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vpitman1
Reviews
Teleios (2017)
Or Beyond the Trek, as listed on Amazon Prime
Mild Spoilers, nothing that will ruin the movie. This movie is re-named, just as several others that I've come across on Amazon Prime (search by director or actor name, then match the artwork, if you run into this).
I am assuming this is to make some kind of connection to Star Trek (there is none, and despite numerous quotes, I didn't hear a single reference to anything about a trek, in the movie). The writer was going for a more thought provoking resolution, so I could see a comparison to Star Trek: The Original Series. I can forgive a lot, in terms of special effects (which were actually pretty good, for the most part) and acting (which was definitely less consistent, but I thought it was a reasonable effort to portray characters who aren't regular humans). My biggest issues were significant problems with the story that distracted from the big and interesting questions that it asked.
Unfortunately, the story broke down in several places. If you listen carefully to the time frame for Teleios' rescue mission, transit time is quite long, requiring some sort of stasis pods. But, if you follow the timeline for the problems on the Atromitos and the return time given toward the end of the movie, the Teleios would have to have left almost a year before the Atromitos started harvesting its cargo, and more than two years before all hands were presumed dead. In addition, the issue that crops up for all of the Teleios crew members seems to have just become a problem on Earth, but the crew has been in stasis for three years (so either they have an additional three years before it should be an issue for them, or they shouldn't have a problem, since they had been in transit while the problem developed on Earth). There are odd things that happen with the artificial human, but not enough clues are given early in the story, so the additional information we get later just feels tacked on. Finally, the underlying reasons for the final 'choice' and resolution are not foreshadowed well and not explained at all, until after the fact. Also, one has to question how the person affected could become a member of a spaceship crew.
There are also some serious technical errors, particularly at the beginning. The CGI suggests that the asteroid belt is made up of large, closely spaced rocks. In fact, planetary rings are made of many small particles that are far apart. Also, the Teleios' speed is given as 485 km per hour. This is far too slow for planetary orbit, and it's far too fast to be the speed relative to Atromitos. Later, the formulas given are very simple chemical compounds, which couldn't possibly represent the complex compounds that one would find in Titan's atmosphere and certainly not something that couldn't be easily synthesized on Earth (so why send an expedition and spend two years collecting it). These details can be easily verified, so this is just lazy writing.
The story makes use of numerous quotes. If the crew can translate them, there's no reason they couldn't figure out that they are rather famous quotes. I recognized several, as soon as I heard the translation. There's no reason the crew shouldn't recognize them, if they are as intelligent as is suggested. Furthermore, the quotes just don't make that much sense. Why are they in the original languages? The character who speaks them is described as having little education or intelligence, and we never get a reasonable explanation for this. As a group, the quotes make much more sense in reference to the themes in the story, but not as part of the main action.
I think the story would have benefited significantly from more editing and revision in the writing stage and the help of a technical expert or two.
As it is, I want to say it's a valiant effort for a low budget movie, but there are big problems with the story, and a million dollars is still quite a bit to work with. They clearly were able to put together some reasonable special effects, which tends to be one of the biggest expenses for sci-fi movies. This movie falls down at a more basic level: bad science and poor story telling. It really is frustrating, because the pieces are there to make a smart, killer, low-budget movie in the vein of Screamers or Slipstream.
Intransit (2017)
A short film that mirrors classic sci-fi short stories
I came across this on Amazon Prime, and I wasn't really in the mood for a full-length film. I started to watch, and my wife was taken with the scenery and story. Like most good short stories, much is implied but left unsaid. The special effects are limited to Candra's clothes, her watch, and the transition effect. As a result, the viewer has to work out quite a few of the details for themselves. Smart story telling: we appreciate it.
I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the story. I think the pace lagged a bit in a few spots, and I would have either liked a few more details about the characters or a bit faster pacing.
As it was, my wife and I both enjoyed it, and we were hoping this was a precursor to a longer story. We both agree that we would watch a longer story that goes into more depth about events before, during, and after the events in this short.
Transporter: The Series (2012)
Lots of action and violence, no depth to story
I'm watching an episode from the third season. I enjoyed the movies, and while they don't have enormous depth, there are stakes, and Jason Statham is interesting and charismatic in a dark and dangerous way. I like Chris Vance, but he doesn't have the same air of danger. He seems more like a capable FBI agent or something, not an ex-Special Forces operator.
I like that many of the characters (and actors) from the movies are part of the series. I just wish the stories had more development and that I cared about the characters in this story. The focus is clearly on the action, and that is an unfortunate mistake.
The fight scenes are unrealistic. The chase scenes aren't that impressive. The camera work is jerky and disjointed in a way that makes the action look cheap and staged, not fluid and artistic (as it appears in the movies). The story gets complicated, but it's not compelling. Most of the acting is flat, and I really don't care about any of the characters. I don't care where it's shot. I watch a LOT of foreign films and television, including series from Canada, and acting ability doesn't disappear when someone speaks another language or has a thick accent.
I feel sorry for Vance and the other actors, because I have seen several of them in substantially better programs or movies. This really is a quality cast, and they're being wasted on weak stories, poor direction, and sloppy production.