fantasy and medieval epics. It’s unfortunate that the “Hobbit” prequels were stretched beyond the breaking point, but we’re still eager to see what other directions Hollywood can take this beloved fantasy series in the years to come.
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6. The Planet of the Apes
From the original series to the new, very photo-real reboot, “Apes” is the allegorical-heavy and emotionally-resonate franchise we need and deserve right now.
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5. Terminator
Much like the “Alien” franchise, the “Terminator” series is marked by two amazing movies followed by sequels and spinoffs of varying degrees of quality. But those first two movies are enough to cement this franchise as one of the greatest sci-fi properties of all time. The conflict between man and machine is still as resonant now as it was at the time, as is the central theme of fate vs. free will. We just hope we can get one more good sequel out of Arnold Schwarzenegger before he retires from the series for good.
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4. Back to the Future
There’s a lot to be said for a franchise that knows when to call it quits. “Back to the Future” never overstayed its welcome. The 1985 original is a delightful fusion of science fiction and comedy. Its two sequels further enrich the whirlwind saga of Marty McFly and Doc Brown. And that’s it. Other than an entertaining animated series and a video game continuation, this franchise has been allowed to rest in peace. No remakes or reboots to dilute the appeal of the originals.
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3. Star Trek
TV may be the medium in which “Star Trek” works best, but there have been some darned good Trek movies over the decades. Between “The Wrath of Khan,” “The Voyage Home,” “First Contact” and the recent reboot series, there’s no shortage of sci-fi goodness to be found with this franchise. Even if these movies are notorious for alternating between good and bad sequels, “Star Trek” will always rank among the greats.
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2. The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel Studios
The MCU has truly changed the game when it comes to superhero movies. There had certainly been great superhero movies before the MCU came along, but never before had a studio attempted to craft a shared universe on this scale. Marvel Studios has managed to craft a franchsie where super-soldiers, armored billionaires, gods and aliens bump elbows. Most amazingly of all, almost all of the 20-something MCU movies to date have ranged from really good to downright terrific.
In the end, could there be any other franchise topping this list? “Star Wars” blurs the lines between sci-fi and fantasy, tapping into our most fundamental myths and archetypes to tell the ultimate story of a heroic few overcoming a terrible evil. The original Trilogy shaped countless childhoods and gave us some of the greatest cinematic moments ever. And while the prequels and sequels have their detractors, they also prove that this is a franchise capable of constantly reshaping itself in order to appeal to new generations. This is a saga that apparently has no end, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Steve the robot and Brooklyn Prince in ‘Settlers,’ written and directed by Wyatt Rockefeller
Wyatt Rockefeller’s film ‘Settlers’ features Jonny Lee Miller, Sofia Boutella and Brooklyn Prince as homesteaders on a remote patch of land on Mars. As they struggle to keep the farm running, a group of strangers appears, and one of which (played by Ismael Cruz Córdova) claims that the farm is rightfully his. What ensues is a story about sacrifice and survival, and writer/director Wyatt Rockefeller spoke to us about the movie.
Moviefone: What inspired this story?
Wyatt Rockefeller: It started with a feeling, really. I was with my dad in the woods, and it was snowing. And when it snows, it can absorb all the ambient sound in a way that is really quiet, quiet in a way that we almost never hear. And there was something, at least At that moment, very eerie about it. And I remember looking over to the tree line and imagined being watched by something, someone, looked up ahead of my dad in his old coat and imagined a guy patrolling the outskirts of his farm and thought, what might he be guarding against?
And by the time we got inside, basically had the whole plot. Which is a good sign, when a story tells itself. But also it hit me at a gut level, like wow, that is really dark. Told it to a few others, and they agreed, but it was only then, probably a year later, that I had the idea to set it on Mars. And that’s what made me decide to pursue it as a feature, because to set it on Mars in a moment where it’s changing, where it’s in the process of being terraformed to suddenly unlocked all these dramatic and also very visual opportunities.
A lot of people have noted this could really be set anywhere. And I agree with that to a certain extent. And I was when I made the decision to set it on Mars, I was thinking about places where they couldn’t leave, because it is integral to the plot that they feel that this is their best option, if not their only option. Because that’s what forces them to reckon with these choices that they wouldn’t in a million years consider other than that this is maybe their only choice. And that for me is… What’s interesting about this, it’s people having to confront those choices.
MF: In the scene where Jerry burns the face masks, I immediately thought of those stories about the conquistadors burning their ships, so that the their crews were forced to make their settlements work. Are you specifically setting out to comment on the idea of settling across various generations?
Rockefeller: The short answer is no. But for me, the story comes first, the characters come first, the whole background and any larger message that people may draw from this, I think it’s all secondary. It has to come from the story. And I think if your goal is to make an argument or to convey a specific larger message, then you’re probably better suited to another medium, or I think you’re probably going to undercut the potential of the story you’re trying to tell.
That doesn’t mean you can’t deal with these larger issues. I think it, at least in terms of my own priority, it really does begin and end with the story and the character. Now, that said, my wife was one of the producers. She said, “Look, I know you didn’t mean to write a political movie and this isn’t a political movie, but you do have to recognize that you started writing this in the fall of 2016, and you have ended up writing a movie about ecological collapse, the resulting mass displacement of people and sexual power dynamics.”
