This new show from Genndy Tartakovsky has only just started but it is already one of my favourite shows, fortunately for me it slots right into the “Big Giant Robot” theme perfectly.

How can you be sure this is going to be great?

Lets set aside the actual story and style for just a moment, I will come to those very soon. Lets also not focus on the fact the star of the show is a Big Giant Robot (how can that ever fail?) and instead lets just look at the man behind the show Genndy Tartakovsky.

If there are a few people currently making cartoons that I think are producing really interesting work he is one of them. Of course you have to include Matt Groening as the creator of the Simpsons and more importantly Futurama he is a huge influence. But if you look away from the main stream you start to see some of the really interesting shows being made.

Craig McCracken and Genndy Tartakovsky are the guys to watch. There work is cleverly disguised as kids shows, but they treat their audience with respect and slip in a few nods for the adults (As I write this I am actually watching McCracken’s Fosters home for imaginary friends). Between them they have made Dexters Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home, Samuari Jack, Star Wars:Clone Wars, and now Sym-Bionic Titan. That is the sort of reputation you can’t buy, all of these shows are pure genius (I have warmed up to Clone Wars since the second series).

Samurai Jack is a greatly overlooked show, it is surprisingly deep and well written, the story of Samurai who is the only saviour for the world. Thrown forward in time to when his enemy is the all powerful ruler of the world he has to find a way back to his own time and save the world. Of course its not all the easy.

The most distinctive thing that always stood out to me was the style. Deceptively simple it is very expressive without being overly complex.

On to the show

That distinctive style is improved in Titan, carried off superbly it brings a great feel to the show. It has a very Anime feel but remains unique. Of course no matter how good the style is, it is nothing without story. Titan has story, setup, and ideas coming thick and fast, with enough left unspoken that you get the feeling there is a lot more to come.

The basic premise is Princess Ilana and her protector Lance escape from their plant under orders from her father. As the planet is over run he sends them to safety on a far off planet, crash landing they are presented with the earth forces headed by General Steel. Of course nothing is as it seems, and they are not as easy to defeat as Steel would like. Aided by their robot Octus they escape and need to find a way to blend into the population.

It is a classic set up, but watching does not feel forced or contrived. Although it is not all new, it feels fresh and it seems there is a lot of back story just waiting to burst through. Come the end of the first episode a huge fire monster has been sent after them. They are left with a moral question, should they face this threat and reveal their presence on the planet, or remain hidden and let the humans deal with the problem. They come through and you get the first glimpse of the Titan, with a neat twist that even Lance, Octus, and Ilana don’t know how to use the Titan.

The Titan transformation is very satisfying. You can feel the influences of classic shows like Robotech and Voltron coming through.

Great hopes

They are already up to episode 3 and I have enjoyed every moment of it so far. Some classic themes are coming through but all done with a unique feel. There has even been some surprisingly dark moments back on their home planet as the fallen hero Modula claims power.

I am looking forward to seeing how this will turn out.

The day of the Triffids makes its return

Some time ago I wrote about one of my favourite Sci-Fi TV Series “Day of the Triffids“. Made in 1981, much like “Blakes 7” it is a little known British gem of a show that never really seemed to get the regard it should have got. Over Christmas the BBC have finally shown the new version. With some excellent actors, and a more grown up feel it is an excellent addition to the growing catalogue of remakes of this classic story.

I have to confess I have not read the book, and now I am starting to think I should. Every remake of this story has something new, while the core story still remains as chilling as ever.

What’s new?

Once you have remade the same story a few times can you really bring something new to it this time round? Simply put yes! I personally find this a very strong story. It probably appeals to my love of zombie films. You have a very simple enemy, who is slow moving, unintelligent foes who can do very little. But their power is in their unrelenting progress . With no fear and lack of respect for the human race you have an unstoppable enemy that create a very tense and claustrophobic atmosphere.

This version is very much like the older series. The stories are surprisingly close, but I much preferred this version explanation of the event that blinds the majority of the population. I also enjoyed the more detailed look at the triffid farming and the explanation of why the male and female plants are kept separated.

Which do you prefer?

If I am honest I prefer the 1981 version. Not because I think it is a better telling of the story, but just because they had more time to go into the ideas. While the initial story is very straight forward, the stories that evolve from it are far more interesting. While the new version touched on these emerging stories, and even created a new one with the nuns sacrificing their useless residents. It never had the time to really explore any of these.

There is a whole six part series just in the idea of a safe haven the where the Triffids show no interest in attacking. Once you know the secret it makes perfect sense and that reveal could have been much more dramatic and thought provoking. Is it so wrong to sacrifice a dying old man to save a fifty more? Where do you draw the line? What if you could save a thousand for someone who would die anyway, or was no longer interested in helping the whole? This is actually something I miss from Dr Who.

