sci-fanuary – Dr. K's Waiting Room

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: The Thing from Another World #1-2

08/01/202606/01/2026Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Story Title: “The Thing (from Another World)”
Published: 1991 to 1992

Writer: Chuck Pfarrer
Artist: John B. Higgins

Quick Facts:
Published by Dark Horse Comics, known for creator-owned stories and licensed adaptations of horror and science-fiction films, The Thing from Another World continued where John Carpenter’s sci-fi classic left off but utilised the title of the celebrated 1951 adaptation of John W. Campbell’s influential 1938 novella to avoid legal issues with Marvel Comics.

The Review:
The Thing from Another World is set twenty-four hours after the team at United States Antarctic Research Outpost #31 discovered an aggressive, parasitic alien organism (the titular “Thing”) that drove them to paranoia and violence through its ability to gruesomely mimic living creatures. The comic immediately answers the question about whether or not the final survivors from Outpost #13 lived or died by showing that Childs carried the unconscious R.J. “Mac” MacReady through a bitter snowstorm and out onto the ice fields and left him to be rescued by the Misaki Maru, a passing whaling vessel. The confused and disoriented Mac is horrified to learn that Childs returned to Outpost #13 to look for more survivors, leading to him being sedated to keep him calm. When he awakens again, Mac quickly cuts himself free and dresses, pondering why Childs would save him if he (as in Childs) was infected by the Thing. Suddenly paranoid that he may be the one that’s infected, Mac quickly replicates the blood test depicted in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and is relieved when he gets the all-clear, lending some credibility to the notion that the infected don’t know they’re a Thing until they’re threatened. Easily snaking around the ship, Mac (being a fully qualified pilot) commandeers their helicopter and quickly picks up Childs’ trail, which heads East rather than North towards Outpost #13. Although Mac’s forced to ditch the helicopter when he runs out of fuel, he successfully makes it back to the remains of Outpost #13, where he quickly gets to work burning the brutalised remains of his former friends.

*The paranoid Mac is so determined to eradicate the Thing that he seems willing to die to do it!*

Mac discovers the mangled, monstrous hibernating form of another mishmash of lifeforms and promptly blows it to pieces. However, he’s stopped from destroying the separate chunks by United States Sea, Air, and Land troops (SEALs). The SEALs were dispatched to investigate Outpost #13 but appear to have no idea of what really happened there and believe Mac murdered everyone and destroyed the base. Despite being cuffed, Mac leashes out when one of the SEALs, Pybus, curiously touches a piece of the Thing, leading to him taking a rifle butt to the head and the oblivious Lieutenant Commander Les Erskine to order that the mutilated remains be left for the bio-team. Just as the SEALs are boarding their evacuation helicopter, Pybus sprouts tentacles and mutates, firing on his stunned teammates, gunning most of them down and destroying the helicopter. Freed from his cuffs, Mac blasts the Pybus-Thing with a pistol, only for its corpse to birth a bizarre, tentacled alien that finally makes a believer out of Erskine before Mac blows it up with a grenade. After tending to their wounded, Mac and Erskine explore their options, only to find they’re out of fuel and with no hope of rescue. Erskine’s aghast when Mac reveals his plan to eradicate all traces of the Thing, including the both of them, to ensure there’s no chance of even a small part of it reaching civilisation. Erskine offers an alternative solution by holding Mac at gunpoint and ordering him to help get the wounded soldiers to a nearby research station, though they continue to clash regarding their chances and one man dies from his wounds (or the severe cold) on the way. Erskine is livid when he discovers Mac intentionally led them in the wrong direction, leading to another brief scuffle in which Erskine suspects Mac wants them to freeze to death because he’s the Thing!

*Mac and Childs must set aside their differences to stop the Thing from reaching civilisation.*

Their scuffle is interrupted by Childs and some Argentinians from the base, though the paranoid Mac immediately attacks Childs. After Mac is subdued, Childs confirms that he left Mac to be rescued and went back to destroy the others, though Mac remains suspicious. Mac’s horror only increases when they reach Campo Del Sur and see how many people could get infected, though Childs assures him that the Argentinians are conducting routine blood tests to stay safe. While Mac’s still hostile even after he and Childs are tested negative, he’s startled when Erskine’s unconscious trooper bursts into a bloody mass of tentacles and teeth! Though injured, the Thing quickly escapes, forcing the others to pursue and discover the gruesome remains of its latest victim. Despite Mac’s protests, Childs insists on proceeding further before the Thing can freeze and ends up almost devoured by the gigantic, cephalopod-like Thing before it’s destroyed with a grenade. Erskine urges them to return to Campo Del Sur so he can radio for assistance, leaving Mac to share his concerns about the commander to Childs. While Childs has his doubts since Erskine was so “gung-ho” about destroying the Thing, Mac’s fears are soon proven when they find three men dead in the trashed radio room. Realising that the Erskine-Thing radioed for a submarine, Mac and Childs race to intercept it, riddling the Erskine-Thing with bullets and causing it to wildly mutate. The Thing slaughters its way onto the submarine and goes on a rampage, with the sub performing an emergency dive and eventually crashing after the Thing wrecks the controls. With the submarine quickly flooding and the Thing heading for the escape capsule, Mac quickly catches the survivors up to speed and forms a hunting party and finds it in the torpedo bay. Despite Mac being ready to die to end the Thing’s threat, he objects when Childs goes to blow the hatch and end the nightmare once and for all. Childs thus destroys the submarine and all onboard except Mac, who’s inexplicably blasted from the wreckage and emerges on the frigid surface, passing out on an ice float despite his determination to stay alive…

Final Thoughts:
John Carpenter’s The Thing ends with perhaps one of the greatest cliff-hangers in all of cinema and fans have debated for years about whether Mac or Childs have been infected or not. One of the reasons it’s such an intriguing debate is that it’s presented as a stalemate between the two. Both are equally suspicious of each other and likely to be either human or the Thing, but both are too exhausted and paranoid to do much about it but “wait and see” what happens. The Thing from Another World isn’t the only piece of ancillary media to provide a definitive answer to this long-debated cliff-hanger, but it’s equally questionable about whether these answers work or not and may come down to personal preference. On the one hand, it’s cool to continue Mac’s nightmare and to see him hunt down and destroy the Thing, and to see how he and Childs react to each other when reunited. On the other hand, it feels like a disservice to the film to provide a definitive answer and it’s possible this story could’ve been just as effective if it followed a researcher or soldier investigating Outpost #13 and perhaps working from the remains of Blair’s notes. The fact that subsequent issues double-down and continue Mac’s story only compounds the issue, though I liked that Mac was even more proactive than ever and used his traumatic experiences and first-hand knowledge of the Thing to his advantage against the shape-shifting alien. I was also intrigued by the twist that he was ready to die to ensure the alien is destroyed. However, it’s bizarre that he so vehemently objects when Childs sacrifices himself and the others on the submarine at the end, especially as Mac was ready to sacrifice Erskine in the mountains. At the same time, Mac was hesitant to murder Erskine so maybe this is just a poorly executed expansion of the fear and paranoia that have so tightly gripped Mac’s heart.

*If nothing else, the comic perfectly captures the paranoia and horror of John Carpenter’s movie.*

Overall, I’d have to say the artwork was very impressive, perfectly capturing the dark, desolate atmosphere of Antarctica and bringing the gore to life with intricate brushwork. It was a little difficult to make out what was going on at times, especially when the Thing reveals itself, but this may have been intentional to replicate the “less is more” approach of the movie and emphasise how chaotic it is when the infected suddenly sprout tentacles and gnashing teeth. Indeed, the art is at its best when depicting the Thing and its victims, recreating the memorable special effects of the movie and playing upon the reader’s familiarity with the film to depict the remains of Outpost #13 and the mangled corpses of its inhabitants. Mac blows up a hibernating mass of flesh and teeth that closely resembles the Thing’s final form in the film, the defibrillator scene is evoked when Erskine’s soldier suddenly explodes with tentacles and dangerous alien appendages, and we get a better idea of how capable the infected are as we see them using rifles and having the wherewithal to signal for help. The Thing from Another World also introduces a couple of additional forms for the Thing, ones possibly too outrageous and ambitious to be brought to life by John Carpenter’s paltry budget. These include a bug-like Thing, a larger one out in the snow, and the strange, bipedal mess of meat that Erskine devolves into to tear through the submarine. The only real downside is that the Things are dispatched quite easily each time, with a single grenade being enough to destroy or at least subdue them long enough for their pieces to be incinerated. The Thing still slaughters a bunch of people, to be fair, but they’re largely nameless, faceless SEALs whose deaths mean little compared to those of Outpost #13. Ultimately, this was a decent enough epilogue to The Thing, but I think it would’ve been better, overall, to avoid answering what happened to Mac and/or Childs and instead follow wholly original characters as they encounter the Thing.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Have you ever read The Thing from Another World? Were you happy to see the film’s cliff-hanger answered here or would you have preferred the story to focus on original characters? What did you think of the art work and the call-backs to John Carpenter’s movie? Did you guess that Erskine was infected? Can you explain why Mac suddenly abandoned his suicidal crusade at the end? How are you celebrating the sci-fi genre this month? Whatever your thoughts on The Thing from Another World, drop a comment down below and send me some love on Ko-Fi if you want me to review more Thing comic books.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Mega Man 7 (Xbox Series X)

07/01/202606/11/2025Dr. K1 Comment

Released: 8 August 2017
Originally Released: 24 March 1995
Developer: Capcom
MobyGames Score: 7.4

Also Available For: GameCube, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox Series S

Quick Facts:
Mega Man’s debut title became a widely praised run-and-gun that spawned numerous, equally celebrated sequels and spin-offs that dominated Nintendo’s consoles. After wrapping up Mega Man’s time on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) with the widely praised Mega Man 6 (Capcom, 1993), Capcom faced a tight deadline for the seventh game. Designer Yoshihisa Tsuda expressed regret at not having more time to work on the title, which saw series artist Keiji Inafune design an all-new rival for Mega Man who became a fan favourite with spin-offs of his own. Though praised for its graphics and music, Mega Man 7 was criticised for failing to innovate on the core gameplay of the series and is largely seen as inferior to Mega Man X (Capcom, 1993), and the brutal difficulty curve made it one of the hardest games in the series.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Mega Man 7 brings the classic, 2D, sidescrolling run-and-gun action platforming of the 8-bit and portable games to the SNES for the first time. Fundamentally, very little has changed from Mega Man’s NES glory days, though Mega Man 7 does a far better job of translating and updating the classic formula than his previous 16-bit outing. As ever, Mega Man tackles four initial stages and one of Doctor Albert Wily’s new “Robot Masters” before challenging four further stages and Robot Masters and then finally storming Dr. Wily’s latest hi-tech base. While you’re free to choose which stage and Robot Master to take on, each Robot Master has a specific weakness that’ll make short(er) work of them. Unlike previous Mega Man games, Mega Man 7 opens with a tutorial to instinctively teach the game’s basics in a simple platforming challenge. By default, A and Y see you jump, B fires Mega Man’s patented “Mega Buster” arm cannon, and you can hold X to auto-fire in short bursts. You hold B to charge the Mega Buster for a stronger shot, jump higher when underwater, and Mega Man can slide beneath jumping enemies, some projectiles, and through narrow passages by pressing down and A. The Left and Right Bumper cycle through the “Special Weapons” you obtain from Robot Masters, though you can manually do this from the in-game menu with the “View” button. While you get unlimited ammo for the basic Mega Buster, the Special Weapons drain individual meters, so you need Weapon capsules to replenish these. You can also review your stock of lives and bolts (the game’s currency), activate health or weapon energy restoring Energy and Weapon Tanks, or utilise special items and Mega Man’s robotic allies from the game’s menu.

*Mega Man’s new, but extremely familiar abilities are put to the test in striking 16-bit stages.*

Mega Man’s mysterious “brother”, Proto Man, offers hints and you can visit Auto’s shop from the stage select screen, where bolts are traded for extra lives and E- and W-Tanks. These are also found in stages and dropped by enemies, of course, but Auto also sells Super Tanks to fully restore both health and Special Weapon energy, an “Exit Part” to exit any stage, and lets you call robotic bird helper Beat to rescue you from bottomless pits. However, you must first find Beat in Slash Man’s stage and, similarly, you’ll find extra abilities for Mega Man and his robot canine, Rush, by either exploring or shopping. Rush can again be summoned to spring you higher, fly you across areas for as long as the meter lasts, or find hidden goodies. Rush’s search ability is required to access the Energy Equalizer and Hyper Rocket Buster, though you must use your own abilities to find the hidden R-U-S-H letters to fully upgrade Mega Man like in Mega Man 6. Mega Man again gains powerful new abilities from each Robot Master that can be used to defeat others or further explore stages, such as powering up generators or burning objects. Some are very similar to previous Special Weapons (the Junk Shield is essentially just the Leaf Shield, for example, and Scorch Wheel is like Fire Storm). Thunder Bolt and Freeze Cracker are two of the best Special Weapons as they splinter on impact to damage multiple targets (the latter even freeze some enemies) and the Noise Crush can be powered up by absorbing the sound wave as it ricochets back. I found the Wind Coil erratic and unwieldy, however, and especially dangerous as it makes you a sitting duck, and the Slash Claw is powerful but hazardous as it’s only effective up close. Like my previous Mega Man experiences, I largely saved the Special Weapons for the Robot Masters unless I needed to activate machinery with the Thunder Bolt or utilise Rush’s abilities.

*Despite some fun and unique stage elements, it’s all business as usual for the Blue Bomber.*

Mega Man 7 sticks very closely to the classic Mega Man formula, throwing bottomless pits, disappearing and reappearing platforms, and insta-kill hazards like various spikes and flame turrets at you. You’ll do as much vertical progression as horizontal thanks to the many ladders and rising or moving platforms, timed explosive platforms threaten to drop you, and conveyer belts push you towards enemies or pits. While enemies still respawn, they don’t clutter the screen as much as before, though they’re still placed in the worst positions to screw up your jumps. Wall, ceiling, and floor turrets and spikes are commonplace, some platforms crumble or spin beneath you, and you can ride or hop to other temporary platforms to cross chasms (or just use Rush Jet for a slightly easier time). Burst Man’s stage incorporates underwater sections that see you perfectly timing hops into the predictable tide to bypass spikes, Cloud Man’s stage has you riding cloud platforms and even fighting against torrential rain, Junk Man’s stage features insta-kill molten steel, crushing hazards, and overhead magnets you can power up, and Freeze Man’s stage sees you losing traction on icy surfaces and sliding into hazards. Prior to facing the Robot Museum, you’re presented with four additional, shorter stages. You’ll be hopping to log platforms as they fall down waterfalls and using Technodons to cross spike beds in Slash Man’s stage, bouncing around Spring Man’s funhouse, lighting up dark caverns in Shade Man’s dilapidated castle, and avoiding overheard tyres in Turbo Man’s stage. This stage also features a panic inducing drop past insta-kill flame bursts not unlike the lasers seen in Quick Man’s stage, while Dr. Wily’s first stage includes a blackout gimmick where the stage turns dark when you jump or land on certain platforms. More (and often smaller) conveyers are in the doctor’s second stage, as are flame burst blocks you must precariously scale, while his third stage includes platforms that only become visible when you’re on them and a risky underwater drop past some insta-kill spikes.

