Apparently (I found this out after seeing the movie...), the storyline is a variation on the western High Noon. I've never seen High Noon. However, I will say that the story is very much like many western movies you might have come across; a sheriff rolls into to town (Sean Connery as a Interplanetary Marshall on Io [a moon of Jupiter...]...), finds some shady business going down (the manager is dealing narcotics that causes mining workers to work harder but make them psychotic...), vows to stop it at all cost (his family does not approve and he could get killed...), has a big gun fight near the end (both hit men explode in the lack of atmosphere of space...), and basically shuts down the bad guys for the good of the land (The Marshall rejoins his family, mentioned in a space age post-movie scroll...). While very linear, the story is well paced and does keep the interest of the audience over the entire film. You want to see just how The Marshall will get out of this sticky situation...Further, unlike some more modern sci-fi movies, we actually build an emotional attachment to the characters, as they are normal people (similar to Vasquez, Hicks, and Hudson...). Flawed, human, and actually complex. Connery is not some superman character who never misses and doesn't get hurt. He's an aging Marshall, he gets shot and bleeds, and he can't just take a hit and get over it. By the end, he's been put through the wringer and seems to win by sheer will alone. The lead 'heavy' is just a man who wants to control his colony and make a lot of money doing it. He's no sinister archvillain out to kill everyone; the stress of not being able to have business as usual and not being able to get rid of the Marshall takes a noticeable toll on the character. The Marshall's lieutenant is a corrupt cop, but wants to do right by the Marshall. He agrees to help the Marshall be a spy and even shows a decent amount of shame (at least before he gets bumped off...). Even the female doctor (Connery's foil who almost acts like a western deputy...), while wooden at times, actually manages to grow as a character by the end and realize that things don't need to be as they are...
Among the great many pieces of crap sci-fi movies of the 80's (I'm looking at you, Masters of the Universe, Earth Girls are Easy, and Howard the Duck...), I'd rank this one very high. It's not the epic that Star Wars is, nor is it the rip roaring action event that Aliens is; what it is a solid story built upon a simple concept and executed seriously. And therein lies the key; the entire staff of this film (the actors, the writers, the director, all of them...) treat this movie with a seriousness that occasionally seems lost to modern day film makers. The setting could be anywhere and I believe it would have been presented in a manner that I would find appealing. It seems that modern science fiction are two concerned with how much money to throw at the effects, rather than developing good stories and characters (I'm looking at you, Battlefield: Earth, Pandorum, and The Fountain...). Hollywood could take a page or ten from this oft forgotten sci-fi tale...
Grade: Solid A-
2 comments:
Looks like an interesting movie. I too usually enjoy that "gritty" sci fi over the "polished" Star Wars/Trek (although there's a time and place for that too...).
In all and further fairness, the movie could use a bit more scifi into the mix. No aliens or lasers are around. A smidge more wouldn't hurt it I think. Aliens found the balance for this kind of genre (for me...), this struck a little south of the line. Still very enjoyable none the less...
Post a Comment