The Letters to the Editor department is intended to be a forum for our readers to express their own opinions and ideas. While we appreciate the many complimentary letters we receive each day, you won't find them on this page. Instead, you will find letters that go beyond or even contradict what we have written, letters that offer a different perspective and provide a different view of science fiction.
— Scott Edelman, Editor-in-Chief
Send us your letters!
Got a gripe about something going on in the science fiction world? Want to call attention to an overlooked genre gem? Do you disagree with one of our reviews? Would you like to tell the editor of Science Fiction Weekly what a great job he does? Write a letter to the editor and send it in! You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that your letter will be read by thousands of SF fans. Doubtless, fame and fortune will follow (fame and fortune not guaranteed). If you would like to submit a letter, please use our feedback form or send a message to scifiweekly@scifi.com.
am flabbergasted that I didn't like [The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]. I'm sorry everyone, but this was a bombastic, interminable exercise in tired old cliches. Yes, Lord of the Rings was the among first of the endless treacle of fantasy epics in print (though it is in and of itself derivative of the ancient Norse Ring legends), so it does reserve a right to utter those tired old cliches, and yes, [the Battle of Helms Deep] was technically amazing beyond the pale of any battle scene ever done, but there was a sore lack of human drama in this second installment and watching three unrelenting hours of unwashed battle just doesn't hold my interest (anymore?). I just didn't connect to this movie.
For the record, I consider Fellowship [of the Ring] to be one of the greatest fantasy films ever made; a true work of art. I am amazed that the same director could take such a different tact for the second installment.
I am so amazed at my dislike for this film, my boredom with this three-hour, endlessly posturing slugfest, that I'm going to see it again today just to make sure it wasn't some weird mood swing on my part.
I'll check in with you later and let you know my second opinion.
Presley Acuna
pacuna@sprynet.com
s a Tolkien fan for over 20 years, I just saw The Two Towers and overall it was a good movie. Gollum, Rohan, the three companions chasing the Uruk-Hai and Frodo and Sam's journey were well done. I thought the character Wormtongue was excellent.
[Warning: Spoilers follow.]
There were also several problems. Merry and Pippin should have been in a state of terror with the Uruk-Hai, not on a piggy back ride. The close-ups of the Hobbits on Treebeard and the Nazgul on the winged beasts looked like 1960s' special effects. They should have called Lucas for advice. They left out the climax of Book III (Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff) and book IV (Shelob). Helm's Deep became the climax of the story. The plot changes—Faramir taking Frodo to Osgiliath among others—were hard to accept.
Stan
stanfordallan@aol.com
efore Peter Jackson can extract $8.50 from my wallet to see his latest fiasco ... er ... incarnation [The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers], I have only one really dandy suggestion. He needs to spend $30 and buy the books. Shortly after the purchase, I highly recommend removing the shrink wrap, opening the books and (gasp!) actually read them.
[Warning: Spoilers follow.]
I've never denied that the visual aspect of the films is astounding ... nor have I opposed changes
that were necessary for time's sake—but absolute destruction of characters and Tolkien's world is downright idiocy. The third age is the age of man. Tolkien was very clear about this. The elves did not involve themselves in the war of the ring. This is a fundamental deviation from Tolkien's works. Besides, how can one have "The Last Alliance of Elves and Men" ... umm ... again? The elves are reportedly going to be attacking at the Pelinor fields as well [in the next movie]. Hoo boy.
And how can Arwen cross over the ocean to Valinor if she already gave her right of passage to Aragorn in the first movie? If Peter Jackson wanted to do a variant of the actual story, he should have done what Jerome Robbins did to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet—he should have renamed the works as completely something else, instead of misleading those of us into believing he was creating The Lord of the Rings. If anyone has any sense of memory, Jackson claimed at the outset of his work on the films that they would be true and accurate to Tolkien's original works—but then, just the week before The Fellowship of the Ring was released to theaters, he retracted his original statement. Jackson is no more than Ralph Bakshi with a real budget and new visual tools.
Yes, [the films] are better than the books—better for the illiterate and mentally challenged, anyway.
Doug S.
dougstringham@mac.com
ow could Fox cancel Firefly? I wasn't even aware such a show existed until I watched the special pilot on Dec. 20, and I was already hooked—to find out that would be the last show. Ever.
Recommendation to Fox or any other network: Get Firefly and really tell people the show exists. There must be more than a few people out there like me who have never heard of the show and would probably get hooked and watch it. I hated Buffy [the Vampire Slayer], I'm not a real big fan of Enterprise (I'm a TNG guy), Dark Angel was only good because of Jessica Alba, but in Firefly I've found a show I truly enjoy. Well, enjoyed. Someone out there must realize what a mistake Fox has made and pick up the show. Quickly.
Tom
y2t23@earthlink.net
am happy to see Tracker coming to the SCI FI Channel—hoping maybe you will continue the series beyond its single season. What I would really like to see is Tracker paired with Special Unit 2 and both developed into long running series. Special Unit 2 was priceless. Why has no one looked into picking this one up? Both of these show the humorous side of the genre as did Invisible Man—another sorely missed cancellation.