Presentation:
Mega Man 7 is obviously a massive graphical upgrade from the Blue Bomber’s 8-bit days, featuring gorgeous, vibrant 16-bit graphics that put Mega Man: The Wily Wars (Minakuchi Engineering, 1994) to shame. Mega Man is a big, chunky sprite with more expression than ever thanks to the SNES hardware. While he only blinks or looks about when idle and still can’t look up or crouch, he has a determined look on his chubby cheeks and showcases his personality in sprite-based cutscenes with Auto, new rival Bass, and Dr. Light. Mega Man changes colour with each Special Weapon, now sporting two colour schemes for every weapon, and is far more detailed so you really feel it when he cries out in pain and explodes upon dying. The game incorporates partially animated, anime-style sprite art and in-game sprites for its story, which is emphasised far more here as interactions happen in some stages and after beating each Robot Master, with Mega Man and Dr. Light discussing his new abilities. I was a bit annoyed to find the story still shied away from answering lingering questions about Proto Man and instead introduced a new robotic rival for Mega Man, Bass, who has a cool look and his own robot dog, but appears out of nowhere with no explanation yet everyone acts like he’s been around forever. I was therefore nonplussed when Bass went rogue thanks to Dr. Wily’s influence, though I did enjoy encountering and battling this dark mirror of Mega Man. Mega Man 7 also includes a jaunty and bombastic soundtrack and much improved performance. While screen transitions can be a touch awkward, I never encountered any slowdown or sprite flickering like in the old games, even when lots of enemies or bigger foes appeared. Everything just popped with colour and little details, from Mega Man’s hair fluttering in the wind, to robotic Pterodactyls in the background of Slash Man’s stage, which has a fun Jurassic Park (Various, 1990 to present) aesthetic.

Mega Man 7 pops with its visuals, which emphasise story and gameplay performance.

I was most impressed by Shade Man’s stage. As if featuring a hidden track wasn’t enough, the entire stage is modelled after the Ghosts ’n Goblins games (Capcom/Various, 1985 to 2021). Astro Zombie’s emerge from coffins and hop in from open windows in the background as you ride a platform to a castle roof, and the stage even starts in pitch black and illuminates when the full moon rises. Slash Man’s stage is a close second, with its dinosaur fences and thick jungle, but the game impresses from the start with a ruined city aesthetic, a visual treat only doubled with you visit the Robot Museum and see all the old Robot Masters in the background. Burst Man’s stage is a hi-tech mad scientist’s lab, filled with gigantic test tubes and lab equipment and murky water, while Cloud Man’s stage is up in the heavens, with windmills in the background, big fluffy clouds blocking platforms in the foreground, and an impressive rain (or snow) effect when Tel Tels appear. Junk Man’s fittingly holed up in a junk yard full of girders, blinking lights, and piles of junk that hide worm-like Dust Crushers. Freeze Man’s stage starts pretty basic, with just a snowy landscape in the background, but you’re soon venturing into a frigid cave full of frozen fossils and dinosaur skeletons. After fighting through Slash Man’s thick, prehistoric jungle, you’ll be knocked about in Spring Man’s funhouse. This is a colourful, circus-themed stage full of springs and flashing neon lights, while Turbo Man’s stage is set in a garage. After battling past tyres and tricky platforming, you drop to a giant, sentient semi-trailer truck for a mini boss fight. As ever, Dr. Wily’s stages are mostly just hi-tech facilities and robot factories, but the first one is modelled after a flying battleship, the second has a green metallic and turtle theme, and the third is geared more towards machinery.

Enemies and Bosses:
Some familiar robot baddies pop up in Mega Man 7, respawning when you leave the screen and randomly dropping pick-ups. Naturally, the series staple Metall is back, hiding beneath its helmet, swimming underwater with a snorkel, and floating from above thanks to propellers. Sniper Joe also returns, thankfully far less cheap than before and easily dispatched with timed jumps or shots, as does a revised version Tom Boy and new versions of the always-annoying Shield Attacker and sentient fan Matasaburo, with the latter both sucking you in and pushing you back in Cloud Man’s stage. We’ve got little spherical bombs riding sleighs, slender tanks whose heads detach upon defeat, hopping traffic cones, robotic bats, crows, and fish, and birds that drop eggs filled with little chicks. Similarly, Derusu Bee hives near-endlessly spawn robot bees, a jouster-like knight rushes at you on a single wheel, robotic cockroaches continuously scurry about until you destroy their nest, and robots walk on the ceiling and drop icicles. There are hopping frogs, detached helmets, grinning rockets, large robot Stegosauruses that fire their fins and homing missiles, and a little sphere robot flings spiked tyres at you. Some stages also include mini bosses, such as the steamroller-like Mad Grinder in the prologue and the similarly themed forklift contraptions encountered in Turbo Man’s stage. You’ll easily take down a giant stationary polar bear that can only attack by flinging ice projectiles across the ground, blast the eyes of the large, grinning Sissi Truck while avoiding its minions, and pummel the core of the VAN Pookin to access new areas of Shade Man’s castle. While you battle the crab-like Kanigance twice, the Tyrannosaurus rex-like King Gojulus was the most visually impressive mini boss as it chases you down and attacks with flaming breath.

*It’ll take a lot of skill and the right Special Weapons to best these Robot Masters.*

Each stage culminates in a battle against one of the eight Robot Masters, with each vulnerable to a specific Special Weapon and fought again in Dr. Wily’s final stage as part of the final boss gauntlet. I tackled Burst Man first as the regular Mega Buster easily pops his bubbles and damages him. Indeed, he’s little threat even when he uses Danger Warp to spawn bubbles with mines; just keep firing and you’ll escape his bubbles and put him down. His Danger Warp is great against Cloud Man, who hovers above and summons a thunderbolt to strike you and send an electrical current through the ground. Be sure to dash under him to avoid being blown to your death when he summons a rainstorm, and position yourself to hit him with your Special Weapon. His Thunder Bolt annihilates Junk Man, who leaps about flinging junk and causing it to rain down. He can attract a bigger ball of junk to throw, but he’ll probably be dead before he gets a chance. The Junk Shield tears through the nimble Freeze Man, who can flash-freeze the ground, freeze you with a shot, and drop icicles, though it’s much tougher landing clear shots on the rotund, clown-like Mash, whose head you must detach to pummel with Danger Warp. The Freeze Cracker quickly ends Slash Man, though he’s a fast target and loves to hop offscreen, rain goop into the arena, and pounce with his claws. Rather than electrifying Spring Man with the Thunder Bolt, jump and slash him with the Slash Claw, quickly sliding away from his extendable punches, to finish him off. I fought Shade Man next and he was by far the toughest of the regular bosses as he swoops in and drains your energy to replenish his own, freezes you with his energy waves, and is most vulnerable to the unreliable Wind Coil. Finally, I fought Turbo Man, who transforms into car to charge you, saps your health with Scorch Wheel, and sucks you towards him. The Noise Crush is your best bet, but he’s a pretty big target to hit.

*Tackling Dr. Wily’s final machines is no joke as* Mega Man 7 is notorious for its late-game difficulty.

Mega Man’s new rival, Bass, is fought three times. The first fight is a sparring session where he jumps about firing regular shots, but he adds charged shots in the second bout and joins with Treble for the third. In this fight, he flies about, jets towards you, fires a homing punch, and is a much tricker target to hit. Dr. Wily gives Guts Man an upgrade in his fortress, forcing you to pepper him with shots and trick him into dropping giant stones for you to hit at him with the Slash Claw. You must keep him at bay with your shots to avoid his pincers tossing you into the ceiling, and work fast to avoid being crushed. The giant, turtle-like Gamerizer guards Dr. Wily’s second stage and is best damaged with the Wind Coil. You must time your shots to hit his head and avoid being immolated, slide under his rocket charge, and fend off his minions when he flies off-screen. While this was a pain, it was nothing compared to the HannyaNED², which chases you across a platform, fires a piercing laser, spits bombs, and shoots high and low missiles. Its only weak spot are its eyes, which are extremely difficult to hit with Noise Crush, to say nothing of its massive hit box! Things take a turn for the ridiculous in Dr. Wily’s final stage, where you must defeat all eight Robot Masters and endure a two-stage battle against his latest mech with no checkpoints in between! You must slide under the Wily Machine 7 to avoid being crushed and attack its smaller doubles to clear the ground, though landing shots on Dr. Wily’s cockpit is easier said than done as the hit box is very small and your attacks do minimal damage. Dr. Wily’s last-ditch attack comes in his latest capsule, which teleports in and out and fires homing orbs that damage, stun, freeze, or immolate you. He also shoots a lightning bolt that travels across the ground and is often out of reach of most Special Weapons, making for a ridiculous tough final boss that broke me.

Additional Features:
There are twenty-one Achievements available in Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (Capcom, 2017), with one awarded specifically for beating this game. Alongside different display options (screen size, borders, and screen filters), Legacy Collection 2 allows you to view a character database and production art, enable “Extra Armour Mode” to half the damage you take, and tackle additional challenges. These see you playing through remixed stages, enduring boss rushes and time attacks, and defeating certain bosses with only the Mega Buster. Mega Man 7 uses a password feature so you can skip ahead to later stages and gain some helpful extra items, which you may need as, for some bizarre reason, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 removes the rewind function! Sure, you can enable auto- and utilise manual saves, but these aren’t like save states. When you reload, you reload from the last checkpoint, meaning you have to endure the final boss gauntlet every time if when you fail! There are a lot of secrets in Mega Man 7, with even Rush’s abilities hidden in stages or needing to be purchased. You’ll need all the R-U-S-H letters to access Mega Man’s most powerful form and must collect a lot of bolts or search all over for additional upgrades. The Hyper Bolt will reduce Auto’s prices, and you can gain Proto Man’s overpowered shield if you track him down and defeat him in battle!

Final Thoughts:
I was really excited to get stuck into Mega Man 7 after largely enjoying my playthrough of the first Legacy Collection (Digital Eclipse, 2015). The game makes a fantastic first impression, utilising the greater processing power of the SNES to bring more life, detail, and colour to Mega Man and his unique world than ever before. The game is everything The Wily Wars wishes it was, featuring tight controls, fantastic use of space, and essentially being a 16-bit do-over of the 8-bit classics. The challenge on offer is immediately familiar, with the game’s difficulty being dictated by the player as much as the many hazards and bizarre enemies. While I remain disappointed that the Special Weapons aren’t more innovative, the Robot Masters had a lot of personality and put up quite a fight at times. I was disappointed to see Bass steal Proto Man’s spotlight, but Bass has a bad-ass look and offered some fun bouts, to say nothing of the anime-like visuals evoked by the sprites. The stages also provided some enjoyable (if often safe and recycled) gimmicks, with the game outpacing its 8-bit counterparts at every turn and hiding some cheeky secrets that greatly reward you. Unfortunately, Mega Man 7 is let down by Mega Man Legacy Collection 2’s lack of a rewind or proper save state feature. Without these, the difficulty spikes dramatically and unfairly for the finale, forcing you into a boss gauntlet that’s practically unwinnable and sucking a lot of the fun out of the game. I get that this is how games were played back in the day, but it makes no sense to remove these features when they were included previously. Just allowing players to use save states rather than just manually saving to the latest checkpoint would’ve helped but, as is, Mega Man 7 is made for hardcore gamers only with its brutal difficulty curve.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Were you excited to see Mega Man come to the SNES back in the day? Which order did you tackle the game’s stages in and did you ever fully upgrade Mega Man? Which of the new Robot Masters and Mega Man’s Special Weapons was your favourite? What did you think to the late-game difficulty spike and lack of quality of life features? Which of Mega Man’s SNES games is your favourite and would you like to see more titles released in the franchise? How are you celebrating all things science-fiction this month? Whatever your thoughts and memories of Mega Man 7, drop them below, check out my other Mega Man reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Mega Man content you’d like to see me cover.

Movie Night [Sci-Fanuary]: John Carpenter’s The Thing

06/01/202608/01/2026Dr. K2 Comments

Released: 25 June 1982
Director: John Carpenter
Distributor: Universal Pictures

Budget: $15 million
Box Office: $20,847,529
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 85% / 92%

Quick Facts:
The second big screen adaptation of John W. Campbell’s iconic 1928 novella Who Goes There?, The Thing was almost helmed by horror maestro Tobe Hooper before John Carpenter got involved and pushed for a story closer to the source material. Bill Lancaster modernised the story to focus on paranoia and fear while Rob Bottin delivered the gruesome practical effects to meld numerous bizarre and horrific alien aspects into the titular “Thing”. A critical and commercial failure at the time, John Carpenter’s The Thing is now widely regarded as a sci-fi/horror classic and spawned comic books, videogames, and a divisive 2011 prequel.

The Review:
Life within the remote, frigid United States Outpost 31 is suddenly turned upside down when a couple of Norwegian researchers suddenly circle their snowed-in facility, where the isolated inhabitants wile away in the rec room or, in pilot R. J. “Mac” MacReady’s (Kurt Russell) case, swigging whiskey and being beaten at computer chess. The Norwegians are chasing a sled dog (Jed) through the snow and, when they fail to shoot it, land to try explosives. The commotion alerts Mac and his cohorts, who rush into the snow to see what’s up and unknowingly shield the dog, leading to the desperate and ranting Norwegian (Norbert Weisser) to threaten them at gunpoint after accidentally blowing up his helicopter and co-pilot. Startled, the Americans open fire, with station commander M. T. Garry (Donald Moffat) executing the Norwegian with his prized revolver. Confused by all this, Mac takes station physician Doctor Copper (Richard Dysart) to the Norwegian base, despite the inclement weather, and finds it a burned out, frozen wreck full of gruesome bodies. While Dr. Copper gathers the Norwegians’ notes to try and understand what happened, Mac discovers the frozen remains of a mysterious ice-like tomb and a charred, inhuman corpse that’s hideously malformed. They transport the remains back to base for analysis, only for microbiologist Doctor Blair (A. Wilford Brimley) to be bemused by the Thing’s malformed, misshapen biology. Still puzzled by whatever fate befell the Norwegians and the bizarre, steaming corpse sitting in their medical room, the team return to their games, pondering the day’s events and niggling each other, unaware that the sled dog has snuck into one of their rooms.

*Mac and the others discover a horrifying alien parasite that assimilates anything it touches.*

Sombre dog handler Clark (Richard Masur) later takes the adopted dog to the kennels, where it suddenly and violently erupts into a writhing, thrashing, screaming alien creature! Ensnaring the other dogs and spraying them with goop, it assaults the panicked dogs, drawing Clark and the others. Horrified, Mac and Garry blast the Dog-Thing and the other dogs, much to Clark’s dismay, and surly mechanic Childs (Keith David) incinerates the creature with a flamethrower. Dr. Blair’s subsequent autopsy reveals that the burned corpse isn’t a dog, but an “imitation” of one that was attempting to absorb and imitate the other dogs. Reviewing the Norwegians’ data, which includes video footage similar to the 1951 film, the crew discovers that the Norwegians discovered an alien space craft buried deep in the ice. They risk another helicopter ride to the site and find the craft, which is estimated to have crashed thousands of years ago and which was uncovered when the Norwegians used explosives, leading them to recover a frozen occupant who subsequently overran their base. Shaken by the implications, Dr. Blair runs some tests and determines that the parasitic organism aggressively latches onto and absorbs living cells, perfectly imitating any living creature it samples and sprouting teeth, tentacles, and other appendages from potentially thousands of other worlds. Realising that the Thing could overtake the entire world within three years if it reaches civilisation, Dr. Blair snaps and wrecks the outpost’s communications array and much of their equipment before he’s subdued and isolated. This leaves out of his depth assistant biologist Fuchs (Joel Polis) to pour over Dr. Blair’s mad ramblings for a solution and Garry shell-shocked when the Dog-Thing’s remains slither to life and absorb his friend, meteorologist George Bennings (Peter Maloney), forcing the others to set his half-transformed form alive and burn every trace of the alien from the outpost.

