5 Sci-Fi Films That Don't Quite Stick the Landing

 

"Audiences are harder to please if you're just giving them effects, but they're easier to please if it's a good story." 

                                                                                                            -Steven Spielberg 

  

    Science Fiction is my favorite and arguably the most versatile genre of narrative art. It is one of the few areas where reality and imagination can coexist. Growing up, I was introduced to the many titans of the genre, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Rod Serling. Masters of their craft responsible for some of the most imaginative stories with valid and relevant points about society, the realm of possibilities, and especially the human condition. 

    However, like all aspects of life, your favorite thing is not without its flaws. There are times when a sci-fi film comes along with a wonderful idea and tries its best for optimal presentation and execution, but sadly doesn't quite hit the intended mark. Sometimes, these unfortunate misfires can still resonate in some way, thereby making the presentation still valid. Still, its failure to hit the ball out of the park prevents it from becoming anything more than a curiosity. It's not bad; it's just not as good as it should have been. 

    Today, we're going to take a look at five sci-fi films that do exactly that. They're not terrible, nor are they stupid; they just don't know how to fully comprehend their ideas. 

    This is, in no particular order, TheNorm's 5 sci-fi films that don't quite stick the landing. 

#5 - The Chronicles of Riddick 

    Vin Diesel is an awesome dude, his Riddick franchise is really cool, and his enthusiasm for the strange yet fascinating world the character inhabits would have been interesting if there was more to it than what we got here. The character of Riddick was first introduced in the sci-fi survival horror film Pitch Black: the story of a group of space travelers crash landing on a hostile alien planet with hungry monsters that come out at night. Riddick has special eyes with night vision and is the only one who can guide the survivors to safety. Riddick was not the lead but an important supporting character who becomes the key to others' survival. Riddick became so popular, both with fans and Vin Diesel himself, that he and writer/director David Twohy got to work on a sequel/spin-off/franchise launchpad. However, it soon became apparent why it was doomed to fail. 

    See, Riddick is a cool character, but there's a reason he wasn't the lead in his first movie. Riddick's sole purpose in the first film was to be a chaotic-neutral badass meant to embody the other survivors' unevenness. Yes, the flesh-eating monsters were also a contributing factor. Still, Riddick was the only one with the advantage required to escape them, and his cold nature towards other people made everyone constantly question their chances of survival. Riddick was a means of processing the plot and raising the stakes, nothing more. He was less of a character and more of a plot device, albeit an awesome and well-performed one. 

    Because of his original nature in the first film, he essentially has no flaws. While his badass nature makes him cool, it's not the same as being interesting. As such, when they tried to give him a solo movie, there was no room for character development because he's not a character. 

    On the plus side, the movie is visually stunning, and the mythology presented in the story could be further expanded upon had the movie not made Riddick the protagonist. This is a case of trying to be "cool" over being "textured." 

#4 - Mr. Nobody 

    The shortest way to describe why this film doesn't totally work is that it wants to be about something, but it tries to be about everything, and as a result, it's ultimately about nothing. Mr. Nobody is a fantastic concept of a sci-fi story exploring possibilities based on various ways of dealing with hardship and trauma. It centers around a young boy who has to choose between living with his mother or father, and as a result, is living out all the possible directions of his life in his head based on what he may or may not choose. It's a story about the choices we make and how they can affect our lives. It's just too bad that the film can't make up its mind about what it really wants to be. Rather than follow through with a particular choice, the story thinks that it's clever by not making a choice one way or the other. Which completely contradicts the point of the entire film. 

    Mr. Nobody is the cinematic equivalent of penciling in an answer on a multiple-choice quiz; you are deliberately choosing to not make a choice that defeats the whole purpose of the quiz. While the cinematography, acting, and special effects make the film worth checking out, it sadly fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to its narrative and chosen themes. Come for the breadsticks, but don't stay for dessert.

