Sci-Fi Do Want: The Pulse Rifle from Aliens

There's a wonderful aesthetic to the "Alien" movies that's difficult to describe. It's a grimy universe with extremely advanced technology that somehow looks both sophisticated and simple at the same time.

This is a design paradigm that the Pulse Rifle encapsulates perfectly, with it's bulky shape and digital ammo readout it looks futuristic and potent, but also like something that you would be able to mend in the field without being a tech expert.

I'm not sure that the side of the gun is the best place to put the ammo readout, guys

When the Pulse Rifle is fired it spews out a huge muzzle flare, but rather than sounding like the pounding hooves of the horsemen of the apocalypse, it has a much more subtle noise that sounds more like some sort of electric power tool than a deadly assault rifle.
This is another example of how the Pulse Rifle combines the bulky and brutal and the sci-fi into something that is the best of both worlds.

Throughout the Aliens movies we get to see that the Pulse Rifle is quite up to the job of killing one of those slimy double-mouthed wall crawlers, but it requires several bursts of concentrated fire to take one of them down, and this makes the weapon feel potent but somewhat insufficient at the same time.
Sure, you can go hunting Aliens with a Pulse Rifle, but you better be quick and accurate or you will very quickly find yourself with an empty gun and a pissed off acid dripping Alien that's about to suck your juicy face meat off your skull.

Rediscovering James Cameron’s Aliens

I'm glad to be able to bring you another article by Jordan Siron. Jordan has previously written about the first "Alien" movie and what he thinks makes it so great.
This time Jordan takes on the sequel "Aliens" and illuminates us as to why he thinks it is a lesser movie than the original.

The (not so) cleverly named Aliens has been considered by many fans to be the best in the series. While I respect others’ opinions, I am afraid I have to respectfully disagree. Directed by Hollywood Hot Shot, James Cameron, Aliens is vastly different in terms of tone, themes, and effects. It’s so different from Alien that one such as I have often wondered if it had originally been planned as the first entry in a totally different franchise. It is by no means a bad film – it’s downright entertaining, to say the absolute least – but it left me a tad sad over what might have been.

The Story
It just so happens that the planet from the first film has since been colonized, but all contact has been lost. A team of Marines, accompanied by Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and an obnoxious bureaucrat (Paul Reiser), venture to the planet’s surface in hopes of discovering the catalyst behind the radio silence. The team discovers the entire colony has been torn asunder by the titular creatures, and must fight to survive.

The best Sci-Fi movies of 2011

I have another guest post for you today. I've just been busy with bringing you my thoughts on the best sci-fi games of 2011. Now it's time to look at what great sci-fi works that we got from the world of cinema in 2011. Tyler has penned out his thoughts on which movies were the best at really tickling our sci-fi craving fancy (let me just state right away that I disagree strongly with Transformers 3 being on the list, but to each their own ;) )

Even though it seems the multiplex was stuffed with crappy romantic comedies or unnecessary sequels this year, 2011 did have its fair share of quality science fiction cinema. If you missed any of these, you should rent, download or stream them at warp speed.

1. Super 8
   
   Combine the writing and directing talents of J.J. Abrams, add in a side order of Spielberg channeling the early ‘80s magic of E.T. and sprinkle in some incredible acting done by kids no older than 12, and you’ve got a recipe for the year’s best sci-fi movie. From the intense and chaotic train crash, that everyone saw in the trailer way too many times, to the tension that comes from not knowing what’s going to happen next, to the superior performances and nostalgic ‘70s era cinematography, this was easily the year’s best.
   
   

   

   
   

2. Source Code

What may initially seem like Groundhog Day on a train is actually a taut thriller that consistently keeps the audience guessing and rooting on Capt. Colter Stevens. As a soldier who wakes up in the body of a man on a train that was eventually destroyed by a bomb, Jake Gyllenhaal gets only eight minute increments to investigate whatever he can to find out the identity of the bomber before they can wreak even more havoc. Yes, the premise sounds idiotic and redundant, but Source Code leaves you feeling thrilled and thoughtful.

A Living Machine With A Human Heart

Today I have another great guest post for you. This time Simon Horrocks  has taken some time to give us a fascinating look at the disturbing sci-fi movie "Third Contact", which he is currently working on.

Science fiction, known as a ‘literature of ideas’, has emerged as a genre only in relatively recent human history. We looked out into a vast, unfathomable universe and saw that we were far from the centre of it. So, something of an irony, then, that the more science enables us to dominate our environment, the less in control of it we feel.

Set in dystopian futures where civilisation has broken down, or inflicting on us irresistable warrior-races from alien worlds, or even monsters of our own making (from Frankenstein’s creation to The Terminator’s Skynet and beyond), sci-fi reflects an age of human paranoia, where every new discovery forces us to question everything around us.