*Paranoia and fear run rampant as the Thing assimilates those around it and feeds their distrust.*

With radio operator Windows (Thomas Waites) unable to call for help and their vehicles trashed during Dr. Blair’s breakdown, the survivors prepare to weather an incoming storm, tensions flare when soiled long johns appear in cook Nauls’ (T. K. Carter) kitchen and the shredded remains of Mac’s clothing are found out in the snow. Dr. Copper suggests they use the blood bank to test who’s human and who’s the Thing, but this is scuppered when someone destroys the blood bank and they descend into arguments and finger pointing when this is discovered, accusing Garry since he’s the only one with the keys and Dr. Copper since he regularly accesses the blood. The distrust being thrown around knocks Garry’s confidence and, after a tense showdown with Windows when he frantically grabs a shotgun, Garry relinquishes his revolver and command to Mac. While Mac tries to hold the group together, being the coolest and most logical head despite his growing fear and paranoia, the others descend into anger and distrust after Fuchs is mysteriously burned alive and any chance of employing Dr. Copper’s blood test. However, but soon decide Mac is the most untrustworthy and strand him in the blizzard. They’re even more convinced he’s the Thing when he stumbles back to base without a guideline and, enraged by their betrayal and wracked by the cold, Mac threatens to blow them all up with dynamite if they don’t listen to reason. The tense standoff sees Mac and Childs clash and Clark, also a chief suspect due to his close proximity to the dogs, ready to shank Mac at the first opportunity. During the scuffle to disarm Mac, terrified geologist Norris (Charles Hallahan) is tossed aside and seemingly dies from a heart attack, only to be shockingly revealed to be the Thing! This revelation does little to allay Mac’s suspicions and, after the ghastly Norris-Thing and its offspring are incinerated, Mac forces those he begrudgingly trusts to tie up those he doesn’t and ventures that their blood with violently react to a hit needle if they’ve been assimilated.

*Recovered from a crashed ship, the Thing is a hideous amalgamation of various organisms.*

Rather than being a strange vegetable creature, the titular Thing is a parasitic organism like in the book. Although we see its flying saucer crash to Earth in the pre-title sequence, there’s no way of knowing if the Thing was the pilot or was simply held captive on the ship (though I’d venture to say the ship crash-landed after the Thing broke out). The Thing has no true form and instead hides behind imitation, perfectly replicating living creatures and even mirroring their personalities, to the point where the assimilated seem unaware that they’re the Thing until they’re threatened. Assistant mechanic Palmer (David Clennon), for example, appears completely human until Mac performs his blood test, whereupon Palmer violently explodes into bloody, gnashing jaws. Norris also appears normal, even tackling Mac alongside the others, until he appears to die and Dr. Copper performs CPR and Norris’s chest splits open and rips his arms off! The Thing’s only goal is to assimilate and procreate everything it can, picking off potential threats and fighting to survive when threatened. Although it appears inhumanly strong and durable, shrugging off shotgun blasts and easily manhandling Windows, it’s not invulnerable. Fire is especially effective, as is dynamite, with the creature being most vulnerable mid-transformation, as seen with the Bennings-Thing. Rather than being a singular organism, every cell of the Thing is alive and thinking, allowing it to disgustingly detach part of itself when the main “body” is destroyed and meaning it can infect multiple targets at once. The Thing is also seen to be very shrewd and intelligent, allowing the survivors to waste their energies on paranoia and accusations rather than formulating strategies, and having intelligence enough to cobble together a miniature flying saucer in the case of the Blair-Thing. The Thing is also incredibly patient, happy to let the humans destroy themselves and hibernate in the snow until the rescue team arrives and then assimilate them…and the rest of the world, in short order.

*Although Mac destroys the Blair-Thing, there are lingering questions about who can be trusted.*

When Mac’s blood test outs Palmers and leads to him and Windows dying, a slither of trust is reignited as the cleared survivors go to test Dr. Blair. However, they find he’s built a small flying saucer and tunnelled his way out, revealing himself to also be a Thing. After the Blair-Thing destroys the outpost’s power generator, Mac realises it’s willing to outlast them in the cold to escape and that they’re unlikely to make it out alive without any heat and rescue far away. Resolving to keep the Thing from reaching civilisation, Mac and the others prepare to bring the whole outpost down by setting dynamite charges. However, paranoia rears its ugly head as Nauls and Childs go missing; the Blair-Thing also ambushes Garry in the tunnels, leaving Mac alone. The Blair-Thing then spectacularly erupts from the floor as a massive, mewling amalgamation of repulsive alien and vaguely animal parts in a fantastic combination of practical effects, stop motion techniques, and puppetry. While the monstrous Blair-Thing is quite lumbering and mainly just stands there roaring, its tentacles whipping about as it emits that disturbing hissing, it devours Mac’s detonator and seems poised to take him. Defiant until the end, the rugged, exhausted Mac tosses a stick of dynamite at the creature and destroys it, along with the entire outpost. Barely escaping the blast, Mac stumbles through the burning debris and finally collapses from fatigue, whiskey in hand. Childs emerges from the blizzard, claiming to have gotten lost while pursuing Dr. Blair, and sits with him, both too tired to argue or to fight. Realising the flames will die out soon and they’re likely to perish from the cold, the two acknowledge the futility of their situation and their mutual distrust and resolve to simple share a drink and wait to see what happens, leaving their ultimate fate up to the audience…

Final Thoughts:
John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of the quintessential remakes of all time. While the original film was an ambitious B-movie that took huge liberties with the source material, The Thing stays very close to Who Goes There? in its interpretation of the titular alien parasite and the destructive paranoia that tears the humans apart. There’s a sense that many of the characters barely tolerated each other to begin with, meaning tensions fray very quickly once they realise the Thing can perfectly imitate them down to their memories and behaviour. The film perfectly conveys this by rarely, if ever, showing who’s been assimilated and when, meaning we never really know who to trust as everyone – even rugged protagonist Mac – is a suspect. It’s thus shocking when characters turn out to be human or suddenly explode into a thrashing, shrieking mess of flesh and teeth and even destroying the Thing and performing tests doesn’t stamp out the unease felt by the survivors. Kurt Russell did a great job as reluctant leader Mac, who seems ready to pack it all in at a moment’s notice. I liked his heated rivalry with the immortal Keith David and how easily he took charge, and how physically and emotionally exhausted he was by the whole ordeal. Some aspects, like Dr. Blair’s computer simulation, are rather quaint but they get the job done and the gruesome special effects more than make up for them. The Thing is constantly sprouting new appendages and forms and surprising audiences by springing to the ceiling, becoming a scurrying spider-like head, or clamping down on its prey with its massive teeth. It’s a spectacularly ghastly creature that’s nauseating to look at as you never know what it’s going to do next as it clearly retains knowledge of other alien creatures and is a highly adaptable and versatile parasite. The ending may be one of cinema’s greatest cliff-hangers and the simple story of distrust and desperation remains as palpable as ever, making John Carpenter’s The Thing a timeless sci-fi/horror classic that’s difficult to beat.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Do you agree that John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of the greatest remakes of all time? How do you feel it works as an adaptation? Which character were you most surprised to find out was human (or the Thing)? Did you enjoy Kurt Russell’s performance and his rivalry with Keith David? How amazing were those gruesome special effects? How did you interpret the ending and what sci-fi films are you watching this month? Use the comments below to hap some praise on John Carpenter’s The Thing and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other sci-fi films you’d like to see me cover.

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: Echo of Future Past #1-6

05/01/202623/10/2025Dr. KLeave a comment

Story Title: “Bucky O’Hare” (or “Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace”)
Published: May 1984 to July 1985

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Michael Golden

Quick Facts:
No doubt inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), Larry Hama’s Bucky O’Hare first appeared in a screenplay and expanded into a short-lived cartoon, action figures, and videogames, though never reached the heights of the TMNT.

The Review:
We first meet Captain Bucky O’Hare and the fearless crew of the Righteous Indignation in a “seedy section of the universe” and facing an impending attack by a squadron of Toad fighters. Since the freighter has no chance of outrunning the attackers using its standard engines, Bucky orders the crew to prepare for a jump to hyperspace, only to learn from Android First Class (AFC) Blinky that the warp drive is currently being repaired. Things go from bad to worse when a plasma shot from an attacking ship results in the nigh-disintegration of the ship’s chief engineer, Bruce the Berserker Baboon. While Bucky leaves first mate Jenny “temporarily” in charge to try and help, battle-hungry gunner Dead-Eye Duck unloads with the ship’s Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (MASER) cannons, relishing the chance to pick off some Toads even as the Righteous Indignation suffers heavy damage. Although Blinky’s tried his best to repair the warp drive, it’s barely functional and activating it could result in unforeseen risk. However, with the ship in bad shape and the situation desperate, Bucky takes the risk and activates the photon accelerator. The story then jumps to the other side of the galaxy, specifically San Francisco, to find young science whizz Willy DuWitt despairing about being an outcast from his peers and even his parents since his first and only love is science. Retreating to the solace of his bedroom, the boy genius tinkers with his prototype photon accelerator and is confused when his bedroom is suddenly plunged into darkness and his television broadcasts bizarre messages from space-faring Toads.

*Child prodigy Willy DuWitt finds himself joining Bucky’s crew of* *misfit space adventurers.*

Bucky and his crew are equally puzzled when Willy steps from a door that randomly appeared on their ship, their two malfunctioning photon accelerators apparently creating a dimensional rift to allow Willy to cross space and time. With the Righteous Indignation adrift, but shielded, by a mysterious stasis field, Willy takes a look at their photon accelerator, only to find it damaged beyond repair and warping reality around it at an alarming rate. Willy suggests building a replacement by getting parts from his bedroom. Bucky orders Jenny to keep an eye on things and ensure the doorway stays open and then accompanies Willy alongside Dead-Eye Duck, only for the Toad mothership to arrive and send a Storm-Toad boarding party to ransack the Righteous Indignation. To protect her crew, Jenny deactivates the warp drive and Blinky hides while the Toads captured her. When Blinky reactivates the warp drive to alert Bucky, Willy insists on aiding in the rescue mission, quickly grabbing his stuff and racing from his bedroom – and his universe – for a space adventure. As the Toad mothership is too massive to utilise a warp drive, Dead-Eye guesses that the Toads will head for the nearest planetary system. Amazed and fascinated by this strange corner of the universe, Willy listens with interest as Blinky gives a quick rundown of the Toad Empire, who started as a fairly harmless (if materialistic and greedy) race before their scientists cobbled together a massive computer network, KOMPLEX (or “Feed Me”), to drastically increase their profits. However, KOMPLEX immediately gained sentience and declared itself their supreme dictator, ushering in a century of industrialisation of regimentation as the Toad home world was converted into a planet-sized manufacturing facility built for conquest. KOMPLEX sent the malicious Toad army out into the universe to plunder natural resources from other worlds, leading the United Animals Security Council to Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Enrichment (S.P.A.C.E.) to oppose them. However, their budget only allowed for three frigates to combat the threat.

*While Bucky learns of the natives, Dead-Eye, Jenny, and Willy battle through the mothership.*

After providing Willy with Bruce’s old spacesuit and officially signing him up as a crewman, the Righteous Indignation quickly uses a nearby planetoid to avoid detection from the titanic Behemoth-Class Toad ship, which has stopped to refuel using the planetoid’s magma core. Aboard the mothership, Jenny laughs off the Toad’s threats when interrogated by the bulbous Air Marshall, showcasing her inherent witch-like telepathic and telekinetic powers by detecting her shipmates and subduing the Toads with a burst of psychic energy. Since the planetoid has a native population, Bucky cannot attack the Toad Empire without written permission, so he sends Dead-Eye and Willy ahead to gather some reconnaissance and they are immediately spotted by a nearby maintenance team. With no place to hide, Dead-Eye prepares to go down fighting, only for Willy to suggest taking shelter inside the mothership. This sends the Toads into a frenzy as they can’t risk firing inside the flight deck and, thanks to an assist from Jenny, the two come crashing into the ship. This is all witnessed by Bucky, who stumbles through another dimensional doorway to meet the planetoid’s mouse-like natives, a pacifist, philosophical race with no interest in conflict who allow Bucky to observe his friends through a crystal ball. When Dead-Eye blasts Willy with a fire retardant to extinguish his suit, they manage to fool the incoming Death Kommandos into mistaking Willy for the one thing all Toads fear: a rabid Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon. The angered Air Marshall then unleashes their deadliest weapon: the Void Droid, a heavily armed, tank-like machine designed for destruction! Luckily, despite the machine’s awesome armaments and barrage of plasma shots and missiles, the feared Void Droid proves amusingly susceptible to Willy’s water pistol since, for all its defences, it’s not waterproof! Reuniting with Jenny in the workshop, Dead-Eye and Willy join her in commandeering a Toad fighter and just barely escape from the mothership before the blast doors can crush them.

*While the Toad mothership is destroyed, Willy’s left stranded in the Aniverse.*

The three are stunned to find Bucky conversing with one of the mice on a floating asteroid, the hippy mouse explaining that his race once thought themselves Gods before being humbled after being tricking into buying what they thought was the secret of the universe. While they have the power to stop the Toad Empire, the mice prefer to make things grow, which their nigh-omnipotent representative demonstrates by conjuring a grassy landing strip for Dead-Eye and the others. Enraged by the humiliation he’s suffered, the maniacal Air Marshall orders the mothership to disengage from the planetoid, intending to use the ship’s plasma cannon batteries to vaporise the entire planet. The mouse isn’t concerned, however, since everything on and in the planetoid is a figment of their imagination, the result of their incredible, God-like powers, and will cease to exist if they will it or if anything is taken too far from their sphere of influence. Thus, as the mothership drifts away, it implodes in spectacular fashion, though the benevolent mouse ensures that all its inhabitants were teleported safely to a place where “the food is bad and taxes are high”. Having had enough adventuring for a while, Willy bids farewell to his friends and prepares to take the dimensional doorway home, only to find his neglectful parents turned off his photon accelerator, barely caring that their son has run away from home and assuming he’ll be back at some point. With the door gone and the mouse vanished, Willy’s surprisingly upset about being stranded in the “crazy animal universe”. However, Bucky offers Willy a place onboard the Righteous Indignation and promise to help find him a way home and Willy grateful accepts the offer, joining the crew as they blast off the “croak […] some Toads!”

Final Thoughts
This was my first time reading the original run of Bucky O’Hare and it certainly was an enjoyable experience. It makes me sad that this story is largely lost media these days as reprints are scarce and expensive, and that Bucky O’Hare has largely faded into obscurity, as this was a fun, surprisingly violent story. There’s an amusing quirkiness to this story (which is peppered with the same wit and attitude I’d expect from a British-made comic), which is fully aware that it’s a ridiculous space adventure featuring anthropomorphic mammals battling warmongering space toads and simply runs with that ridiculous premise. Bucky O’Hare had a bit of an edge to him I didn’t expect, with him being extremely protective of the Righteous Indignation and, more specifically, his place as the vessel’s commander. He never gives up his command willingly, even to his trusted first mate, and only pulls the defective warp drive since he has no choice to protect the ship and her crew from harm. Surprisingly loquacious, Bucky is fearless and honourable but also sticks rigidly to the directives as laid out by S.P.A.C.E. This means he won’t attack the Toad mothership without express written permission from the planetoid’s natives and he forces Willy DuWitt to fill out a bunch of paperwork before he can assist the crew since such administration tasks are just as important as blasting Toads. The distinctly Scottish, four-armed Dead-Eye Duck is all about this latter task, happily manning the MASER cannons and seemingly relishing the thought of dying in battle taking out some Toad scum! Even Jenny gets a fair bit of characterisation as she’s not just an unsettlingly alluring rabbit; she’s also a witch from a secretive sisterhood who can erase memories and telekinetically disable machinery. The full extent of her powers is only hinted at here, with even Dead-Eye Duck being somewhat suspicious of her at one point.