#3 - Oblivion 

    A few times before, I have stated on this blog that Tom Crusie, regardless of how you view him as a person, is a genuine talent as an actor and entertainer. The man knows how to create a riveting and memorable time at the movies. Even when aspects of the material he's working with don't deliver the goods entirely. Such is the case with his post-apocalyptic sci-fi epic, Oblivion, a film that desperately wants to be as clever and nuanced as many of its predecessors but doesn't know how to fully accomplish said goal. When it comes to visceral visuals, imaginative designs, astonishing special-effects, and well-crafted action scenes, Oblivion does indeed deliver. Sadly, all of that pleasant visual candy is in service of a story that's too preoccupied with cramming in as many plot twists as possible without providing any real substance or impact to any of them. 

    The script feels like it was written by a high school senior who just watched too many M. Night Shyamalan movies and assumes having multiple plot twists is enough to keep the audience engaged. The problem with that mindset is that plot twists only impact the story if they make sense within the narrative context. With all of the plot twists presented in Oblivion, it's the exact opposite; every progressive plot twist causes the story to make less sense. 

    This could have been an awesome film with great ideas, and stunning visuals had the script focused less on trying to one-up Shyamalan and more time developing the characters and the world they inhabit. At the very least, it does showcase the incredible imagination that director Joseph Kosinski possesses. Which, incidentally, brings me to my next film. 

#2 - TRON: Legacy 

    The first TRON film was a fantastical achievement in special effects, animation, and one of the earliest stories to tackle the relationship between humanity and the computer world. Its twenty-eight-year later follow-up, TRON: Legacy, was also an achievement in special effects but traded the interesting dynamic between human and computer story for a cautionary tale about Naziism. This in and of itself is not a bad thing to comment on, but it's not what you would expect from this particular franchise.  As I said, the special effects are astonishing. The costumes were especially an achievement for the time. The earliest attempts at creating a younger version of an older actor using CGI, while it hadn't quite reached believable levels yet, was still astonishing to behold. Plus, given the film's context, it made sense for the digital clone of Jeff Bridges to look artificial because he technically was.

    I enjoy this film for its stunning visuals, amazing costumes, set design, and especially for its awesome soundtrack by Daft Punk. If only it had a story that was not afraid to delve further into the themes and ideas presented in the first film. As it stands, it's alright, but it could have been a little better.

#1 - Elysium 

 It's rare to have a movie that has so many wonderful pieces you love, only for the whole thing to come crashing down before it crosses the finish line. Elysium stars one of my heroes (Matt Damon), written and directed by the incredible talent behind District 9 (Neill Blomkamp), featuring a story about the disenfranchised fighting against the uber-wealthy and overpowerful with super-powered mecha suits. Set in a world where the rich live on a giant space station over the Earth with easy access to advanced medical machines that can literally cure any illness or injury, one man dying from accidental radiation exposure sets on a mission to infiltrate the station and save himself by hijacking one of the medical devices. In the process, he learns the error of his selfishness and changes course to help others instead of only himself. It's loaded with well-intended commentary on wealth disparity, poor population management, and universal health care. I say "well-intended" because not only does the commentary hit you over the head like a brick, it also loses its validation in the process. 

    It's painfully obvious that the film is intended as an allegory for the USA and Mexico's perceived relationship from the opening scene. All of the rich people are white, while all of the disenfranchised people are of Latin descent, making Matt Damon's character the whitest Mexican the world has ever seen. All of the film's villains are so cartoonishly evil that they come off as extreme parodies rather than characters, completely disregarding the serious and dramatic tone the film clearly wants. Plus, while it's normal for a protagonist to have flaws and reasons to sympathize with, this protagonist's plights are way over-the-top, and that's before he gets accidentally irradiated. It's like the movie is trying too hard to get its point across. 

    While I still enjoy this movie and appreciate what it wanted to do, I can't help but feel that it missed the mark by a country mile. To be fair, Neill Blomkamp would make up for it later on with his next film, Chappie. 

    I still enjoy these films for parts of their execution and overall visual impact. I just wish that they had spent a little more time on their scripts before rolling the cameras. Let this serve as a reminder to all filmmakers out there, professional and aspiring, that your movie is only as good as your script. Spend more time on the writing than you think you should. Your audience will thank you in the long run. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.