Geri Snyder
grsnyder@dtgnet.com
ichael Lustig ("Aliens Visits Against the Odds") seems to believe that no aliens have visited us. Although he's probably right, how does he know? Because they haven't landed in front
of the White House or the Kremlin? Because they haven't hacked into a TV channel and spoken to us? Or just because they haven't written their name in the snow?
You can never be that sure. It's not the fact that sci-fi is using the concept of alien visitations that is unbelievable, but as Mr. Lustig does point out, the simplistic way in which mainstream TV has dumbed it down.
What we need is a film or show that gives an intelligent account of how the aliens got here and why they came here. It is in fact the latter question that desperately needs rethinking, not the former. The concept of intergalactic transport, however it's done, has proven to be one of the few ideas that has been around since the beginning of sci-fi, and is still here today. As any sci-fi fan knows. Timelessness is very hard to come by on sci-fi.
The main fault with the abduction shows, such as the X-Files and Taken, is that the aliens are being seen by anyone. No intelligent being would allow their existence to be so easily discovered. So, let's get our brains into gear and come up with something actually worthy of the name "alien visitation."
Darren Simpson
darrensimpson10@hotmail.com
wish I could say that I watched Taken through till the end, but the truth is, I didn't. I was already hampered by the idea of seeing, once again, the great abduction story. Then I watched the two first episodes of Taken and couldn't stay awake enough to care about the rest.
Perhaps SCI FI has missed the last 50 years of television and literature, but I truly believe that Taken has done the worst thing any entertainment could. It is completely without originality. Nothing it discussed hasn't already been touched or exhaustively theorized in everything from fanfic to
blockbuster novels. Did the writers somehow miss X-Files or V?
I'm sorry, but given that the cost of this admittedly well-shot show was at least two seasons of X-Files or Farscape, I would have preferred the latter. At least then I would have had the same well-shot show, the same excellent acting, but with truly engaging characters and story that is not only fun—it's original.
Note to SCI FI: slapping a big name on a trite, ordinary show is not going to help it garner new viewers. Ever since SCI FI started messing with its Friday lineup, I've stopped watching. I'll be back when Farscape's final season begins. After that, however, no amount of big names and time worn
concepts will replace my need for good scifi, wherever that may be (because
it's certainly not on the SCI FI Channel anymore).
Rhonda S. Garcia
rgarcia@agostini-mktg.com
his is just a quick note to say thank you [to SCI FI] for the all-day Farscape Marathon on Christmas Eve. I watched all but the first episode (didn't get up early enough). It was terrific watching the first half of season four again,
catching things previously missed. Although probably unfounded, it has renewed hope that the decision to discontinue the series can be reversed and the story allowed to unfold as it was intended. I now have the Jan. 3 mini-marathon and the Jan. 10 continuation of season four to look forward to. Thanks again!
Donna Gilliland
dgilli88@hotmail.com
ll those suggestions about "telling your friends and everybody you know" to watch something (like Farscape) doesn't mean jack unless one of them happens to belong to a "Nielsen family." I'm with all those who insist that the current ratings system is way outdated. TV Guide had an article on Nielsen families some years ago and I finally understood why nothing I really liked, and especially science fiction, ever did well in the ratings—I had absolutely nothing in common with any of the Nielson Chosen Ones.
I think Mr. or Ms. Nielsen would get a more valid sample by visiting Web sites, or better yet, setting up their own, and taking the ages, genders and other statistical data of the responders. It certainly couldn't be any more hit and miss than the way they chose their current "families."
Judy Erp
judy.erp@honeyell.com
believe that Ms. Davis' comment ("Latest Trek Is Lifeless") that "they should stop making [Star Trek: The Next Generation] movies" is a very profound statement.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]
I think that after the splendid performance of the TNG cast and crew [the question is]: Is there any way for Paramount to surpass perfection.
Star Trek Nemesis was a wonderful movie that left me wanting more. I walked away from that movie with a feeling of satisfaction that only the crew of the Enterprise could appreciate.
The sets were beautifully constructed, and the FX were ingenious in their execution. And even the story line was brilliantly done.
The sad part about the movie was the demise of one of my favorite characters: Cmdr. Data. He was a valued asset to the crew of the Enterprise, a treasured officer to Capt. Picard even though his unfamiliarity with human sense of humor made him seem, at times, a little clownish. But that was what made him so lovable. I think that Data has come very far in his search for his humanity. This movie brought him to the final development in his quest to becoming human. By exchanging places with Picard he became a heroic figure in the Star Trek universe. By that ultimate self-sacrificing act proved that he had transcended the gulf that divided him from android to that humanity that he
possessed all along. Now, TNG's trek through the stars was not for Data alone, but it required the whole Enterprise team to bring him to this point in his quest to become human.
What luck it was that the crew of the Enterprise found the second Data on that planet. Even though, he was a plant for spying on the Federation, it gave Paramount the opportunity to resurrect Data by means of the downloaded memories that the original Data gave to the copy of himself. He has all of Data's memories and skills that will one day will surface, and hopefully it will happen in the next movie that Paramount produces of the continuing adventures of the starship Enterprise.
There is an old adage that says, "No one of any real importance ever dies on Star Trek, they are merely elevated to a new level of existence, or get recycled."
David L. Spence
poetryinmotion@prodigy.net
Back to the top.