*Some amazing art, quirky humour, and bizarre characters make this an enjoyable space adventure.*

Blinky is largely here for exposition and comic relief, his voice modulator giving him a unique and peculiar way of communicating, while Willy is essentially the audience surrogate. I remember disliking him in the cartoon but he’s not too annoying here, presented as an outcast whose oddball parents barely notice him and whose scientific acumen is so advanced that he can accidentally create rifts in the space/time continuum. It helps that Willy’s not presented as a “Gary Stu” or being taken hostage or acting all obnoxious; he’s intrigued by this new universe and offers some solutions but is mostly just along for the ride. The Toad Empire may be comprised of eccentric soldiers and a blowhard of an Air Marshall, but they’re an extremely formidable force here, easily outgunning the Righteous Indignation and constantly having Bucky and the others on the back foot with their superior numbers. They may be bad shots and easily scared, but their more ferocious warriors aren’t to be trifled with and their Void Droid is clearly an unstoppable death machine whose amusing weakness was an oversight that normally wouldn’t have been exploited. Of course, the allusions to the TMNT and original Star Wars movies (Various, 1977 to 1983) are clear, especially in the depiction of the Righteous Indignation’s damaged warp drive and the Toad mothership (and home world) being gigantic battle stations. Michael Golden’s art is phenomenal here, perfectly marrying these cartoonish animals with intricate, colourful technology and situations and providing a level of detail I honestly didn’t expect from these bizarre, independently published issues. It’s clear that the original comic strip is taking things quite seriously, depicting death and extreme danger for our heroes while still firmly having its tongue in its cheek like in the original TMNT comics. Overall, this was a really enjoyable experience that makes me wish these early stories were more accessible, in addition to the short-lived additional Bucky O’Hare comic books that further explored this rich and fantastical world.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Have you ever read Bucky O’Hare’s comic book debut? What did you think of the bizarre concept and stunning art? Were you surprised by how dark it was compared to the cartoon? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated comic books? Sare your Bucky O’Hare memories below and donate to my Ko-Fi if you’d like to see more Bucky content on the site.

Movie Night [Sci-Fanuary]: The Thing from Another World

04/01/202606/01/2026Dr. K2 Comments

Released: 27 April 1951
Director: Christian Nyby
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures

Budget: $9 to 15 million
Box Office: $1.1 million
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 87% / 73%

Quick Facts:
Based on celebrated, influential novella, Who Goes There? (Campbell, 1938), The Thing from Another World was loosely adapted by Charles Lederer, Howard Hawks, and Ben Hecht. The titular “Thing” (James Arness) became a plant-like humanoid thanks to extensive make-up later replaced with an asbestos suit for an ambitious fire stunt. Though very different from the novella, The Thing from Another World is considered one of the best movies of the 1950s and inspired one of the greatest remakes ever made in 1982.

The Review:
While searching for his next big story in Anchorage, Alaska, “newspaper man” Ned “Scotty” Scott (Douglas Spencer) bumps into old friend, pilot Lieutenant Eddie Dykes (James Young) of a United States Air Force re-supply crew, at an officers’ club and meets his cohorts: gruff Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) and flight navigator Ken “Mac” MacPherson (Robert Nichols). When noted scientist and Nobel laureate Doctor Arthur Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) radios in a vague call for aid at a North Pole research camp, Captain Hendry and his jovial crew are ordered to assist, flying some hands, sled dogs, and the eager Scott out to investigate Dr. Carrington’s ambiguous concerns about a mysterious aircraft. Upon arriving at the Polar Expedition Six outpost, the stern but amicable Captain Hendry bristles to reunite with the gorgeous and playful Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan), who’d previously humiliated him in a drinking game and turned down his handsy advances. Though flustered by her mischievous nature, Captain Hendry is obviously as attracted to her as she is to him and they enjoy a fun back-and-forth throughout the film that’s as entertaining as the banter between Captain Hendry, Lieutenant Dykes, Mac, and Scotty. The crew are clearly friends as much as co-workers and express their affection through light-hearted banter, teasing Captain Hendry for his drinking habits and past blunders, only for him to jokingly threaten them with guard duty and other empty threats. There’s a unique approach to dialogue and interactions here as characters talk over each other and converse very bluntly, making every scene feel ad-libbed (except for Dr. Carrington, who expresses himself with a theatrical guile) and the relationships between the characters feel far more personable and natural as a result.

*A remote outpost discovers a humanoid alien that goes on a rampage once accidentally dethawed.*

After meeting with the other scientists and civilians stationed at the outpost, Captain Hendry flies his crew, Dr. Carrington, and others to the crash site, only to discover a genuine flying saucer buried under the ice! Rather than wait for approval from his commanding officer, Captain Hendry orders thermite charges to be placed around the site to melt the ice, accidentally destroying the craft when the explosives react violently to the hull. Though Dr. Carrington is aghast by this, his excitement soon reignites when they discover a large humanoid “Thing” buried nearby. This time, the team dig it out and take it to the outpost, though Dr. Carrington’s frustrated by Captain Hendry’s insistence that they await further orders before defrosting or investigating their strange guest. Scotty is similarly irritated to be barred from reporting what they’ve found, seeing the discovery as the story of the century and eager to share it, as Captain Hendry is anxious to avoid another blunder. As the team hunker down against a blistering storm and take shifts watching the creature, Corporal Barnes (William Self) becomes unnerved by the Thing’s gaze and accidentally thaws it out after covering it with an electric blanket he didn’t realise was plugged in. The Thing awakens, briefly runs amok through the outpost, and flees into the storm, attacking the sled dogs and losing some of its arm before disappearing. Upon investigating the severed limb, the resident scientists conclude that the creature is a bizarre humanoid plant that feeds on blood; the hand even reanimates after absorbing some of the dog’s blood staining it. Dr. Carrington slowly becomes obsessed with the creature, believing it to be intellectually and physically superior to man and wishing to learn its secrets, only for Captain Hendry to repeatedly shoot down his insane requests and prioritise saving lives over reasoning with a mindless creature.

*Captain Hendry and Dr. Carrington disagree on how best to handle the bloodthirsty Thing.*

The titular “Thing” is seen sparingly, which I was surprised by. After its initial awakening, the creature vanishes and the film focuses on the research into its nature, barricading the outpost against further attacks, and searching for the creature before it can strike again. It’s still active in the background, but we only hear about it from shellshocked survivors and through dialogue. Unlike the shapeshifting, nebulous alien Thing from the book and subsequent outings, the Thing is a towering, humanoid “Martian” more like a vampire than a voracious extraterrestrial. The survivors discover a sled dog drained of its blood and hear from the traumatised Doctor Stern (Eduard Franz) that the creature attacked the outpost greenhouse, killing everyone and hanging them from the rafters to drain their blood, which would’ve been gnarly to see. Captain Hendry is surprisingly calm about the entire situation and there are no instances of paranoia or cabin fever among the survivors. The only conflict comes from the scientists who wish to defend and study the creature and the military who wish to kill it. Captain Hendry is horrified to learn from Nikki that Dr. Carrington, who’s been going without rest since the Thing was discovered, has been feeding blood samples to seeds from the creature’s arm, producing alien plants that has the airmen speculating that the Thing came to conquer the world. Thanks to the storm, communicating with Brigadier General Fogerty (David McMahon) and the outside world is spotty, at best, resulting in Captain Hendry receiving a bunch of one-way messages and orders to fortify the outpost and survive but leave the creature unharmed. Seeing the threat the Thing poses, Captain Hendry naturally disregards these orders, and Dr. Carrington’s mad objections, and has the Thing doused with kerosene and set alight when it next attacks. Despite the Thing going up in flames, it wildly lashes out and almost burns the outpost down before escaping into the snowstorm.

*Despite Dr. Carrington’s objections, the Thing is destroyed and Scotty submits a dire warning to the world.*

While recovering, the survivors are horrified to learn that Dr. Carrington’s musings about the creature’s intelligence are at least partially true as the Thing sabotages the outpost’s heating system, threatening to freeze them to death within hours. Surmising that the Thing will target the electricity next, Captain Hendry corrals all the survivors into the generator room and the airmen take an offhand suggestion from Nikki (“Boil it, bake it, stew it, fry it”) to heart, rigging a high voltage “fly trap” to electrocute the creature in a narrow corridor. Seemingly sensing their blood, the Thing crashes through their makeshift barricade and stalks its way towards them, noticeably avoiding the wires hidden beneath the pallets on the floor. Although Dr. Carrington attempts to sabotage the plan by shutting the generator off at a crucial moment, he’s easily disarmed and briefly subdued, but Captain Hendry’s forced to wait for the hulking Thing to position itself correctly on their trap. Dr. Carrington rushes to it, pleading for reason and to begin a dialogue, only to be roughly shoved aside and left with a broken collarbone. Despite its immense size, strength, and durability, the Thing blunders into position and is zapped by a few thousand volts in a surprisingly ambitious light show. Captain Hendry keeps the juice poured on until the Thing is reduced to a smouldering pile of ash, though Scotty faints before he can get a clear shot of the creature. The survivors round up all remains of the Thing and burn those, too, before treating their wounds and decompressing as the storm dies down. While Captain Hendry and Nikki tease taking their relationship to the next level, Scotty finally gets to call in his story, eagerly painting a dramatic picture of the pitched battle fought at the outpost and warning his listeners to “Watch the skies everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies…”

Final Thoughts:
Although I’m a big fan of John Carpenter’s 1982 remake of Who Goes There?, I’ve never read the book or watched this original adaptation, though I gather it’s a very loose one with only the basic elements of the story being represented. Most notably, the titular Thing is very different from the source material and subsequent adaptations, being more akin to Frankenstein’s Monster than a shape-changing organism. I’m not surprised by this as I doubt the technology existed to bring the creature to life in a more faithful way and it makes sense to reimagine it as a hulking, humanoid alien given where sci-fi was at the time. I liked the twist that it was essentially a walking vegetable and like a vampire, feeding on blood and growing alien plants from its seeds, potentially to overrun the world. I would’ve liked to see this emphasised more, perhaps to see the Thing’s spores spread throughout the outpost and maybe infect those within to bring in some of the paranoia from the book and definitely would’ve liked to see more death and destruction from the disappointingly absent creature. Luckily, the relationships and banter between the characters is more than enough to sustain the film in the Thing’s absence, with Captain Hendry and his men having very enjoyable and realistic interactions. I really liked that the actors kept talking over each other and the banter between the characters, which was nicely contrasted with Dr. Carrington’s objections. He was a very theatrical character but, again, felt somewhat underutilised and I would’ve liked to see him sabotaging their efforts more. Despite all this, and the film being oddly paced and lacking in urgency, The Thing from Another World was still quite enjoyable and somewhat ambitious at times. It’s a great example of a classic, 1950s sci-fi flick that is perhaps a little dated these days, far surpassed by its remake, and arguably lacking compared to some of its peers, but it still has a charm and appeal that make it an entertaining watch.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy this first adaptation of Who Goes There? If you’ve read the book, what did you think to the changes made to the story? Did you enjoy the banter and interactions between the characters? Do you agree that the Thing should’ve featured a lot more? Do you think Dr. Carrington was right to want to communicate with the Thing? How are you celebrating sci-fi this month? Whatever you thought to The Thing from Another World, comment down below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other sci-fi films for me to review.

Back Issues [Sci-Fanuary]: Super Metroid

03/01/202603/01/2026Dr. K1 Comment

Story Title: “Chapter 1: Red Alarm!”
Published: February 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 2: Zebes Rising”
Published: March 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 3: Back to the Nest”
Published: April 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 4: Samus’ Story”
Published: May 1994

Story Title: “Chapter 5: Red Alarm!”
Published: June 1994

Quick Facts:
Debuting in the widely acclaimed Metroid (Nintendo R&D1/Intelligent Systems, 1986) and popularising a new sub-genre of gaming, bounty hunter Samus Aran starred in perhaps her greatest outing when the celebrated Super Metroid (ibid, 1994) released on Nintendo’s ground-breaking Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems (SNES). Like some of her contemporaries, Samus’ adventure was adapted into a comic strip in Nintendo Power (1988 to 2012), a fondly remembered magazine that offered hints, reviews, and information about Nintendo’s games.

The Review:
Oddly enough, this story begins with famed bounty hunter Samus Aran suffering a fatal encounter with a bunch of fireball-spewing floating heads! Of course, this is merely a nightmare that awakens Samus to “another day, another battle”. After showering and changing into her bad-ass power suit, Samus hops in her ship and returns to the stars for duty as “protector of the galaxy” (again making me think Nintendo didn’t know what a “bounty hunter” is). While flying through space, Samus recalls her adventures in Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo R&D1, 1991), which saw her tasked by the Galactic Federation to eliminate the Space Pirates of Zebes whose leader, Mother Brain, was creating an army of powerful Metroids to threaten the galaxy. After being handsomely rewarded, Samus was then dispatched to SR388, the Metroid home world, to eliminate the parasitic threat, including their monstrous queen, only to imprint on a Metroid hatchling after she was done. These memories are interrupted by a distress call from the Ceres Space Colony, where Samus had previously delivered the hatchling to the resident scientists. Samus lands to find the colony in flames, badly damaged, bodies strewn everywhere, and her archenemy, the draconian Ridley, stealing the hatchling in Mother Brain’s name. Samus’s urge to kill her enemy takes a backseat when Ridley reveals he’s set the colony to self-destruct, forcing Samus to try and override it via the main computer. Unfortunately, she’s unsuccessful and must be forcibly dragged to safety by fellow bounty hunter Armstrong Houston, narrowly escaping the colony’s destruction but nonetheless determined to hunt down Ridley and retrieve the hatchling. Unfortunately, Samus and Houston’s ships are immediately set upon by Space Pirates, who have rebuilt their forces after their defeat and attempt to blast the bounty hunters from the stars, only to be easily bested by the friendly rivals as they reduce the Space Pirates to flaming debris. Samus and Houston return to Federation bureau headquarters to warn them of the situation, only for the gluttonous and lethargic Chief Hardy to outrageously deny claims that the Space Pirates have returned!

*When she’s injured hunting the Space Pirates, Samus turns to her surrogate family for help.*

Luckily, Chairman Keaton believes Samus’s story and allows Samus to return to the apparently deserted Zebes to root out the evildoers. On the way, she berates Houston for following her, accusing him of chasing the reward rather than caring about safeguarding the galaxy, and heads there alone to help the planet’s “bird men”. Thus, like Super Metroid, Samus lands in a rainstorm and descends into the ruins of the bird people’s civilisation, only to be ambushed by Space Pirates. Despite claiming her power suit gives her the edge, her experience fighting these enemies, and her determination, Samus is momentarily overpowered and only saved from having her head crushed by Houston, who tosses her an energy ball that briefly engulfs her suit in flames to destroy the creatures. Although still dismissive of Houston, especially as he’s collecting Space Pirate claws for profit, Samus begrudgingly allows Houston to tag along despite him wearing an inferior suit and even calls upon him to help fend off a flock of Skrees, though she still admonishes him for wasting time collecting carcasses rather than focusing on the bigger picture. As Samus races to complete her mission, she triggers a boobytrap and gets impaled through the shoulder on a floor spike. Chastising her recklessness, Samus stubbornly refuses Houston’s help but is in no position to stop him from cutting her loose and carrying her back to her ship. Chairman Keaton is concerned to learn of Samus’s abrupt departure, and that she’s not returning to headquarters, and supersedes Chief Hardy’s incompetence to investigate Zebes himself, only to be summarily apprehended by Ridley. Unfamiliar with the controls of Samus’s ship (despite it appearing exactly the same as his but with a different colour scheme…), Houston crash lands on the mysterious planet Nest, where they’re greeted by “Old Bird”, a wizened member of the bird-like Chozo race who created Samus’s power suit.

