August 21, 2014 - The State of the Genre

It has been a little over a year since my last post here. But, I assure you. I have not been off-the-grid. Between now and my last post. I have seen the following science fiction films.

1. Elysium (August 7, 2013)
2. Gravity (October 4, 2013)
3. Robocop (February 12, 2014)
4. Godzilla (May 16, 2014)
5. Edge of Tomorrow (June 6, 2014)
6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 11, 2014)
7. Lucy (July 25, 2014)
8. Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)

The following one sentence reviews of above films:

• ELYSIUM- Not as impressive as his directorial predecessor but it proves Neil Blomkamp is one of the best directors of SF working today. 7/10. SERVICABLE.
• GRAVITY- A space survival story that is more of an experience than an actual story, but that only improves the film's quality. 10/10. MASTERPIECE.
• ROBOCOP- An updated version of the 1987 classic, however much of the concepts have been seen before in superior films. 7/10. SERVICABLE.
• GODZILLA- A major improvement over the 1998 American version that gives the eponymous monster that "force of nature" quality that he deserves. 8/10. GREAT.
• EDGE OF TOMORROW- An action-packed thrill ride that does delve into the familiar at points, but overall a great summer experience. 8/10. GREAT.
• DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES- A sequel that joins the ranks of those rare few successive works that are superior to the original. 9/10. EXCELLENT.
• LUCY- An action-packed barrage of pseudo-intellectual mumbo jumbo. 6/10. DECENT.
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY- A welcomed return to the classic space adventure that we haven't seen on the big screen in what seems to feel like ages. 10/10. MASTERPIECE.

The scale
0/10-KILL IT WITH FIRE!
1/10-DISASTER
2/10-UNBEARABLE
3/10-MEH
4/10-POOR
5/10-OK
6/10-DECENT
7/10-SERVICABLE
8/10-GREAT
9/10-EXCELLENT
10/10-MASTERPIECE