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IF YOU LIKE STAR WARS, THEN YOU’LL PROBABLY LIKE... There follows a list
of things that the average Star Wars fan
might like other than their favourite science fiction setting. Although not
everything below is sci-fi, the content and setting might be appealing. Any Indiana
Jones film
It goes without saying,
really, that these movies are
included in the list. Also from the imagination of George Lucas, and a lot
closer to the ‘Saturday Morning Matinee’ feel than what he intended for his Star
Wars films, the content is simple – One Hero, One big Adventure, One
whole messy actionfest. Not only because it stars
Harrison Ford (Han Solo of course) but also because it presents to you a
vast canvas of possibility, even though the films are, basically, about the adventures
of an archaeologist, of all things. Looking at the three movies in the series
you can see a similarity between them and the original Star Wars trilogy. The
first is quick and action-packed, the second darker and more brutal, the
third taking the best parts of the first two and slapping them together,
bridged by several innovative action sequences. Any Star
Trek
Oh, come on.... anyone who says that someone who likes Star
Trek doesn’t like Star Wars is either a die-hard or
an idiot. I remember the pictures of Trek fans picketing the Episode
1 movie in 1999, with banners such as ‘Phasers
Stun/Blasters Kill’ and ‘Violence doesn’t stop a War’ but let’s face it –
those guys are probably paying top dollar for some serious world-class
psychiatrists. Star Trek, especially the later films and all the TV series (Original
Trek, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager) have some
excellent visual material and some very good character content. If you want
to watch some serious action then check out the Deep Space Nine
episodes with the big space battles – especially the final episode What
You Leave Behind which contains probably the best TV space battle
I’ve ever seen. You can’t accuse Star Trek of being about a bunch
of new-age space hippies blasting about in starships forcing human values on
the universe. Well, maybe you can with some of the stuff but in general it’s
excellent. Independence
Day
Well, in general it’s a pretty rubbish film but you can’t knock
it for its entertainment value. It’s got everything a sci-fi action fan
needs. Explosions, fighter battles, huge weapons of mass destruction, some of
the best special effects on the scene – a kiddie’s roller-coaster ride, to be
sure, but the visual value is great. Babylon 5
This series suffers from the fact that the creator of it tried
so hard to be different he simply ended up emulating everything that’s come
before but on a different level. It’s got some wonderful special effects and
an excellent premise – a space station being the diplomatic centre of warring
factions – and in general managed to keep the viewer hooked. That is, until
it got so convoluted plot-wise that you just shrug and end up watching it in
case there’s a space battle. Just like the short-lived follow-up series Crusade,
it suffers from the fact that nothing is simple. The characters can’t seem to
do anything without a speech or a historical reference and you end up wishing
that they’d just get on with it and stop quoting their grandfathers or
explaining why they’re about to do
something. Although it did disappear up it’s own
backside towards the end it does contain some brilliant visuals. Any Gerry
Anderson Stuff
But it’s great! Those
little puppets, bouncing about on the ends of the little wires, which the
makers try so hard to hide.
Beautiful models being blown up in extreme circumstances. Fireball
XL-5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO, Space 1999, Terrahawks, Space Precinct... well, the last two
weren’t great, but they were entertaining in their own way. Fair enough, it’s
for the kiddies but I guess I plopped it in here because of that – I grew up
with this stuff. Starship
Troopers
Oh, please. It’s got a
bunch of people with extreme ordnance blasting the crap out of digitally
rendered bugs. What more do you want? Fair enough, the neo-fascist state the
heroes existed in was little off-putting but that’s the way it is to help
explain the violent tendencies of the human race – and why they felt the need
to waste a whole bunch of nasty arachnids who you simply wanted to be wasted
on-screen. Let’s face it, the bugs are probably the most politically correct
bad guys you’d want on the screen and you don’t feel bad watching them get
pasted. Enemy Mine
With a well-written story and some rather atmospheric effects
this one is for those of you who want to get a little further under the skin
of combatants in a space war. Detailing two enemies who have to work together
to survive on a hostile planet (one human, one alien) it’s a very well
constructed story with some amusing and heart-warming references. Watching
the starfighter battle is pretty cool, too. Gladiator
It’s not here for any other reason other than the fact that I
love it so goddamn much. If you want to see a movie of political intrigue and
one man’s struggle/sacrifice then you won’t get much better than this. In
fact, most Roman Empire movies are a great source of intrigue, what with
Emperors and Republics vying for power (sound familiar?) and the hill Rome is
built by is called Palatine. Strange, huh? Check out Spartacus
and The Fall of the Roman Empire and you’ll see more intrigue you
can handle! Armageddon
It’s not the fact that it’s full of clichés, jokes and a totally
unconvincing plot, its here because it’s action-packed and fast moving. Just
like any good Star Wars movie. It has startling eye-boggling effects that
almost literally leap from the screen and headbutt
you in the synapses – when you first see it you become blissfully unaware
that you’re continually mouthing ‘wow’. Lost in
Space
Even though it wasn’t the world’s best stab at science fiction I
do think it has several things going for it. An excellent opening fighter
battle sequence, for one, and some good action sequences that are well paced
and frantic. The designers obviously went into overdrive with their far-out
imaginations on screen but the visual references will give you some good
ideas for your own material. Crimson
Tide/Das Boot/ The Hunt
For Red October
or any other naval warfare movies with
tense, exciting moments. Films like these lock you away from the world
outside and concentrate on the men and women (although mostly men) who risk
their lives in battle on or under the waves. If you like the tenseness of
space combat then you’ll dribble over the sheer excitement, or terror, of
naval combat. Sergio Leone Westerns/ Young Guns movies Now, Han Solo is one of the best-loved characters of the Star
Wars movies and the scent of the underground makes many fans of the
movies go wide-eyed and piques interest. Much like the old west, with guns on
hips and strange eye-movements (mainly on the aliens), the ‘feel’ of Han
Solo is very cowboy-ish. Watching these
kinds of western movies, and seeing the action between the characters and the
atmosphere of the old frontier, has much the same
edge. If you haven’t seen any of the above then it might be worth
you’re while checking them out. I can only go by my own references, of
course, and tell you about what makes me go all goose-pimply when I see it
and no doubt you have your own preferences. There’s a stack load of movies
out there that emulate the Star Wars feel. There are some
supposed blockbusters, though, that just make you want to puke... Battle Beyond the Stars
So, John-Boy wants to kick alien arse, eh? So what does he do?
Takes ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and changes them for aliens/allies against a
dastardly bad guy who’s about as frightening as the Energiser Bunny. Couple
that with terrible special effects and the worst ‘it’s got breasts’ starship
you can imagine... a contender for the crown it is not. The Humanoid
Someone’s idea of a joke, I reckon. With an evil superpower and
a young boy with strange powers on a desert planet this is probably the worst
attempt at sci-fi since... well, ever. Avoid at all costs. In fact, I think
some video rental shops have it in and are also identified by ‘detour’ signs. Godzilla
The up-to-date American version. Please. Someone shoot me in the
head. Oh, come on. You didn’t think I’d write all this and not complain about something, did
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