*Old Bird gives some insight into Samus’s tragic backstory and her drive to defeat the Space Pirates.*

As a sceptical Houston watches, Old Bird strips Samus of her power suit and places her in a restorative bubble, revealing that Samus as the “blood of a Chozo” and giving Houston a history lesson. Generations ago, the Chozo were an advanced and enlightened civilisation before the ferocious Space Pirates pillaged and plundered their world, leaving only ruins and the Chozo close to extinction. A passive race with no weapons, the Chozo were powerless to oppose the Space Pirates as they conquered Zebes and attacked a nearby Earth colony. This attack saw the colony left little more than smouldering wreckage and a lone survivor: baby Samus. The Chozo took Samus in and raised her, fostering her warrior instincts and infusing her with Chozo blood to give her their “natural powers” (…whatever they are). Trained in combat and battle strategy, Samus was gifted a power suit purposely build for her and moulded into the “protector of the galaxy”. As Samus’s suit is designed to protect her when she’s fully alert, Old Bird suggests that she may have been distracted by Houston when she was injured…or, more likely, the Metroid hatchling that Ridley abducted. Speaking of which, the hatchling is brought to the grotesque, semi-cybernetic Mother Brain on Tourian, who’s frustrated that the hatchling refuses to obey her commands since it sees Samus as its mother. Ridley offers a solution by bringing her the captive Chairman Keaton and Chief Hardy, suggesting they use them as bait to lure Samus into a trap and kill her in front of the hatchling, thus forcing it to acknowledge Mother Brain as its true matriarch. Despite Chairman Keaton pleading with Chief Hardy to get himself under control, the chief desperately cries for help, playing into Ridley’s ~~hands~~ ~~claws~~ talons as he amplifies Chief Hardy’s cries with a “psycho-amplifier”. Sure enough, Samus hears Chief Hardy’s torment and begs to be released to help, convincing Old Bird to utilise the “power bombs” to expediate her recovery.

*When Ridley flees and the hatchling is killed, Samus turns her rage* *on Mother Brain.*

Though hesitant due to the danger, Old Bird places a power bomb into Samus’s healing bubble so she can absorb its energy to heal herself. Following a spectacular explosion, Samus is fully restored and eagerly dons her repaired power suit, passing her everlasting gratitude to Old Bird. Before she leaves, Old Bird warns that the Space Pirates have started employing cloning techniques to expand their army and that Samus must stay focused to avoided by injured again. Ridley delights upon hearing that the renewed Samus and Houston are heading into his trap. When Ridley leaves to inform Mother Brain, Chairman Keaton lures a Space Pirate over with one of Chief Hardy’s sandwiches and dupes him into freeing him right as the alarms go off and Samus rips through the base, blasting and pummelling Space Pirates and other assorted aliens into goo and vapour. Concerned by Samus’s dramatic increase in power, Ridley opts for a tactical retreat, reasoning that Mother Brain can handle the bounty hunter. After ensuring Chairman Keaton and Chief Hardy are safe, Samus pursues the cowardly dragon and runs into Mother Brain’s glass capsule (which is noticeably less defended than in the game!) Though Samus makes short work of Mother Brain, she quickly rises again in her gigantic cybernetic body and is easily tossed aside. However, after seeing the hatchling has been mutated to gargantuan proportions and summarily gunned down by the unsuspecting Chief Hardy, Samus flies into a rage and destroys Mother Brain. This apparently causes a chain reaction that sees Tourian explode in spectacular fashion. Luckily, Samus and the others escape in time. Although Houston offers his condolences to Samus regarding the hatchling, she pointedly refuses to partner with him and returns to her adventures alone.

Final Thoughts:
This was a pretty decent read, all things considered. The art was especially eye-catching and did a great job of translating the box art, manual illustrations, and sprite art of the games into a manga-esque style. Samus particularly benefitted from this, portrayed as a bad-ass, hardened fighter who tears through her enemies when at full power and fully focused. I loved that the art would often show Samus’s true visage beneath her helmet and didn’t shy away from showing her as a sexy, but fully capable, woman who’s used to battling alone. Her ship and the likes of Ridley, Mother Brain, and the Space Pirates were all brought to life in colourful and gruesome detail, though there aren’t many recognisable environments from the source material. Well, I mean… they are here but the story doesn’t linger there for very long. It does a great job of adapting the iconic Super Metroid opening and translating the rainswept ruins of Zebes from the videogame, but Tourian just looks like any mechanical facility and no other planets or areas from the videogame are visited. Even iconic bosses like Crocmire and Kraid are missing, which is a shame, though the comic is obviously more focused on detailing some of Samus’s tragic backstory rather than focusing on action. Interestingly, the comic introduces a rival for Samus in Armstrong Houston, who wears less powerful armour and is more focused on profit than safeguarding the galaxy. While Houston denies this (and prioritises Samus’s health over his haul) and Samus is forced to rely on him when she’s hurt, there’s never a sense of who Houston really is or what’s really driving him. It’s hinted that he’s attracted to Samus (and, honestly, who could blame him?) and that he’s more honourable than she thinks, but he’s mostly just kind of there to give Samus someone to bark at and I’d wager the story would’ve worked just as well without him since it’s not like he has a meaningful character arc.

*A visually engaging comic that delves into Samus’s origin but skips a lot of the source material.*

Luckily, the story largely (and fittingly) focuses on Samus, who’s depicted as a loner who takes her job very seriously. Despite being a bounty hunter, Samus is more of a space hero, trained from an orphaned child to be the “protector of the galaxy” by a race with no interest in fighting and dispatching Space Pirates and Metroids without mercy. It’s thus surprising that she’s so attached to the Metroid hatchling, which distracts her focus and drives her into a vengeful rage, and a bit of a shame that the comic doesn’t delve deeper into her connection to the hatchling. We do get some insight into her past but, oddly, the comic doesn’t use this tragedy as a catalyst for Samus’s hatred of the Space Pirates. Indeed, her antagonism with Ridley is barely touched upon and they don’t even get a proper fight as Ridley flees when Samus storms Tourian, which was an odd choice considering Ridley abducted the Metroid hatchling. Samus’s rage is therefore completely focused on Mother Brain, who’s noticeable and disappointingly far weaker than in the videogame despite being just as ghastly. Samus isn’t obliterated by Mother Brain’s laser, doesn’t get a power-up from the hatchling’s sacrifice, and simply dispatches Moher Brain with her regular weaponry. Luckily, these battles are all rendered beautifully by Benimaru Itoh but I can’t help but be a little disappointed that the comic strays so far from the videogame narrative when there were so many interesting areas and iconic bosses that could’ve bolstered the narrative. Like, Samus could’ve at least battled Kraid while thinking about her tragic past, or gone all-out against Ridley, bouncing off walls and shredding his wings as revenge for killing her parents. Instead, what we’re left with is a visually appealing, heavily truncated story that spotlights some of Samus’s past, rejigs some of the lore, and essentially acts as a teaser for the videogame. This isn’t uncommon for comic adaptations of videogames but it fell a little flat for me as I guess I was just expecting a little more considering the potential of the story.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Nintendo Power’s adaptation of Super Metroid? Were you disappointed that it cut most of the bosses and environments from the game? Did you like the insight into Samus’s background? Were you a fan of Armstrong Houston and the depiction of Ridley? Did you diligently read and/or collect Nintendo Power back in the day? Which Metroid game is your favourite and what sci-fi videogames are you playing this month? Whatever your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to fund more Metroid content.

Screen Time [Sci-Fanuary]: The Vanishing Man (Pilot)

01/01/202624/10/2025Dr. KLeave a comment

Director: Roger Bamford

Air Date: 2 April 1997

Original Network: ITV

Quick Facts:
Potentially inspired by W. S. Gilbert’s “The Perils of Invisibility” and adapted into an iconic sci-fi classic in 1933, Herbert George Wells’s 1897 literary classic The Invisible Man spawned numerous quasi-sequels and spin-offs, sci-fi dramas, and big-budget remakes and reimaginings. Fresh off his success with loutish British comedy Men Behaving Badly (1992; 1994 to 1998), Neil Morrissey starred in a short-lived, strangely forgotten Invisible Man-inspired sci-fi drama series that began with this largely praised television pilot movie.

The Review:
The Vanishing Man isn’t quite a then-modern-day update of The Invisible Man in the sense that the plot and characters are very different, except for the presence of an invisible man and an enigmatic, masked figure. Rather than following an ambitious, egotistical scientist who subjects himself to a chemical procedure, this made-for-television movie follows womaniser Nick Cameron (Neil Morrissey), who works as a pilot alongside his brother, Joe (Mark Womack), who arranges the deliveries and acts as his radio man. After a particularly embarrassing morning where he forgets the name of his latest conquest (Elizabeth Jasicki), Nick hurries to Schiphol to collect a high value package that has Joe uncharacteristically on edge. Although the trip is expected to be extremely simple, Nick hits some bad weather and experiences technical issues brought about by a dodgy radio and his golf clubs interfering with his compass, sending him way off-course and causing him to land hours later. When he does touch down, however, Nick’s day goes from bad to worse as the cops arrest him for smuggling in plutonium! Although Joe flees, desperate to save his own hide, Nick refuses to name his brother and suffers the full wrath of the law when his explanations are dismissed as coincidences and contrivances. Branded a terrorist, Nick’s sentenced to twenty-five years in prison despite his protestations that he had no idea what he was carrying or what was going on. Nick’s thrown a lifeline when overworked and undervalued solicitor Alice Grant (Lucy Akhurst) is assigned to work on his appeal by her stuffy, condescending boss, Gordon Wells (William Chubb).

*After unwitting smuggler Nick is turned invisible, he turns to his sceptical solicitor for help.*

This leaves Alice frustrated as the appeal distracts her from her law firm’s biggest case, investigating an environmental disaster linked to bureaucrat Edward Lawrence (David Hemmings) and caused by harnium nitrate, a destructive chemical manufactured by Lawrence’s company, Solex. Still, Alice meets Nick and, though initially aggravated by his wild claims, she finds his defence has some legs, much to the bizarre objections of Gordon, who suddenly chastises her working on Nick’s appeal in favour of the Lawrence case! Nick’s also given something of a break when the prison warden, Forstater (Peter Eyre), selects him for a clinical trial into “sunburns” run by the Gyges (as in the “Ring of Gyges”) organisation. Though sceptical, Nick agrees, believing his compliance will help his case, and is driven to a far away manor, where he meets the amiable Ms. Jeffries (Barbara Flynn) and learns that Gyges hopes to reverse the harmful effects of UV radiation for the betterment of humankind. However, Nick’s resolve falters when he sees their bizarre medical equipment and is forcibly strapped to a machine and bathed in painful laser beams. Still, Nick returns to prison none the wiser and certainly unaware that the mysterious head of Gyges (Roger Brierley) has become antsy upon learning of Nick’s appeal. Thus, Ms. Jefferies orders Forstater to eliminate Nick, only for the warden and his bullish main guard (Stuart Clark) to be amazed when Nick suddenly disappears while taking a shower and subsequently escapes from prison. Alice is equally stunned when Nick appears, buck naked, in the back of her car, pleading for her help, fearing for his life, and babbling a crazy story about how the Gyges process turned him invisible! Although dubious, Alice reluctantly shelters Nick as he anxiously worries about fading away again and recounts as much of his experience as he can remember, sparking her curiosity when he mentions a canister stamped with “Hanoi” and leading her to discover he was subjected to Ha No.1, or harnium nitrate.

*When Alice is kidnapped, Nick and Joe hatch a daring plan to rescue her.*

Realising he’s endangering Alice, Nick tries to fly to safety using his brother’s plane, only to suddenly turn invisible and flee to his flat. When Gordon unexpectedly shows up at Alice’s apartment and talks down to her, she’s amazed when he suffers a couple of pratfalls and is sent packing, before realising Gordon was upset by the invisible Nick. Now fully onboard, Alice shares her discovery of a link between Gyges and Solex and helps track down Nick’s worthless brother for help. Joe’s also incredulous about Nick’s story but agrees to help them break into Lawrence’s office out of guilt for setting up and abandoning his brother, placing a threatening call that gives Nick access to Lawrence’s computer and allows him to e-mail evidence of Solex’s wrongdoings to Alice. However, when Alice confronts Lawrence about this, she’s suddenly met by Ms. Jefferies, who kills Lawrence with an invisible gun and takes Alice hostage, threatening her life if Nick doesn’t hand himself over. Believing Nick has been made permanently invisible thanks to the unique radiation he was exposed to from the plutonium, Gyges are desperate to experiment on him to unlock the secret of invisibility as every experiment they’ve run on living tissue has resulted in failure. While stressing over how to rescue Alice and resolve the situation, Nick and Joe realise that water causes Nick’s invisibility and hatch a brave, if bonkers, plan to have Joe masquerade as Nick under layers of clothing and threaten Ms. Jefferies with a fake grenade, all while the invisible Nick hitches a ride to the Gyges facility. Amazingly, Nick stays invisible for the whole drive and therefore rescues Alice, only to fade back in at a crucial moment. Thankfully, Gyges were so caught off-guard by the plan that Nick, Alice, and Joe escape, with Nick acquiring a special suit and even stealing a motorcycle which also turn invisible when exposed to water.

Final Thoughts:
Neil Morrissey was pretty popular around this time, having found fame as bungling no-hoper Tony Smart in Men Behaving Badly. Some of that role seeps into his performance here as, while Nick has at least two women on the go at the start and constantly tries to charm women, Nick is somewhat incompetent and easily distracted. Though a capable pilot, Nick’s more focused on his golfing (though we never see him playing…) and chatting up women, and therefore pleads ignorance when he’s arrested for smuggling plutonium. Sticking to his story, Nick’s let down by the system as his only defence is ignorance and tall tales about magnets and misdialled numbers. Still, there’s enough extra meat to this role for Morrissey to play with as Nick is genuinely horrified when he suddenly melts into nothingness in the shower and when he realises that Gyges wants him dead because he knows too much. Returning to visibility brings Nick little comfort as he’s left paranoia about those hunting him and when he’ll next turn invisible, not realising until the final act that water triggers the transformation and thus left anxious about suddenly fading away. Although Alice is naturally sceptical, she’s clearly intrigued by Nick, a man beset by bad luck whose claims end up having some validity. Though enraged at Nick endangering her life and her career, Alice jumps in with him to bring down Lawrence, a slippery devil whose chemicals pollute the environment, and is shown to be a very capable and forthright individual even when men are constantly condescending to her. Joe is primarily here as comic relief and to show the extreme other side to Nick as Joe is a coward and a swindler who constantly runs from responsibility, only to become crucial to Nick’s rescue operation in the end and even put his life at risk to save his brother, despite the two constantly bickering like children.

