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patrickbroderick_2000
Reviews
A Sound of Thunder (2005)
Not As Bad As People Think
This is based on one of Ray Bradbury's wonderful short stories and doesn't measure up to the source material. But neither does the classic giant monster movie, "The Beast From Twenty Thousand Fathoms", compare to "The Fog Horn". The Harryhausen-driven SFX movie didn't have any of the melancholy poetry of the original short story.
And this movie doesn't either. Not when you compare it to the master's original. But the story, with some corny, stereotypical moments, is a decent SF thriller. The effects are awesome and the overall pacing of the story is good.
If you're looking for a good way to waste a couple of hours, and not expecting something like Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" or Scott's "Blade Runner", this might be worth a look.
And do yourself a favor afterwords, read the original story (and "The Fog Horn"). Beautifully crafted short stories.
As to Ben Kingsley? Maybe, like Max Von Sydow in "Flash Gordon" or "Strange Brew" or Maximilian Schell in "The Black Hole", he just wanted to have some fun making a movie.
The Outer Limits: The Galaxy Being (1963)
Excellent pilot with daring discussion.
As the other reviewers pointed out, this was the beginning of a wonderful series of science fiction on early television. Even with a limited budget,Leslie Stevens & his colleagues managed to convey the effects needed for each thought-provoking story very well. Even the Schaper Cootie lookalikes in "The Zanti Misfits" scared the s#!+ out of me when I was a kid. (I couldn't play with the toy/game for a couple of months after that.)
But this episode also contained a unique, fascinating discussion of God, life & death and existence - an interesting give and take on mortality, immortality and how the universe all tie in together on a basic level. Similar to Kenobi explaining the Force to Luke but more grounded in the real science of physics and matter.
When I first saw this, it blew my Catholic-raised mind. Then I realized this was from 1963 and was stunned it was even allowed to air. But sci-fi can get away with this kind of thing since it's not 'real'.
Like the 1st interracial kiss on "Star Trek" or discussions on racism and intolerance that wouldn't make mainstream TV for several more years - when "All in the Family" burst on the airwaves. (A show that would never be made now, thanks to political correctness.) If you haven't seen it, give this episode a try and see what your reaction is to the Q&A between the Terran and the Andromedan.
And remember, don't be offended. It's just another point of view.