Science Fiction Movies

Six. That’s how many times I watched Jurassic Park in theaters. Nearly 20 years later, the Steven Spielberg movie continues to be an entertaining and exciting classic that can be re-watched over and over again. Its sequels… not so much.

Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Jurassic Park III were released last week on Blu-ray for the first time in an “Ultimate Trilogy” package, which naturally features a new documentary that looks back on the franchise, offers even more behind-the-scenes footage and includes all of the archival featurettes released in previous editions. More importantly, the Ultimate Trilogy set gives fans the ability to watch the three movies in “high definition” for the first time.

It also gives me the opportunity to recount on the decline of quality from one movie to the next.

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But in a good way. If you haven’t watched the movie trailer for the upcoming movie Chronicle, which comes to theaters on February 3, 2012, you should do so now. It’s about three teenage friends who stumble across something very mysterious and begin to develop superpowers – namely invincibility, flight and the ability to move things with their minds. While their newfound abilities make for great fun, things begin to spiral out of control, especially when one friend takes things too far.

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The world is more connected than ever. Thousands of flights occur every day, connecting people from one corner of the globe to the other. Products, materials and food are shipped overseas by the minute. No place is too far away. In other words, it’s the perfect storm for a super virus to wipe out much of humanity, as depicted in the new Steven Soderbergh film Contagion.

Read FilmJabber’s full Contagion movie review.

It was the summer of comic book movies, but few if any received the critical praise that X-Men: First Class received. Whether it was due to lowered expectations set by the last two movies – X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine – or something else, audiences and critics alike lapped up Matthew Vaughn’s prequel like slobbering dogs, lavishing it with praise that, frankly, it doesn’t deserve.

Nevertheless, despite its glaring flaws, X-Men: First Class is an entertaining movie that will fit nicely in a home collection. It’s now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

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What happens when you combine James Bond, Indiana Jones, the director of Iron Man, cowboys and aliens – oh, and Olivia Wilde – stir them all up in a $160-million-budgeted pot and launch the resulting sci-fi western to the big screen? Not what you’d think. Mildly enjoyable but ultimately disappointing, Cowboys & Aliens has the elements of success, except director Jon Favreau forgot to make it fun.

Read FilmJabber’s full Cowboys & Aliens movie review.

The Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (MIFFF), a three day international showcase of genre films, is taking place September 16th-18th, 2011 in Seattle, WA. SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall will once again be the center of genre film mania for filmmakers and fans alike.

We’re giving away two free weekend passes to the premier genre film event – enter to win now!

Scientists never learn, do they? They want to help humanity. They want to cure diseases. They want to better mankind. But what do they ever really do? They just create genetically altered, superiorly intelligent animals that will eventually revolt and turn humans into voiceless slaves. Silly scientists. We deserve to be enslaved for their hubris.

Read FilmJabber’s full Rise of the Planet of the Apes movie review.

Mars Needs Moms is many things. It’s a $150 million sci-fi “epic.” It’s also an epic flop. And failure. But as bad as it is, it deserves praise: this movie singlehandedly destroyed Robert Zemeckis’ terrible motion capture studio and forced the once-acclaimed director back to live action films.

Read FilmJabber’s full Mars Needs Moms movie review.

Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies. I thoroughly enjoyed the next Simon Pegg/Nick Frost satire Hot Fuzz. Needless to say, I had high hopes for Paul, their latest collaboration, a sci-fi spoof from the director of Superbad. Unfortunately, Paul is about as funny as a wisecracking alien. Which isn’t very funny at all.

Read FilmJabber’s full Paul movie review.

Love him or hate him, Michael Bay knows how to direct action. As much as the infamous director is known for hammy dialogue, basic plots and lots of slow-motion shots, there’s hardly an action fan who doesn’t have at least one Michael Bay movie – let alone several – in his or her collection. With Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Bay delivers another must-have action movie to the world, perhaps his best in over a decade.

Read FilmJabber’s full Transformers: Dark of the Moon movie review.

Warner Brothers and DC Comics seek to launch a new franchise this weekend in the form of Green Lantern, a special-effects extravaganza starring Ryan Reynolds. Boasting a staggering production and marketing budget of $300 million, the movie is an aggressive and risky move for the new DC Comics film division.

Read FilmJabber’s full Green Lantern movie review.

J.J. Abrams, one of the better directors working today, and Steven Spielberg, one of the best directors of all time, collaborate for the first time for the nostalgic sci-fi thriller Super 8. An amalgam of Spielberg’s and Abrams’ styles, Super 8 is an entertaining popcorn flick, but sadly one that never reaches its potential.

Read FilmJabber’s full Super 8 movie review.