*Some impressive visual effects help this ambitious, if sadly forgotten, show stand out.*

The Vanishing Man was quite an ambitious production back in the day and I can’t imagine it was cheap to produce, which makes the subsequent series even more impressive. While traditional techniques like first-person shots, the absence of actors, and wires are employed for many scenes, there’s a fair bit of CGI employed to depict Nick’s invisibility. We see his flesh erased by nothingness, his aghast expression as his hands fade away, and see him semi-translucent when the transformation’s in its infancy, which is all very impressive and arguably up there with some feature film effects. It helps that these effects are used sparingly, and many appear to be simple green screen and shot replacement techniques, and this allows for a fun final shot in which Nick and his motorcycle vanish and leave Alice screaming her head off as she blasts through the countryside! While Nick would eventually succumb to madness from his condition (spoilers…), he’s a far cry from the traditional maniacal Invisible Man. Nick’s initially terrified of his condition but soon embraces it and uses it for good, grappling with armed goons and overcoming the odds with his unique abilities. These make him a clear target for Gyges, who are desperate to figure out what makes Nick so different that he can maintain the invisibility. The head is especially driven to discover this as he’s been left horrifically scarred and injured from the process, seemingly rendered a semi-transparent skeleton beneath his decidedly Claude Rains-esque mask and outfit. The ending with Chief Inspector Moreau (James Laurenson) hinting at further adventures for Nick clearly sets up the following series, which sadly remains as widely unavailable as this TV pilot, which I still remember fondly and regard as one of the better Invisible Man stories that’s made even better by making the most of its surely modest television budget.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you ever watch The Vanishing Man back in the day? Were you impressed by the special effects? What did you think of Neil Morrissey’s performance and did you like Nick’s characterisation? Would you like to see the full series get a re-release? What are some of your favourite Invisible Man stories and media? Feel free to share any memories of The Vanishing Man in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other sci-fi shows for me to cover.

Mini Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Body Harvest (Nintendo 64)

31/01/202531/01/2025Dr. KLeave a comment

January sees the celebration of two notable dates in science-fiction history, with January 2 christened “National Science Fiction Day” to coincide with the birth date of the world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and HAL 9000, the sophisticated artificial intelligence of Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), being created on 12 January. Accordingly, I dedicated all of January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Released: 30 September 1998
Developer: DMA Design

A Brief Background:
Developed by DMA Design, the team behind classics such as Lemmings (1991) and the original Grand Theft Auto (1997) and who would go on to be rebranded to Rockstar North to spearhead the subsequent Grand Theft Auto franchise, Body Harvest had a tumultuous development history. An early example of open-world gameplay, Body Harvest was initially planned as a launch title for the Nintendo 64. Unfortunately, the complex nature of the ambitious gameplay mechanics prevented that. Language barriers also caused issues for the Dundee-based team, who drew inspiration from B-movies and sci-fi classics when conceiving the time travel plot. Nintendo of Japan had many notes regarding this, wishing the narrative to be simplified, and the initial idea to incorporate role-playing mechanics was ditched in favour of a more mission-based structure. While Body Harvest received only average reviews, it’s been praised as a hidden gem for the console thanks to its many gameplay mechanics and replay value.

First Impressions:
Body Harvest is one of the Nintendo 64’s more obscure and ambitious titles, primarily because it takes place in a very large (if, often, very empty) open world and affords you a great deal of freedom regarding exploration. As related through the open text and cutscene, you take control of genetically engineered soldier Adam Drake, who battles bug-like aliens who routinely return to Earth to harvest humans. With the aid of a time machine, Adam (and therefore the player) visits various historical locations over a 100-year period before confronting the enemy head-on on their artificially created comet. Body Harvest is a 3D, third-person shooter with puzzle solving elements and vehicular sections, and a lot of back and forth between locations sprinkled in as aliens teleport in and attack the area. Players can interact with their environment (open doors, pull levers, talk to non-playable characters (NPCs), check drawers and chests for goodies, light candles, etc) with A, fire their current weapon with Z, and hold the Right trigger to enter a targeting mode to better blasts alien bugs. While shooting in this mode, you can press C-Left or C-Right to dodge roll out of harm’s way or press C-Down for a complete turnaround. You can switch weapons by pressing up and down on the directional pad, take calls from Daisy (who alerts you to alien attacks and objectives), and view a larger (though surprisingly unhelpful) map from the pause menu. A mini map is also present but, while it shows you vehicles and enemies, it’s not the best at pointing you in the right direction so you’ll be doing a lot of jumping between active gameplay and the pause map to make sure you’re going in the right direction. Adam can swim, but not for long, and can replenish his health, ammo, and fuel by grabbing pick-ups dropped by enemies or found in people’s houses

*Blast alien scum in this fun, but clunky and incredibly challenging, obscure N64 title.*

Adam starts the game with his default pistol (which has infinite ammo), but you can also grab a machine gun, shotgun, rocket launcher, and TNT for blowing up boulders blocking your way. Each level hides three Weapons Crystals and three Alien Artifacts; finding the crystals grants you a unique, powerful alien weapon and finding the artifacts allows you to replay the boss battle. You’ll also make use of the Sun Shield, another infinite ammo weapon that burns up bugs and lights torches, and hop in various vehicles with C-Down. Each vehicle handles differently, with trucks chugging along, motorcycles blasting away at breakneck speed, and tanks crashing through gates and trees. Most vehicles see you switching to the machine gun by default but tanks fire an infinite gatling gun or mortar cannon, though you must keep an eye on your fuel and vehicle health. You can also jump in fire engines to extinguish fires and, eventually, pilot various planes and even the all-powerful Alpha Tank. A degree of auto aim helps with the shooting sections, which are where Body Harvest shines. It can be hectic attacking bugs as they’ll attack buildings and eat or capture NPCs, forcing you to quickly take them out to add to your high score and keep from failing because the environment has been too badly damaged. Each stage is broken up into at least three sections, separated by a boss battle (against an alien “Processor”) and a shield wall. The only way you can save the game is by defeating these bosses, meaning you can lose a lot of progression very quickly if you don’t stay healthy. Adam (and the game’s vehicles) can be a bit clunky to control, moving very slowly and utilising “tank” controls. He’s also quite fragile, falling down dead from sustained attacks and even drowning if you stay in water for too long, with no lives, checkpoints, or respawn points to help you if you make a mistake.

*Solve puzzles, save NPCs, and blow up large alien Processors to progress.*

I played Body Harvest as a kid and loved it. Something about the graphics, as blocky and simple as they are, and the bug-blasting action really stuck with me, even though the game was always difficult. You get two difficulty settings (“Hero” and “Zero”), though the game cannot be completed on “Zero” and is pretty unforgiving at times no matter which one you pick. Adam is a big, lumbering target, vehicles struggle to turn and get up hills, and ammo isn’t exactly plentiful. There are some puzzles to deal with, too, like searching for keys or pulling levers to lower bridges. As long as you enter every building and chat with NPCs, you should figure these out but Daisy’s not much help at delivering specifics so an online guide is recommended. There are also some handy-dandy cheats to help you out; by naming one of your three save files ICHEAT, you can activate these with in-game button presses. These grant you all weapons, stronger firepower, weaken bosses, turn Adam into his dark doppelgänger, and even make him dance. Sadly, while you can fully replenish Adam’s health, there’s no invincibility, which really handicaps my ability to overcome Body Harvest’s immense difficulty curve. It’s not even really the difficulty; it’s the lack of check- and save points that really cuts the legs out from the game. Thus, unfortunately, I couldn’t even clear the first stage, which takes place in Greece in the 1900s. It didn’t help that the game’s thick with fog and slowdown, but I gave up shortly after beating the first Processor. Just getting to this had me wandering around the ruin-strewn valleys looking for a key to the military hanger, putting out fires, and being crushed by alien mechs. These all explode in a spectacular splatter of alien gore, which is very satisfying, but it’s not very fun when you’re at full health and then get clobbered down to nothing. I blew open the boulder, jumped in the Panzer tank, and defended the monastery and village from attacks, but got screwed by the mortar-firing Humber and died shortly after exploring an underground passage.

My Progression:
I was determined to beat Body Harvest on at least the “Zero” setting but failed miserably. It’s just a very tough, obtuse, and clunky game. The map seems very big from the map screen, but the environments are quite small, which is actually helpful as you’ll be doing a lot of backtracking and exploring. Looking ahead on the Greece stage, it seems you eventually get a crash course in aviation, have your first run-in with Adam’s alien twin, and take control of a boat to reach new areas. I was screwing about trying to find a boat when I died on my last attempt, so I don’t think I was too far from the second Processor but my motivation for trying dwindled after this death. If the game employed a lives system, these issues would be immediately circumvented. Indeed, it’s very unusual to play a Nintendo 64 game that doesn’t have a lives system and it unfortunately makes Body Harvest unnecessarily difficult and inaccessible. You can use the ICHEAT and refill health code to help, but it’s not going to do you much good if the “human” damage bar fills up or you get caught in a crossfire, ending your run and forcing you to restart from the last save point (or, worse yet, the level’s start!)

*Unfortunately, the game’s too difficult for me to experience the later stages and bosses.*

It’s a shame as there are some unique and fun looking stages later in the game. Players travel to the swamp-like Java, an American city, hop in a Scud missile launcher in frigid Siberia, and blast around the alien’s home comet in the all-powerful Alpha Tank. There, if you survive the onslaught of aliens and their projectiles, you’ll confront their mastermind, a brain in a jar, and Adam’s doppelgänger, who apparently transforms into a monstrous form. You’ll pilot a gun boat, test drive an experimental submarine, and commandeer a UFO to track down and destroy Black Adam’s (not that one) doomsday devices. It all sounds, and looks, very thrilling and I wish I could’ve experienced it with some kind of level skip or invincibility cheat, or if the game were a little more forgiving or had a lives system. Honestly, your best bet is to get a Gameshark or similar cheat device as Body Harvest is one of the toughest games ever, never mind on the Nintendo 64. It’s insane to me, honestly, that the game is so punishing. By the time Body Harvest came out, regular save points were well established on the system, either using the cartridge or a Memory Pak. There’s no excuse for not allowing manual saves or dropping in more save points to help players out but, again, simply having a lives system would’ve been enough. Start Adam with three lives and have him pick himself up or respawn after a life’s lost, then hide lives in buildings or behind score points. Instead, I’d wager very few players managed to get past Greece and, even then, were probably stunned to find the game ended prematurely on the “Zero” difficulty.

Body Harvest is at its best when you’re blasting aliens or driving around and blasting aliens. The on-foot sections and puzzles are clunky and boring, the environments don’t lend themselves to exploration, and the visuals are subpar considering some of the titles that were available at the same time. I’d love to see more of it but it’s too frustrating to keep me motivated to try so, sadly, it goes back on the shelf as a piece of nostalgia that I cannot crack. The alien bugs look great, as do the vehicles, but buildings and character models are very basic, blocky, and forgettable. Even Adam doesn’t impress with his plodding orange armour and inability to jump or control well. The sheer amount of wandering about, pulling levers and exploring, probably explains why the alien processor isn’t much of a fight, especially in the thick-hide of the Panzer tank. It just sits there, firing energy bolts, and blows apart after a few hits. If you collect the level’s unique alien weapon, these battles are apparently even easier, though I don’t think you can access the weapon in the first area alone. But perhaps you had better luck. Maybe you easily blasted through the levels despite the lack of save points. Perhaps you easily assembled the Weapons Crystals and took out Black Adam. If so, I’d love for you to tell me how in the comments.

Movie Night [Sci-Fanuary]: The Transformers: The Movie

30/01/202506/12/2024Dr. KLeave a comment

Released: 8 August 1986
Director: Nelson Shin
Distributor: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Budget: $5 to 6 million
Stars: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Orson Welles, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack, and Corey Burton

The Plot:
The Autobot/Decepticon war escalates when Megatron (Welker) kills the heroic Optimus Prime (Welker). When Megatron is empowered by the planet-sized Unicron (Welles), young Transformer Hot Rod (Nelson) must embrace his destiny as the Autobot’s new leader.

The Background:
In 1983, representatives from Hasbro were sent to the Tokyo Toy Show to find toys they could import to North America. While there, they spotted manufacturer Takara’s range of transforming robots and bought the rights to produce the toys under a single brand. Hasbro already had a partnership with Marvel Comics and thus turned to then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and Bob Budiansky to flesh out the overall story and character names for their new toy line. The premise centred on a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, with both factions being “More Than Meets the Eye” and capable of transforming into different forms. The toys were a big hit due in no small part to Hasbro accompanying them with an animated series that effectively doubled as a dedicated advertisement for their products. The Transformers (1984 to 1987) was a phenomenon for an entire generation and Hasbro sought to further capitalise, and advertise their new range of Transformers toys, with a feature-length animated movie. Despite the protestations of screenwriter Ron Friedman, Hasbro were determined to kill off the heroic Optimus Prime and many of the original characters to make way for a new crop of products, traumatising many impressionable youths and leading to a speedy revival. The production was supervised by Toei Animation vice president Kozo Morishita, granted a far greater budget to the television show, and was the final cinematic performance of the legendary Orson Welles, who was famously outspoken about the role. Released alongside a summer of blockbusters, The Transformers: The Movie was far from a box office hit and reviews were largely negative. Several reviews criticised the film for being a glorified, nonsensical toy commercial determined to bombard children with new products, though franchise fans loved the film and its intended audience ensured it became an endearing cult classic. While the movie’s poor box office meant a sequel never materialised, the cartoon and toys continued regardless and the franchise returned to cinemas about twenty years later for the first of many big-budget, live-action releases.

The Review:
I think it’s important to note that I don’t have much nostalgia for The Transformers. The original series ended shortly after I was born, and I don’t recall re-runs airing when I was a kid. I did have a VHS tape of a few episodes, though, and some of the toys (both official ones and knock-off ones), but I’m certainly not a die-hard fan. Yet, even I knew the awesome theme tune, the ridiculousness of the concept, and the death of Optimus Prime. Not necessarily when I was a kid, but certainly as I got older, especially as Transformers is one of those franchises that just keeps truckin’ along. Anyway, all this is to say that I’m hardly a Transformers expert; I barely know who’s who and I have only a basic grasp of the continuity and lore. Still, all I need to know heading into The Transformers: The Movie (because I guess The Transformers Movie would’ve made too much sense as a title?) is that the battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons raged for some time. Unlike in Michael Bay’s later movies, The Movie largely takes place in space and on alien worlds but the Autobots have established a city on Earth (in the far-off year of 2005, no less) and on our Moon. They’re regularly aided by human allies like Spike Witwicky (Burton) and his young son, Daniel (David Mendenhall), who repair and maintain both Autobots and their weapons while fighting alongside them in transforming mech suits. A helpful narrator (Victor Caroli) provides an overview of the plot, though you’re honestly better off listening to the lyrics of Lion’s hard rock remix of the Transformers theme song as it tells you everything you need to know. Led by the maniacal Megatron, the Decepticons have conquered the Transformer home world, Cybertron, and forced the rag-tag Autobots (led by Optimus Prime) to Earth and hidden bases on Cybertron’s moons. There, Optimus plots to pick up a shipment of Energon from Earth to power a counterattack in a desperate bid to retake their home, unaware that Megatron’s spy, Laserbeak, is reporting to its master via Soundwave (Welker).