American novelist Philip K. Dick’s stories were mostly driven by one theme; a question central to our existence – what does it mean to be human? Are we no more than a genetic machine? Are we merely a device for carrying memories around? If one day we can replicate this machine, so that neither we nor the machine can spot the difference, will this machine be human too?

But now some science has apparently lost the plot entirely. Yes, at the sub-atomic level, things are looking increasingly weird. You can be put in a box and be both dead and alive at the same time. The Quantum Suicide thought experiment suggests the conscious mind is immortal. As The Joker says in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight – “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you… stranger.”

The Steampunk trend is perhaps a reaction to these uncertain times, harking back to a day when science was as unsettling as a chemistry set on Christmas morning. H. G. Wells time machine was, somewhat quaintly, made out of nickel, ivory bars and ‘sawn out of rock crystal’. The intrepid Time Traveller embarks on his journey by pulling smartly on the machine’s ‘starting lever’.

However, there is perhaps a suggestion Wells had some foreknowledge of the Many Worlds theory and immortality. As the Time Traveller is about to set off on his journey, he describes the moment he is about to operate the machine as “a suicide holding a pistol to his skull”. Did he somehow get a premonition of the Quantum Suicide idea?

At some point in the (probably not too distant) future, ideas we now consider the height of cutting-edge sophistication, will inevitably seem humorously quaint to those looking backwards. But we science fiction creators hope we will have touched on some timeless theme, even if it’s a little bit by accident.

So it was, in 2007, I began to write a story about the uncertainty of everything. That story, through various incarnations, eventually became a movie, Third Contact. At the time, I was moving through many dark places in my mind. They’re not always the most pleasant places to be, but what I brought back from those lightless caves went into the screenplays I was writing.

The Ultimate Sci-Fi Blu-Ray Movie Christmas Gift Top 10

It's December and you've already missed one week of Christmas shopping to playing Skyrim (or is that just me?). Next week you'll be Force gripped by the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic so maybe you should take a moment to get some gift shopping done?

I've put together a list of sci-fi movies that should make great Christmas presents for anyone with just a little appreciation for science fiction. They are great for presents for any fellow geeky family members, or perhaps as a little self indulging gift from you to you, with regards from Cyber Santa.
You can also pass along the list to gift givers and possibly avoid another pair of hand knitted socks (not that those aren't great!).

10: Star Wars: Blu Ray Box Set

I know I have bitched about what George Lucas has done to the old Star Wars movies. I completely stand by my criticisms, but despite Lucas' best efforts to mutilate my childhood memories to a degree that would make even Jack the Ripper uncomfortable, the fact of the matter is that Star Wars remain some of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
And even though this Blu-Ray box served as another opportunity for Lucas to mess with perfection it's still pretty great to see the old trilogy all polished up like R2-D2 at a medal awarding ceremony. Damn you Lucas! Just wipe that smug look off your face and take my money already!



9. Inception

I was very positively surprised by Inception, when I first saw it. It's the kind of movie that works really well the first time around, but if you start spending too much time thinking about the plot it starts to come apart at the seams a little. In that respect it reminds me a lot of another DiCaprio movie Shutter Island, which I can also recommend by the way.
But try not to think too hard about the logic of bringing people into the dreams of other people, or the silliness of going into a "dream within a dream" and Inception is a very entertaining movie, which also has some slick visual tricks up its sleeve.

Alphas: A Better Version of Heroes

I'm very happy to bring you another guest post here on Light Speed Gaming. This one comes in from James Ged, who is going to share his fondness for the TV show "Alphas" with us and explain, why he thinks it is actually in many ways the TV show that "Heroes" should have been.

Alphas (SyFy) is what Heroes should have been. Everyone agrees that Heroes had a great first season, but it quickly went to crap after that. Alphas, on the other hand is stronger both narratively and structurally. Although these shows share the same basic idea—there are people among us who have extraordinary abilities and powers—they are very different in the way they approach plot and style, and Alphas pulls it off where Heroes failed.

Structure and Narrative

Part of the weakness of Heroes was that it didn’t set itself up with a particular structure from the beginning. That is, it set itself up as a free-for-all drama with no real structure or regular plot elements, so when the show had to grow and become something else in its second season, it had nothing to fall back on, and thus fell apart.

Alphas, on the other hand, has established itself as a procedural-type show with a plot structure based on a team of “Alphas” (or people with enhanced physical and mental abilities) who investigate crimes and track down other Alphas who may be a danger to themselves or others. Although the show broke with the procedural structure throughout the first series, the writers regularly returned to it, giving a continuity and framework to the show that allowed for good character development strengthened the overarching storyline.