British Sci-Fi Rant

You have to love David Tennant as the doctor, in fact you have to love the doctor in general, it is an amazingly clever and simple idea for a show. It exemplifies something I love about British Sci-Fi and Horror in general. In US shows you know the core people are safe. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are safe, they are definitely coming back. McGyver will get into a tough spot, but he will find away out of it (even if you do steal the whole ending to “The Italian Job”.. you bastard!).

But British work is not so simple (at least it never used to be.. but that’s a different story). You are totally entitled to kill your main hero and all his friends if you like. You can never be sure who is safe. “Blakes 7” has to be the epitome of that, your main hero doesn’t even appear in the last two series to the point you are sure he is dead. Only to have him pop up right at the end, only to be killed by his friend Avon (you Bastard!). If this is a spoiler to you… grow up! You should already know this stuff, there is no excuse, it was made in 1981 for god sake!

Dr Who is the pinnacle of that idea, you have a character that you can kill off at any point. There is no guarantee he will be about to help. Yes you know he can come back, but each iteration is a little different so you do lose one character and gain another.

This was the feel I got from the the old Triffid series, any one of them could go at any point. That unpredictability makes the show watch-able. With no clear villan you are never really sure who you should looking out for. Yes the acting is not the greatest, but I love that. Dr Who would be nothing without Tom Baker hamming it up for all he’s worth.

Failing

So this was the failing I felt in the show, Torrance was just there you make you dislike him, he didn’t serve much purpose apart from that. So there was no really need to spend as much time as they did on him.

Because of all the time lost to making you hate him, we lost a lot to Triffid time. Towards the end they talk about the Triffids using the sewers and over running the city. But we didn’t get to see any of that, and that was a real shame. It would have given a chance for Izzard to really make you dislike Torrance as he sacrificed his own men so he could make his escape.

Again this is something I miss from current Sci-Fi, Dr Who is the biggest culprit of this. It used to be that a single story would take six episodes to play out. It would start of all nice with some strange happenings, until the really weird stuff would come out, then the doctor would step in and save the day. Fairly standard stuff, but at least there was time to play with the ideas and come up with something with a little meaning. Admittedly not all the stories deserved all this attention but some of the classics are better for it. This is where I think Triffids could have done with being a few episodes longer. Rather than being a film cut in half they should have gone for more shorter episodes. But that is just my personal opinion.

My conclusion

This new version was excellent, the visuals were good, and the acting was excellent. But something was lost. There was too much time spent on the run, and not enough time to see the tragedy unfold. It is worth seeing, and I especially liked the new design for the Triffids.

Check out some other peoples thoughts on the new show:

• Den of Geek – A great in depth look. Points out some things I had not even considered.
• Dan’s Media Digest – Also talks about the rushed nature of the new series. But overall a good show.
• BCS – I think this sums up my thoughts.. it was good, but doesn’t quiet hit the mark.

I see you

This film can really only be described as a master piece of film making that it seems only a few directors are able to pull off.

Lets not mince words here, Avatar is a brilliant film! There, it is said! This is an epic film in every way, from the grand story to the amazing vistas, right through to the stunning technology they have used to create this marvel. The majority of this film is computer generated but in such a life like and detailed way it is hard to see where the computer generation ends and the real people begin. I was very impressed with the similarity between the real actors and their avatars. It just leant a little more to the life like quality of the animation work.

This is a long film (3 hours) but not only does it not feel that long, there isn’t really any fluff that can be trimmed away. Every scene has something it needs to get across to you and where there was a chance to remove a scene it was taken. As a result the film is long but moves at a good pace all the way through. In fact there were a number of scenes where I wanted it to slow a little so I could take in the stunning backgrounds and the details of the world. This will be a very rewarding film to watch at home, not only will you get to hear James Cameron’s take on it, but you will get to really take in the details. I get the feeling the directors cut (if there is one) will be longer.

A lot has been made about this films eco ethics, to be honest I did not feel it. I can see why people would say it has an eco message to tell you, but I never felt it was rammed down my throat. It was more realistic than that. A planet has a mineral people want, they turn up and want to destroy the planet and its people because they don’t give a toss. Any corporation would do that, especially if that planet is six years into deep space.

Confession

I did not see this film in 3D, I wish I had. Even though it has been out for two weeks the 3D showing was completely full (I have never seen that before). There is a very good chance I will be going back just so I can see it in 3D. There are various parts of the film that will really reward you for it, and there was only one moment where I thought it was gratuitously used but you have to forgive every 3D film at least one cheap shot.

Conclusion

Go and see this film, it is as amazing as you have been lead to believe!