*Megatron’s attack leaves the Autobots devastated and him transformed by Unicron.*

Thus, Megatron leads his long-suffering lieutenant, Starscream (Chris Latta), and his forces in intercepting the Autobot shuttle, massacring Ironhide (Cullen) and his crew and callously stepping over their smouldering remains to slip into Autobot City. Luckily, Hot Rod and Daniel spot the shuttle and notice the damage. Hot Rod lives up to his name and opens fire, confusing his war weary mentor, Kup (Lionel Stander), but scuppering the Decepticon’s…well, deception…and putting Autobot City on high alert. Despite the best efforts of Ultra Magnus (Stack) and Arcee (Susan Blu), the city takes heavy damage and many Autobots are killed before the city can be transformed into its defensive mode. Blaster (Buster Jones) sends a distress call and Optimus Prime makes haste to Earth and quickly turns the tide of the battle, engaging his hated rival in a one-on-one fight. Though evenly matched, Optimus isn’t prepared for Megatron’s aggressive and driven demeanour and suffers mortal injuries in the fight, largely thanks to Hot Rod unwittingly spoiling Optimus’s kill shot on Megatron. However, Megatron is equally injured and left to die by Starscream; though the loyal Soundwave spirits him to Astrotrain (Jack Angel). In the aftermath, with Autobot City badly damaged, Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod, Daniel, and the others watch helplessly as Optimus tragically dies. Before he passes, Optimus passes the “Matrix of Leadership” to a reluctant Ultra Magnus, who vows to lead the Autobots until a more suitable leader rises. Optimus prophesises that this will happen during the Autobots’ “darkest hour” and then dies, leaving a generation of children heartbroken. As for Megatron, he and his loyalists are unceremoniously tossed into space by Starscream and left to die, only to encounter Unicron, a planet-sized Transformer. Unicron offers to empower Megatron and his minions in exchange for their unfaltering servitude and for destroying the Matrix of Leadership, the one thing that threatens Unicron’s quest to conquer and consume worlds. Though livid at being a pawn to even a being as mighty as Unicron, Megatron quickly accepts and is reconfigured into the far more imposing Galvatron (Nimoy). No longer requiring a minion to fire him, Galvatron heads to Cybertron and executes Starscream with his new cannon form, reclaiming his position and heads back to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus.

*As the Autobots scramble to counterattack, Hot Rod gets an odd side quest.*

The Autobots flee in two shuttles; one leaves Hot Rod, Kup, and the Dinobots stranded on Quintessa and the other sees Ultra Magnus fake his death by separating the ship and eventually landing on Junkion. Thus, the story diverges somewhat, with Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Daniel, and the others trying to repair their ship and fending off Wreck-Gar (Eric Idle) and his oddball Junkions and Hot Rod and Kup struggling against Quintessa’s hostile natives. All too soon, the two are separated from the Dinobots, captured by Allicons, and brought before the multi-headed Quintessons (Regis Cordic and Roger C. Carmel). Tried in a kangaroo court, they are sentenced to death but, just as he defied the judge’s authority, Hot Rod valiantly fights back against the Sharkticons. Luckily, they’re saved by the Dinobots after their leader, the child-like Grimlock (Gregg Berger), is led there by their new ally, the rhyme-speaking Wheelie (Welker). Although they successfully turn the Allicons and Sharkticons against their masters and reunite with Ultra Magnus and the others, and even make peace with the Junkions by using the “universal greeting” and offering Energon, their celebration is short lived when they arrive on Junkion to find Ultra Magnus blown to pieces by Galvatron and the Matrix of Leadership stolen. Luckily, the Junkions reassemble Ultra Magnus and even provide them with a ship to pursue Galvatron back to Cybertron, a suicidal prospect against Unicron’s awesome power and yet Hot Rod remains determined to confront the planet-devoured and his bloodthirsty minions. Hot Rod is just one of many supporting characters here but it’s obvious that he’s being given the limelight. He’s characterised as a somewhat reckless and impulsive Autobot who often acts without thinking and lacks the seasoning of his mentor. In contrast, Ultra Magnus is the definitive soldier; loyal, determined, and steadfast. And yet he hesitates when Optimus passes him the Matrix of Leadership and his inability to open it almost costs him his life.

*Galvatron’s bloodlust pales in comparison to Unicron’s looming threat.*

Megatron is more driven than ever here. He strikes without mercy, gunning down countless Autobots and ransacking their city to kill his hated rival, even if risking his own body and life. Though victorious, Megatron sustains heavy damage and is predictably betrayed by his allies, who descend into in-fighting without his leadership. Stubborn and proud, Megatron initially refuses to kneel to Unicron but acquiesces since he fears death more. As Galvatron, his determination is only increased with his added abilities and newly christened lieutenants, but his mission to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix is fraught with “exaggerations” as he’s quick to claim victory without confirming his kills. Galvatron is thus constantly reprimanded by Unicron whenever he gets ahead of himself or dares to think of defying the planetoid robot. Unicron makes an immediate impression since he opens the movie by devouring Lithone in a truly unsettling sequence of death and destruction. Wandering the void like a force of nature, Unicron seeks only to devour planets to sustain himself, seemingly nonplussed by the lives he snuffs out in the process. The vast, enigmatic Unicron clashes with Megatron by demanding his servitude but only angers his subordinate more by devouring two of Cybertron’s moons and constantly inflicting pain upon him when his pride gets out of control. It’s interesting that Unicron even bothers creating minions since he could conceivably devour Cybertron and Earth and snuff out any resistance. Of course, then the movie wouldn’t happen and it’s better to not leave such things to chance as the finale shows that, for all his incredible size and power, Unicron is surprisingly vulnerable. The Transformers: The Movie was also, I believe, the introduction of the Quintessons, horrific tentacled, malicious robots with three heads and a sadistic streak who delight in dropping “innocent” prisoners to the Sharkticons. They’re a minor sub-plot here, something for Hot Rod to rally against, but are visually more interesting and disturbing than the Junkions, who are as annoying as Wheelie and Blur (John Moschitta) and speak only in television soundbites, a trait I more associate with Bumblebee (Dan Gilvezan), who’s barely featured.

The Nitty-Gritty:
The first thing to note about The Transformers: The Movie is how gorgeous the animation is. The film is brought to life by a detailed and intricate anime aesthetic that really makes every scene pop since you can feel the effort that went into every little detail. Sure, it’s weird that Optimus Prime spawns a trailer truck out of nowhere when he transforms and some transformation effects defy all known physics, but you have to forget about that when watching Transformers. The titular Robots in Disguise have never looked better, and their deaths are depicted in unsettling detail. Chest plates have laser holes blown through them, body parts go flying, and your favourite characters and toys are literally blasted to smithereens in incredibly detailed battle sequences bolstered by explosions, tearing metal, and, of course, a rocking soundtrack. Almost every scene is accompanied by some kind of music, be it Vince DiCola’s suitably dramatic score (Unicron’s theme is the perfect balance of awe and dread) or a power ballads. There’s the aforementioned Transformers theme by Lion, easily the best and most infectious version of the song, and songs by Kick Axe, Stan Bush, and, most bizarrely, “Weird Al” Yankovic. “Dare to be Stupid” plays after Hot Rod makes peace with the Junkions and is as surreal as the weird and annoying Junkions. Stan Bush’s “Dare” and “The Touch” make up for this, even if these power ballads somewhat undercut the death and destruction happening onscreen. The Transformers: The Movie is a very loud and chaotic affair; characters are always yelling and moving, and the pacing is a mile a minute, which is somewhat overwhelming. It’s difficult to keep track of who’s dead and alive at times (I legitimately thought Spike was dead at one point) and the movie never really stops to take a breath (except for when Optimus dies). I do like how it focuses entirely on the robotic characters, though; Spike and Daniel are merely supporting characters, which is exactly how it should be. The Transformers: The Movie is also surprisingly dark; there’s a lot of gruesome deaths, constant peril, and much destruction. Spike even drops a “Shit” at one point, which I’m sure had a few mothers clutching their pearls as Little Jimmy was bawling over Optimus Prime.

*The massacre of your favourite characters has never looked better thanks to some slick animation.*

Speaking of whom, let’s discuss this tragic and life-changing moment. The battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron is a brutal, no-holds-barred affair that sees the two mortally wounded within a few blows. Surprisingly, Optimus Prime is often taking the brunt of the assault and, though he eventually turns the tide, he seems half dead when he moves to execute his rival, who predictably falls back on deception to finish his foe. Although the Junkions and Hot Rod simply piece Ultra Magnus and Kup back together, Optimus Prime is damaged beyond repair and delivers a stirring speech to his comrades before passing, his body dramatically turning grey. It’s true that the film meanders without Optimus Prime’s charisma and visual appeal to fall back on, but his death certainly raises the stakes. The Autobots are almost completely wiped out by Megatron’s attack and constantly on the run, forced to fake their deaths to catch a break and suffering many losses, with Galvatron delighting in blasting Ultra Magnus to pieces and Daniel being concerned that his father has suffered the same fate. Thanks to Unicron’s glow-up, the Decepticons easily overpower the Autobots and force them to flee into new dangers. While the Dinobots offer some much needed power, their childish demeanours hold them back just as Hot Rod’s inexperience leads him to make erratic decisions. To be fair, neither Ultra Magnus nor Kup’s years of experience really help all that much since their so incredibly outnumbered here. The Quintesson sub-plot is a bit of an odd diversion, though. I think it would’ve been better for Hot Rod and the others to somehow crash on Unicron and discover the Quintessons there, then they could regroup with the other Autobots in the finale. Still, the devastation brought to your favourite toys is almost laughable at times: characters are gunned down and tossed aside mercilessly to put the spotlight on Hot Rod and the others. It’s an interesting tactic considering Megatron and his loyalists are physically transformed without being callously killed, but it makes for a startling example of how violent this world can be when the creators take their gloves off.

*Ultimately, Hot Rod claims the Matrix and ends Unicron’s threat with surprising ease.*

Casting an ominous shadow over everything is Unicron, a looming, unknowable figure about whom we learn nothing except he desires destruction and to continue on this path without resistance. Although he’s not seen all that much during the first two acts, Unicron remains ever present in his constant reprimanding of Galvatron and brief cutaways of him making demands or devouring worlds. Sick of being brought to heel like a dog, Galvatron captures the Matrix of Leadership and turns it against his planet-sized master. However, like Ultra Magnus, Galvatron cannot open the Matrix and is simply devoured by Unicron, who then transforms into a gigantic robot akin to a God and attacks Cybertron. Although the Decepticons are powerless against such a threat, the Autobots have better luck. The Junkions’ modifications to their craft allow them to largely survive Unicron’s plasma breath and crash through his eye to explore his insides. There, Hot Rod encounters Galvatron, who surprisingly suggests they team up against their common foe. Living up to his namesake and fuelled by the need to avenge Optimus Prime, Hot Rod naturally refuses and a fight ensues. Though outmatched, Hot Rod finds himself forever changed when he reclaims the Matrix of Leadership and hears Optimus Prime’s stirring endorsement. Empowered, adopting a sterner demeanour, the rechristened Rodimus Prime overpowers Galvatron and tosses him out into the void. Rodimus then successfully opens the Matrix (he had “the touch” after all), which destroys Unicron in an impressive, if somewhat anti-climatic, end. Unicron’s severed head is left orbiting Cybertron, which is somehow reclaimed by the Autobots (I guess Unicron’s attack killed or drove off the Decepticons?), with many of their allies revealed to have survived previous attacks. Rodimus Prime then delivers his own inspiring speech proclaiming a new era of peace and prosperity and the movie just ends, the momentum and kinetic action screeching to an abrupt end where all obstacles are overcome with ridiculous ease.

The Summary:
This was only my second, maybe third, time watching The Transformers: The Movie. As I said, I didn’t grow up as a big Transformers fan and my experiences with the live-action films have largely soured me on the franchise, but the original cartoon and this feature-length release have always appealed to me. I’ve watched from the sidelines as others have talked about the merciless offing of beloved characters and the death of Optimus Prime, an event that still hits hard even though he was later resurrected. The balls of this movie are to be commended; it’s not often you see beloved children’s characters blown to pieces by a cackling villain and, credit where it’s due, the movie excels because of this. The stakes are incredibly high here; it feels as though no one is safe, not even the newer characters, because Megatron is more crazed than ever and Unicron is always lurking in the background. Leonard Nimoy shines as the sadistic Galvatron, showing a side of himself I’ve never seen before, and the ominous, gravelly voice of Orson Welles adds a gravitas to Unicron that’s truly bone-chilling. The voice acting is top notch, to be honest; even the more annoying characters exude a lot of personality, which is only matched by the impressive and painstakingly detailed animation. Unfortunately, The Transformers: The Movie meanders in the middle; I didn’t really connect with Hot Rod or care about his Quintesson side plot, which largely felt like padding. There are a few holes here, too, like Unicron being both ridiculously powerful and surprisingly vulnerable and him relying on minions when he could just eat anything in his path. The film’s also a visual frenzy at times; I felt assaulted by colours, movement, and music and it was difficult keeping track of what was happening at times. In this regard, I think the film would’ve fared better if it had scaled down the cast but then they wouldn’t be able to sell all those toys, would they? It’s still better than any of Michael Bay’s movies but I still struggle to be that invested in the narrative, characters, and concept. It’s a bleak and stirring rollercoaster of a ride, for sure, but maybe it needed a little fine tuning and a lot less corporate greed to deliver a complete package.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Is The Transformers: The Movie a pivotal event from your childhood? How did you react when Megatron gunned down all those Autobots and Optimus Prime shockingly died? What did you think to Megatron’s glow-up and his new abilities as Galvatron? Do you agree that the Quintesson side plot dragged a bit? What did you think to Unicron, and do you think he should’ve been depicted as a more awesome and powerful force? Were you happy to see Hot Rod become the new Prime or do you think Ultra Magnus, or someone else, was a better fit? What are some of your favourite Transformers episodes and how are you celebrating sci-fi this month? Share your memories of The Transformers: The Movie down in the comments and go check out my other sci-fi content.

Movie Night [Sci-Fanuary]: Edge of Tomorrow

28/01/202501/12/2024Dr. KLeave a comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history, “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 and Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000’s birthday on January 12. Accordingly, I’m dedicating January to celebrating sci-fi with an event I call “Sci-Fanuary”.

Released: 6 June 2014
Director: Doug Liman
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $178 million
Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Noah Taylor, and Brendan Gleeson

The Plot:
When public affairs officer Major William Cage (Cruise) unexpectedly gains the ability to reset time after his death in battle against the aggressive alien “Mimics”, he teams up with the heroic Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Blunt) to defeat the invaders.

The Background:
In 2004, Hiroshi Sakurazaka and Yoshitoshi Abe collaborated on the spectacularly named “light novel” All You Need Is Kill, the story of soldier Keiji Kiriya, who’s caught in a time loop that allows him to improve his fighting skills against invading aliens. Nominated for the 2005 Seiun Awards, All You Need Is Kill caught the attention of producer Erwin Stoff, who optioned the rights to create a live-action adaptation. Despite being intimidated by the source material, writer Dante Harper produced a screenplay that was listed as one of the best unproduced works doing the rounds. After Brad Pitt declined the lead role, Tom Cruise joined the project, and the script underwent additional rewrites after he and Emily Blunt were cast, with writer Christopher McQuarrie and director Doug Liman struggling to produce a satisfactory ending. The cast and crew spent an unexpected three months filming the complex, action-heavy beach assault on a large soundstage surrounded by green screens. The UDF exosuits were designed by Oliver Scholl, Pierre Bohanna, and Kate Hawley and modelled after real-world exoskeletons and built as largely practical suits that bruised and battered the stars. In contrast, the Mimics were digital creatures courtesy of Sony Pictures Imageworks; the designers worked hard to make them an otherworldly mess of dangerous tentacles that had a tangible reality to their otherwise fantastical appearance. Despite a worldwide box office of just over $370 million and largely positive reviews that praised the direction and execution, and the time loop twist, Liman and Warner Bros. were left so disappointed by the film’s reception that they pushed to re-brand the film to the clever tag line, “Live. Die. Repeat”. Indeed, while some found the film tedious and strangely limited in its scope, Edge of Tomorrow is widely branded as an under-rated sci-fi romp. Though talks of a sequel have done the rounds since its release, it seems we’re more likely to get a TV spin-off than a direct follow-up any time soon.