And so I think that is a fair point. We are products of our times. And I will also say, one of the real advantages of working in genre and working in sci-fi, where you’re basically making it up I mean, we’re trying to adhere to the science, but effectively making it up, you can do an end-run around people’s biases. You can engage with current themes, current topics, but the names and the places are different. So people I think are a little bit more open when they come to this.
MF: That’s one of the great things about science fiction as a genre, is that you can look at issues we’re facing and take out some ancillary effects. Was it a conscious choice to only reference the background that various people are coming from without necessarily explaining every detail? You get hints that the people on Mars don’t like the people from Earth, but you never get into that too deeply.
Rockefeller: Yeah. It was very conscious, and it was an ongoing choice really. I mean, I admittedly agonized during the writing stage while we were shooting in the edit about how much do we need to provide? I think it’s very important that you, as the filmmaker, really do have an answer to everything. And I think especially because they are in such a remote location, where everything that you see in the background has to have a reason for being there. So it has to have a reason to have made the trip, so it all needs a backstory. But then, and I think having that base then allows you to create a texture that is believable. But then you really do, I think, need to pick and choose about what is actually relevant for people understanding of the dynamics that play between these characters and what is going to be extraneous. So it’s a judgment call that you have to continuously make.
MF: What was the casting process like?
Rockefeller: Well, when my wife and I, and we had a script, and we basically sent it around to everyone and their mother, and we thought, wouldn’t it be great to find a girl like Brooklynn Prince? And then out of the blue we got a call from an agent who had read the script, he had gotten hold of it, and he said, I really liked this. Who did you imagine? And just so happened that they repped Brooklynn and got it to her. And she and her parents liked it and attached. And that was actually what got this going, got it off the ground. And they stuck with us through thick and thin as the whole thing came together.
MF: What was that like for you on your first feature, working with Sofia Boutella, Jonny Lee Miller and Ismael Cruz Córdova?
Rockefeller: It was an incredible opportunity to work with such talented actors who come with very different approaches. And I’ll give you an example, Ismael, he likes to do multiple takes without cutting, and it gives you a few options and that was really fun. And it was based on I think I trust, that they have to trust you as a director, especially as a first time director. They really wanted to understand how did I see this and what was the relationship between their characters to this setting, to this world. But then once I had that confidence in what I was doing, that I had a clear vision, that gave them the confidence to then inhabit their characters and feel free to make choices that felt honest to the characters. And that was a process that we felt through together. And that’s the fun of it.
MF: Not only is this your first feature as a director, but you’re also on location for what looks like almost the entire shoot. What tools do you use as a director to convince your cast and your crew, and everybody else, I have a vision for this, we’re going to work it out together.
Rockefeller: I think putting them in such an isolated location probably helps. It was great that they didn’t have all that much else to do then make a movie. But also they show up, it was so exciting to bring each actor to set for the first time, because we had this full 360 degree set. So I didn’t actually have to explain it to them, they could see it for themselves. And it was an incredible set that Noam Piper, the production designer, designed.
And we were also, thanks to the fact that we were in South Africa, which has very generous tax credits and such a talented crew base, that we really were able to build at a larger scale than we would have probably anywhere else. And I would say that, putting them in an isolated environment and giving them that 360 degree experience really allowed them to actually, I think, get into character and imagine what it would be like to be so far out there.
MF: I would be remiss if I don’t talk about Steve the robot. Is Steve mostly a practical effect, or was there a fair amount of CGI in that?
Rockefeller: It was a mix. So he was both a puppet and a CGI. Basically, when you see the more elaborate movements, that’s CGI. But we had to be very specific about where we deployed it. So we story boarded all of his scenes. But it was this really fun collaboration. Actually, I wrote a piece in detail on it, on talkhouse.com if you want to learn more. But I don’t have time to go into it here. I’d love to, because it really was probably the most fun of the whole thing.
I grew up reading through books on ILM, and we had a workshop about how they designed all those creatures and everything else, to be able to work with both the VFX and the puppeteers, and the creature designers to figure out, well first of all, what does Steve do? What is his function down to real specifics? And then go from there. I really wanted the design to follow his function. And I think that’s what ultimately allowed us to get to something that feels both very much a part of the world and unique.
In this exclusive interview with Made in Hollywood’s Carole Mar, the cast of TNT’s ‘Snowpiercer’ give us a glimpse of what to expect from the show’s second season.
Daveed Diggs shares about how things will only get more complicated, and specifically that as his character Layton learns more, his life gets more complicated.
Then Jennifer Connelly talks about what it means that Miranda’s daughter, played by Rowan Blanchard, turns out to be alive and on the train.
Lastly, everyone weighs in on what it means that Wilfred (played by Sean Bean) is now on the train.
Theo James is no stranger to science fiction, having appeared in both the ‘Divergent’ and ‘Underworld’ film series. This July, he’s appearing in ‘Archive,’ about a man trying to create an artificial intelligence, and the film looks to be a bit more philosophical than some of more action-oriented sci-fi films we’ve seem James in previously.
From the official synopsis:
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs: being reunited with his dead wife.
Theo James co-stars in the film are Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra, and Toby Jones. This is the feature debut of writer/director Gavin Rothery, who previously directed the short film ‘The Last Man.’
‘Archive’ will be in theaters, on demand and digital on July 10.