Rediscovering Ridley Scott’s “Alien”

Today I'm happy to bring you another great guest post. This time Jordan Siron joins us to rekindle our love for the original "Alien" movie. I remember being seriously freaked out after watching Alien as a small kid, and it still remains one of my personal favorite scary sci-fi movies.

As a fan of science fiction, it shames me to admit that I had not once watched the Ridley Scott classic Alien over the past six years. For sci-fi fans, that is essentially akin to a gambler saying he hasn’t stepped foot in Las Vegas since Frank Sinatra used to roam the strip.

It isn’t that I didn’t love and respect the film, but my focus had drifted elsewhere for a moment. However, upon hearing murmurs regarding the in-production prequel (Prometheus) that should hit theatres next year, I knew I had to revisit my old friend.

How does Alien stack up after all of these years? Is it still the classic example of space-horror as so many have claimed? The answer, of course, is a resounding “Yes!”, and here’s why.

Is it time to jack back into "The Matrix"?

The other day I was overcome by a sudden wave of nostalgia and urge to revisit the wonderful world of "The Matrix". So I blew the dust of my DVD case (physical media, how delightfully old school), and popped the disc into my PS3, diving into the 1999 science fiction classic.

It's hard to believe this is already a 12 year old movie

After watching the movie, I was once again reminded of just how cool a movie it is, and how sad I am that the Wachowski brothers managed to completely bury the universe with the confusing piece of over worked misshapen lump that was Matrix Reloaded and the complete abortion that was the steaming pile of cow manure AKA Matrix Revolutions.

I don't think I remember a popular science fiction franchise ever rising so fast, full of so much promise, only to explode in mid air and pepper the dazzled onlookers with its CGI entrails.
And this was done by the Matrix's own creators, no less. At least if the franchise had been taken over by a soulless company that had no idea what The Matrix was really about, then I could have understood.

You really should watch Futurama

"Futurama" is something as rare as an animated science fiction sitcom.

Created by none other than Matt Groening, of "The Simpsons" fame, it is one of my favorite shows.

First aired back in 1999 Futurama never really reached the success that The Simpsons did (but then again, what has?), and the initial series was killed off in 2003.

The series follows the the adventures of the interplanetary delivery company "Planet Express" in the year 3000.

The drawing style is recognizably "Simpons like" 

The series has some fantastic characters such as Leela, the cyclopian pilot of the Planet Express spacehip, Bender, the bending series robot (for all your bending needs) that has a hankering for alcohol and a desire to kill all humans.

Oh, and of course the lobster-like medical expert of the team, Dr. Zoidberg, who is probably my favorite character of the series.

3 Star Wars moments that George Lucas ruined

With the new Star Wars Blu Ray double trilogy pack just out, a lot of people are buying (or re-buying, or re-re-buying...) the Star Wars movies.

Sadly, in his infinite descent into lala-land, Lucas has seen fit to once again grace us with changes to the movies, to bring them more in line with his vision (or oxygen deprived fever dream as the case may be)

"Actually I'm not crazy about the yellow anymore. Can we do lime green?"

Some of these changes you will maybe not even notice.
A few even make sense, like swapping out the hologram transmission in The Empire Strikes Back with Ian McDiarmid, the actor who played the Emperor in Return of the Jedi and the new trilogy (The original hologram was actually a woman with the eyes of a chimp superimposed on top. That's not a joke that's what they actually used).

However most of them are just unnecessary and awkward (Han Solo meeting a super bad looking Jabba the Hut in the Tatooine spaceport) and some straight up break the whole feel of the original scenes.

I have picked out what I consider to be the 3 worst offenders:

3 Sci-fi movies you may not have seen but should consider

In the sci-fi movie universe there are the behemoths like Star Wars and Star Trek, or more recent mainstream smash hits like the Matrix (or well, the first one at least).

However there are a lot of cool sci-fi movies out there that went more under the radar but are still worth your time if you are a fan of the genre.

Okay, so maybe you've seen this already..

Here are 3 movies that I would gladly recommend to any sci-fi geek:

The Spice must flow -The wonders of the Dune universe

Aside from the Warhammer 40k universe another big favorite of mine is the Dune.

Sand worms are a big part of the Dune mythos.  They'll happily gobble up the huge harvesters that collect the Spice. Nom nom nom!

Like 40k it presents a pretty bleak view of the future with lots of political scheming and maneuvering between different "Houses".

Public service announcement: Don't watch Transfomers 3

Spoiler: I don't like this movie so much

Now I know that I am late to the party and most of you that were considering watching the hideous creation that is Transformers 3 will long ago have made your decision either way.

However, if I can save just one person from this 3D enchanced CGI pile of poo-poo then I will consider this as time well spent.