Movie Nights: Week in review 4.5-4.11
This week we dove into some sick sci-fi flicks.
Sunshine (2007)
We started off the week with something on a little more serious note. Sunshine is a really beautiful film with a great cast, set in 2057 A team of astronauts from all over the world is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun. Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans and Hiroyuki Sanada are some of the team and they all do a great job making you feel invested in their mission. Sci fi vibes were hitting the spot this week and this one was a great way to start. Directed by Danny Boyle this Sci-Fi Thriller is visually stunning with gorgeous lighting and tones of orange and yellow but mostly blues throughout. We love this type of movie, the crew banter are some of our favorite parts so the cast and the way they interact really makes a difference and this really feels like a solid crew. Apparently Boyle assigned them to live together before filming to form more organic relationships and comfort with each other and it payed off! These characters make all the same mistakes they always do in these situations and it is very entertaining to watch. In some ways it reminded us of Event Horizon and Alien Covenant. With great effects, smooth transitions, a stellar cast and an intriguing plot it is definitely worth a watch if you dig sci-fi and are looking for a slow burn thriller.
Photo Credit IMDB
The Void (2016)
The Void is an amazing choice if you’re looking for a modern horror sci-fi thriller with incredible practical effects. Written and directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie It kicks off with a great first scene filled with terror and confusion and earns our attention right away. It’s got a creepy vibe and some really eerie moments in the beginning. There is an amazing skin flaying scene that reminds us of Evil Dead (2013). We love the odd costumes and the way the tension builds with escalating odd situations stacking up for the characters and how when the gore gets going it doesn’t hold back! The effects in this film were crowdfunded on Indiegogo (about $82,500) and allowed them to create all creatures, gore and effects practically and BEAUTIFULLY. The Void’s effects are very comparable to those in John Carpenter’s The Thing (High praise, I know). They created some truly unique contraptions and creatures, their team brought horror to life and it is fantastic to watch. The Monsters throughout the film are incredibly realistic and gory to an almost repulsive level, we love it. This movie is worth watching for the effects alone!
Photo Credit IMDB
Leviathan (1989)
One of the best (and most nostalgic) underwater horror films out there in our opinion. Leviathan directed by George P Cosmatos stands apart from many other similar films of its kind because of its superior practical effects. The premise is pretty standard, a team of deep-sea minors are on a mission and unexpected troubles occur. This movie is kind of like if Alien(1979) and The Thing(1982) had a baby. We love the crew vibes of this type of movie, the banter between them makes it so much fun and more relatable when done right. We love Earnie Hudson and he is awesome in this. The visuals look great. We love the underwater and ship vibes. The scene where they find the Leviathan is so cool, what a reveal. This movie is everything you want in a sci-fi horror thriller from the 80’s. The last 30 minutes are so solid and exciting, there are some great fights with the creatures, the effects are INCREDIBLE. The humanoid creature effects in the film were designed by Academy Award-winning special effects artist Stan Winston. (Aliens, The Thing, Jurassic Park) Worth a watch if you’re looking for an underwater sci-fi flick with a little more kick.
Photo Credit © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Rift (1990)
The Rift
The story of why The Rift was made is a little odd to us. Dino De Laurentis (producer of Leviathan) decided to finance this very similar version of his other film, with a much lower budget. When we read this we had to check it out because we LOVE Leviathan and just watched it the night before. We were very pleasantly surprised. They do insane things with the small budget they had (especially compared to Leviathan which is hard not to do.) The formula for this film is the same classic situation we always love: a deep sea (or space) team goes for a rescue mission to uncharted and dangerous places. The make up of the cast/crew is extremely similar to The Thing/Alien/Leviathan crews. We get to see a young Ray Wise and R Lee Ermey in another one of his classic military captain roles. There is a lot of very blue lighting in the submarine that gives it a cool vibe. We loved when they explored some deep sea caves. The sets are very impressive not to mention the excessive blood and gore. When these cave dwelling creatures are killed they explode in a big bloody mess and it is amazing. The effects of the creepy plants taking over the ship were also very well done. This movie boasts really detailed practical effects and is such a blast. This movie has some fun little twists and turns. The plot is obviously not super original and pretty predictable but still enjoyable because at this point we’re in it for the meaty explosions! The only thing we didn’t love was the super cheesy romantic ending, it was a bit nauseating and totally unnecessary. Still worth a watch if you’re a sci-fi lover, perfect for that B-movie vibe.
Photo Credit IMDB
The Abyss
We decided to watch the Abyss just for the vibes because at this point all we we’re interested in was seeing more underwater madness. We were skeptical but because James Cameron Directed it (and the huge budget) we knew it would probably look really impressive, and it does. However, we were scared it would be less horror and more action which is not always what we were looking for, so we went for it anyway. No regrets watching it, but we have some mixed feelings on this one. Aesthetically it was stunning, it looks fantastic and for good reason, most of it was actually shot underwater. All CGI was done by George Lucas’s company ILM and this was James Cameron's first experience filming in Super 35 format. There are some very intense scenes and great tension building throughout, we really enjoyed the first half of the film. The cast does a great job, we get to see a young Ed Harris and they are likable enough for us to be invested. All that being said, it WAS more action/thriller than horror as expected, and we really didn’t like the ending. We might even go as far to say we hated the ending. It goes way more fantasy and gushy/positive than we expected while also kind of not making sense logically. All in all not a total waste of time for us, but if you’re more of a sci-fi horror fan go into it just for the aesthetics and you’ll enjoy it more.
Photo Credit IMDB
The Eye
We were not super familiar with The Eye(2008) other than knowing it was a remake of Pang Brothers original 2002 Chinese film with the same name. We went in kinda blind (pun intended) and boy did we make a terrible mistake. We don’t really have anything positive to say about this one which is RARE because we usually find something to enjoy or appreciate about a film. We hate Jessica Alba’s character. She is beyond annoying and unlikeable. The movie relies heavily on jump scares and loud noises which we hate. The acting is awkward and the characters feel pretty hollow. It was honestly boring and slow paced in the beginning, this movie isn’t really horror it is more like a supernatural drama. The “horror” scenes feel chaotic but not scary at all, the CGI looks silly and the ending is ridiculous. There are no redeeming qualities and nothing that makes this movie worth watching to us.
Photo Credit © Lions Gate Home Entertainment