The Review:
So, two caveats before we get into this film: one, I’ve never read All You Need Is Kill (though my fondness for this movie makes me want to sit down with it some day) and two…I absolutely cannot stand Tom Cruise. I don’t care how many of his own stunts he does or about his weird personal life; I’ve just never bought into him as an actor and find his characters very bland and unlikeable. Thankfully, Cage is written to be pretty unlikeable. A smarmy, confident, well-dressed spokesperson, he’s effectively become the face of the UDF’s counterattack against the Mimics, frequently appearing on television and in interviews to encourage viewers to join the military, hyping up the combat prowess of the armoured exosuits worn by their soldiers, and painting Vrataski (the so-called “Angel of Verdun”) as a heroic symbol. In Edge of Tomorrow, humanity was completely caught off-guard when a seemingly innocent meteor landed in Germany, only to spew out a legion of weird, tentacle-like aliens that swiftly overtook most of continental Europe. Because of their uncanny ability to seemingly anticipate their enemy’s actions, the aliens are dubbed “Mimics” (an odd name considering they don’t physically or strategically mimic anything about us) and, in the space of just five years, were seemingly set to destroy all human life. That was, until, the Battle of Verdun, where Vrataski scored a major victory, one which galvanised humanity to push towards total victory. Unfortunately for many of their troops, the UDF still employ trench warfare, literally dropping their soldiers into enemy territory and leading to mass slaughter in most cases, keeping humanity on the razor’s edge of extinction.

*The time loop and brutal training transform the once-cowardly Cage into a battle-hardened soldier.*

This, as much as anything else, is why Cage would rather be anywhere else but on the front line. A former advertising guru, he adapted his skills to promoting the war effort, receiving a complimentary military rank, and has successfully hidden his abject cowardice and combat inexperience behind his silver tongue. However, when he’s called to meet with grizzled veteran General Brigham (Gleeson), Cage is aghast to learn he’s been ordered to join the next push into Europe as a war correspondent. Desperate to avoid the danger, death, and bloodshed, he begs, bargains, and eventually tries to blackmail his way out of the assignment, only to be arrested, stripped of his rank, and branded a deserter (“Rail-roaded”, as he calls it) and dumped into the judgemental and unsympathetic care of Master Sergeant Farell’s (Paxton) J-Squad. Despite desperately trying to explain his situation, Cage is met by nothing but sarcasm, mockery, and aggression from his newfound peers and, before long, is strapped into an exosuit and violently dropped into battle with little to no combat training. The beachfront assault is not a battle, it’s a massacre. Cage’s entire battalion is killed and he comes face-to-face with a large, voracious Mimic, barely able to defend himself. Out of desperation, he blows the “Alpha” to pieces with a Claymore mine and is drenched in its caustic blood. He then suddenly finds himself waking up 24-hours earlier, being given the same impassioned speech by Farell, suffering the same abuse from J-Squad, and dying in battle once again, only to begin the day anew each time.

*J-Squad are unimpressed by Cage’s attitude, inexperience, and increasing mania.*

Confused and disorientated, Cage initially believes he’s suffering some kind of déjà vu or nightmare, or that he’s losing his mind. This latter explanation is what the other characters default to whenever he tries to warn them of the mission’s impending failure. No matter now many times he repeats Farell’s words or rattles off his knowledge of J-Squad – Griff (Kick Gurry), Kuntz (Dragomir Mrsic), Nance (Charlotte Riley), Skinner (Jonas Armstrong), Ford (Franz Drameh), Takeda (Masayoshi Haneda), and Kimmel (Tony Way) – they simply think he’s losing his mind. Eventually, during his many repeats of the same day, Cage’s knowledge of each increases; though this happens offscreen, we learn a bit more about each of them from his exposition as he tries to earn their trust. Ford, for example, is using his dead best friend’s name and sending his payment to his family. Mostly, Cage simply earns their ire; they’re annoyed at being saddled by him, his incompetence, and personally insulted by him being a deserter and they even attack him when his subsequent absences see them being punished by Farrel. Played by the late, great Bill Paxton with a delicious, scenery-chewing charisma, Farrel appears to be a man completely consumed by the fire and glory of war. However, unlike Brigham, Farrel isn’t all talk and bluster and eagerly joins his men in battle, relishing the taste of combat. Cage’s eventual combat prowess is more to do with memory, tough training, and a constant cycle of failure than him being mentored by J-Squad. They essentially leave him to fend for himself at the beginning, and are therefore stunned when he suddenly exhibits near-superhuman deftness and ability on the battlefield. Later, when he convinces them to heed his warnings, they’re shocked to learn how insurmountable the Mimic’s power is but readily follow him into a final assault on the Louvre Pyramid, giving their lives to his cause and even sacrificing themselves to cover his infiltration. However, as persuasive as Cage’s parlour tricks and knowledge are, they’re primarily convinced by him having the seal of approval of the near-mythical Vrataski, who backs Cage’s claims and emboldens their fighting spirit.

*Constantly frustrated by Cage’s inexperience, Vrataski works hard to train him for combat.*

Vrataski is a tough, no-nonsense soldier equally dubbed the “Full Metal Bitch”. Extremely adept with her exosuit, Vrataski also employs a massive, anime-styled sword (fashioned from a helicopter blade) and inspires awe in her fellow soldiers. However, Vrataski is also cold and stoic, rarely showing her emotions or letting them rule her actions, to the point where she’s largely impassive when her fellow soldiers die in battle. Behind this façade, she hides a deep pain at having watched so many of her loved ones die and failed to end the Mimic threat when she had the chance. When Cage unexpectedly saves her in battle thanks to his foresight, she orders him to find her when he wakes up and reveals that her victory at Verdun (and her entire reputation) is thanks to her also having previously acquired the Alpha’s time-manipulating blood. Working with Doctor Noah Carter (Taylor), Vrataski learned that the Alpha’s death triggers the gigantic “brain” of the Mimic hoard, the “Omega”, to reset the day, allowing the Mimics to counteract accordingly. The longer one has the power, the more the Mimics become aware of them and the closer the protagonists get to learning the Omega’s location. Vrataski therefore forces Cage to train again and again, executing him to restart the day whenever he’s incapacitated or killed, to turn him into her proxy. Vrataski is constantly exasperated by Cage’s inexperience, questions, and cowardice and delights in abusing him, barking orders and forcing him to step up and find a viable route off the beach to find the Omega. Similar to J-Squad, Cage eventually learns a bit about Vrataski and bonds with her, to the point where he becomes despondent at having watched her repeatedly die and their continued failures to make real headway.

*The Mimics are an ugly, aggressive alien race that can somehow create time loops.*

A bunch of veterans and barflies speculate on the reason the Mimics have come to Earth, but Edge of Tomorrow largely leaves the explanation vague. They’re described as a “perfect”, planet-conquering hive mind, a near-exhaustible army even without accounting for their time-bending powers. The actual creatures are somewhat generic; they’re perfectly monstrous and disturbingly Lovecraftian, but we never really get a decent look at them and they often resemble a blurry mishmash of nanobots rather than living beings. They’re often hiding, either under the sand, ground, or elsewhere, and burst up to strike, skewering prey with their tentacles, firing energy bolts, or manhandling soldiers with their superior speed and strength. Even the regular grunts are extremely durable, often tanking multiple shots or moving too fast to be hit, and it was only through blind luck that Cage killed the Alpha in the first place. The Mimics are controlled by the Omega, with the Alpha overseeing the invasion and signalling for a reset upon its death, with all the aliens retaining the knowledge of each day, as Cage does. The longer he has the power, the more aware of his presence they become; the infected begin to see visions of the Omega, something the big brain uses to lure the soldiers into a trap. Indeed, Dr. Carter suggests that the Omega allowed the victory at Verdun as part of a grander plan to wipe out humanity, making them an almost invincible force. So powerful is the threat of extinction that the UDF’s only thought is to counterattack with everything they have. At one point, Cage and Vrataski infiltrate Brigham’s office, using Cage’s foresight to finally convince him to hand over Dr. Carter’s experimental transponder to learn the Omega’s true location, only for Bingham to immediately order even Vrataski’s arrest and forcing the two to reset to simply steal it. Cage’s power is constantly at risk since he must die to reset the day; it cannot be passed on but can be lost via a blood transfusion, which is what cost Vrataski the power. This eventually strips the ability from Cage, forcing him and Vrataski to recruit J-Squad for one last, desperate mission to destroy the Omega in Paris.

The Nitty-Gritty:
At first glance, Edge of Tomorrow is simply another generic, sci-fi war film with many of the tropes you’d expect from the genre. You’ve got the gruff, uncompromising General; the tough, but somewhat fair, Drill Sergeant; and a squad of ground-level troops simply trying to defend their world. J-Squad are sadly one-dimensional, despite Cage spitting facts and exposition about them, but are at least visually distinct. Griff is constantly walking around in a pink bath robe, for example, Kuntz “doesn’t talk much”, and Kimmel literally goes into battle balls out. Though as thirsty for combat as their Master Sergeant and far better trained than Cage, J-Squad is as doomed to failure as every UDF campaign and we witness their hubris, downfall, and deaths numerous times as Cage lives, dies, and repeats his time loop over and over. Though they give him nothing but abuse, they show respect for and surprise regarding his combat prowess in different time loops when this cowardly, pathetic deserter is suddenly blasting around at speed and picking off Mimics with uncanny precision thanks to Vrataski’s brutal training. Vrataski is a loner by nature, training by herself in a mechanical simulator and fighting solo on the battlefield regardless of how many troops follow her. She often dies alone in battle as well and constantly keeps Cage at arm’s length, hiding injuries and insisting on pushing onwards even when he begs her to stop because she won’t make it. Her stubbornness is her greatest strength and she impresses this fighting spirit upon Cage, eventually transforming him into a more hardened soldier over who-knows-how-many time loops.

*Cage’s repeated experiences improve his skills but burden him with knowledge.*

As someone who dislikes Tom Cruise, I get a perverse pleasure out of seeing him die over and ever. He gets skewered, eaten, shot, and blown up multiple times throughout the film, suffering broken limbs, a shattered spine, and being crushed under vehicles. With each loop, he gets a little better, pushing further along the ill-fated beach assault and committing to memory the movements of the Mimics, exactly as a videogame player gets better through trial and error. We’re never given an exactly tally of how many times Cage relives the day, but he sometimes burns through days in quick succession, such as when he’s blindsided by threats or struggles with his combat training, much to his frustration. A series of montages show him failing time and again, but also his progression; once a lumbering liability who couldn’t disengage the safety on his weapons, he graduates to sprinting with an uncanny deftness and blasting Mimics with his shoulder cannons, saving those who despise him and pushing further into France. Much of Cage’s experiences aren’t shown to us, however. Edge of Tomorrow cleverly frames some of his and Vrataski’s excursions as his first experiences, only to reveal that he’s been at that same barn before and even learned to fly a helicopter. These sequences are all very gritty and realistic, with the beach assault resembling equally doomed real-life military campaigns and the UDF’s weaponry being surprisingly low-tech, save for the exosuits. These are surprisingly practical effects, with some CGI enhancements, and effectively make even a novice like Cage a super soldier, though we don’t see their full potential until Cage masters their functions. The Mimics, by comparison, are entirely CGI but they work well as an unknowable, monstrous “Other” for humanity to rally against, even if I find their design visually confusing. Cage eventually becomes burdened by knowledge; tortured by Vrataski’s repeated deaths and the virtual hopelessness of the situation, he deserts the campaign entirely at one point, only to be branded a coward. When he learns that the Omega is setting a trap for them to regain its power, Cage goes for the transponder to try and change the future, only to end up losing his powers and being given one last try to get the job done.

*Stripped of his powers, Cage heads a final assault that results in the dawn of a new day.*

Having been wounded and saved by a blood transfusion, Cage escapes military custody with Vrataski and the two enlist the help of J-Squad in defying orders and flying a night-time assault on the Louvre, the true location of the Omega. Essentially a suicide mission for all involved, this murkily shot mess of a sequence sees all of J-Squad heroically perish to cover their insertion into the iconic pyramid, leaving Cage and Vrataski the last survivors (ironically, Cage survives events in this sequence that would’ve surely reset his day previously). Cornered by the Alpha and realising victory will cost their lives, Vrataski finally expresses her regret and not getting the time to know Cage better, giving him an awkward kiss before sacrificing herself in the “fiery crucible” of combat against the Alpha, unaware that she and Cage have basically lived a lifetime by this point. Left alone with only a gun and a belt full of grenades and his harsh training, Cage plunges into the water’s beneath the Louvre to blow the Omega to kingdom come, only to be mortally wounded by the Alpha. However, he manages to pull the pins with his last act, destroying the Omega and earning himself another drenching in alien blood. This time, Cage awakens a few days earlier to find a strange energy pulse from the Louvre has mortally disabled all Mimics, effectively ending the threat overnight. He’s amazed to find J-Squad all alive and well, the war finally over, and himself restored to his previous life. Naturally, his first thought is to visit Vrataski, grinning like a moron when she greets him with her usual barking wit.

The Summary:
Edge of Tomorrow is a surprisingly good time. Like I say, I’m not a fan of Tom Cruise but he’s actually pretty enjoyable here. Seeing him play a slimy, cowardly, untrained soldier who gets repeatedly killed brought a lot of joy to me as a sycophant and I enjoyed watching him improve with every failure, getting more and more combat proficient and transforming into a soldier on par with Vrataski. This is masterfully conveyed not just through the physical representation of his abilities and proficiency with the exosuit (he demands additional rounds, forgoes his helmet, and show a veteran familiarity with its functions) but also in him assuming the same “thousand-yard stare” as Vrataski, becoming numb to the bloodshed and death over time. Yet, he retains a humanity that wasn’t immediately apparent thanks to his selfish nature. He genuinely wants to find a way to save everyone in his battalion and is frustrated to lose even a single one of them. Emily Blunt was stunning as Vrataski, embodying the stern, brutal efficiency of a battle-hardened soldier. I loved that she constantly pushed Cage, forcing him to think like her, and how she cooled over time to show a vulnerability beneath her façade. The Mimics were generic, but serviceable; they’re weird, bio-mechanical octopus things who want only conquest and human blood and that’s all you really need. The twist is their weird ability to control time, which is kind of swept under the rung and has a few logistical holes in it, but it makes them a unique and insurmountable foe. Character actors like Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson steal every scene there in and lend Edge of Tomorrow some legitimacy, and I liked the bleak, brutal nature of the combat (even if it was largely bloodless). In the end, I think Edge of Tomorrow is an under-rated alien invasion flick; there’s a lot to like here, especially with the time loop gimmick, and I always enjoy giving it a watch, even if it can be a bit generic visually.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Edge of Tomorrow? If you’ve read All You Need Is Kill, how do you think the film works as an adaptation? What did you think to Tom Cruise’s performance? Did you also enjoy seeing him fail and die time and again and get a little better with each reset? What did you think to Emily Blunt and the depiction of the Mimics? Do you think the film needs a sequel? Is there a day in your life you’d like to relive over and over? Whatever your thoughts, drop them in the comments and go check out my other sci-fi content.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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My Rating:

Could Be Better

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Pretty Good

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My Rating:

Great Stuff

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