All in Robots
Neill Blomkamp's CHAPPiE
This is certainly not the film I saw advertised when it was first released.
Brad Bird’s TOMORROWLAND
The ending is convoluted and prolonged — does the world really need another giant robot fight? — but Tomorrowland is different and definitely worth reviewing, if only for the amazing sets, visuals, and ideas.
GARGANTIA ON THE VERDUROUS PLANET
Plot twists develop that are unexpected and handled in surprisingly dramatic and original ways. I found the series getting more interesting as it progressed as it addressed issues of militarism, greed, social structure, duty, honor, generational transition, artificial intelligence, and reliance on technology.
Alex Garland's EX MACHINA
Ex Machina has developed a reputation for being one of the more cerebral science-fiction movies to come along in many years. While I agree that it’s a pleasure to see a non-crash-bang/non-superhero film masquerading as SF, I was bit let down by the AI aspects of the film.
Gabe Ibáñez' “AUTOMATA”
This is a highly original spin on both the dystopian and the robots-becoming-human themes.
Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR
The only other movie within recent memory that packed a similar emotional wallop for me was TREE OF LIFE
José Padilha's ROBOCOP
This new version, thankfully, is not quite so brutal and the plentiful action sequences don’t glory in gore and bloodsplatter the way, say, an EXPENDABLES film does.
Bryan Singer's X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
But with a movie like X-Men you get the sense that there is just too much of everything — too many characters, too many action scenes, too many speeches, too many forgettable details.
Alexa Gajic's “TECHNOTISE: EDIT & I”
Edit herself is an interesting mix of naïveté, intelligence, raw energy, and stubbornness. Why she hangs out with the losers she does is never fully explained but, taken together, they make up a very entertaining ride that has some of the most interesting technology animation this side of WALL•E.
Jake Schreier's ROBOT AND FRANK
This is a character driven movie about the near future that tightly focuses on an elderly retired jewel thief who lives by himself in a semi-rural but well-to-do community. His son, concerned about the old man’s mental deterioration, purchases a humanoid style robot to serve as a companion and caregiver.
Neill Blomkamp's ELYSIUM
You can enjoy it as an action thriller but the underlying stories and significance go way beyond that. I’ll take Elysium over a comic book hero movie any day.
Guillermo del Toro's PACIFIC RIM
A few times I closed my eyes while watching Pacific Rim and — I swear — I was a little boy again watching humans and their technology duke it out on the big screen with aliens.
Joseph Kosinski's “OBLIVION”
Great popcorn movie. Really enjoyed it. Terrific visuals, interesting variations on familiar themes.
Len Wiseman's TOTAL RECALL
The new TOTAL RECALL is a fun movie. It’s nowhere near as gratuitously gory and twisted as Paul Verhoeven’s great Arnold Schwartzenneger version, but it makes up for that with performances, visuals, and pacing that match and in some cases surpass the original.
Zack Snyder’s SUCKER PUNCH
Bullet point review:
Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE
This movie has plot holes galore, the graphic concepts and technologies are derivative, and the characters are oddly un-engaging. Still, it moves along at a very fast clip, the story itself is unusual, and some of the action sequences are spectacular.
Duncan Jones' MOON
I like movies that start out with a fake documentary describing the imaginary culture underlying the film — two good examples are Monsters Inc. and Starship Troopers.
Add Moon to the list.
First Spaceship on Venus
This 1964 European-produced, English-dubbed movie was cutting edge when released and even now contains elements that entertain.
McG's TERMINATOR SALVATION
This is a worthy continuation of the Terminator franchise. There’s enough new stuff here to keep your attention, the action is spectacular, and the characters are sufficiently differentiated to create some dramatic tension despite being frequently out-staged by the savage action sequences.