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. If you would like to submit a letter, please use our feedback form or send a message to scifiweekly@scifi.com.
-- Craig E. Engler, Editor
Give Alien Resurrection a try
don't understand why people keep bashing the new Alien movie. It was by far the best action movie we've seen in a long time. Sigourney Weaver gave a commanding performance and the movie itself kept you wondering what was going to happen next. The script was designed to add a fresh flavor to the same old plot that was in all the old Alien movies. This film had more guts and gore than the others put together, and it made you almost feel glad that the aliens were killing everyone. If we look at the plot in depth you will see that the object was to keep you on the edge of your seat and to play with your emotions. After all, who do you side with: humans, aliens or the crossbreed? See the movie, and decide for yourself.
Paula Fisher
fish1551@utica.ucsu.edu
A horrible, horrible movie
fter Alien 3 my hopes for Alien Resurrection weren't high, but after
seeing a few reviews and trailers here in my home country of Sweden, I
was actually looking forward to seeing the film. It got raving reviews
here. However, after viewing it I was sincerely puzzled. How could this
film get such good reviews, for Alien Resurrection is a horrible,
horrible movie.
After a promising first half with suggestive, claustrophobic
atmospheres, the film turns into a predictable, plotless action movie.
One of the basics of drama is to create characters that the audience
cares about, then you subject [them] to dangers and thereby create a
sense of adventure, excitement and suspense. The first two films, Aliens
in particular and to some extent Alien 3, did this superbly. Alien
Resurrection has no such characters. They're all scum (underdeveloped
scum) in one way or another so you don't care much whether they live or
die. And Ripley, who is tough but vulnerable in the other films, is
turned into a cardboard action-hero. No, we don't need to worry [about] her this time around. She can manage herself. And all of it is drenched in humor a la Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do all Hollywood productions have to have these boring one-liners (i.e., The Rock, Con Air, etc.)?
What is left? An action spectacle with a surplus of gory effects.
Andre Hansson
andreh@hawkan.pp.se
Alien Resurrection fits like a glove
lien Resurrection has one of the coolest plots of any monster sci-fi flick. What a sweet twist, what a paradox if you will. If you have seen the first Alien movie, then the plot of this movie fits like a glove. The new attitude for Ripley is the best character twist; what a cool, mean, compassionate, cold, ruthless, steel-backboned bitch. The only thing that would make this film better would be more people and more fighting. Overall an 8.5-9 movie. What a rush.
Joe Lamendola
joe.lamendola@solocup.com
The stage is set for Alien 5
lien Resurrection was a good movie. I understand that the movie was not what it could have been. I do not dispute the fact that it does not compare to Aliens. With that said, Ripley is now back and the stage is set for possibly the best Alien movie yet (if set on Earth). Alien Resurrection is visually stunning and manages to entertain. The only questions remaining are:
- Does Fox make an Alien 5? (Will A4 make enough money?)
- Is it possible to bring James Cameron onboard?
With respect,
Jim Reilly
jmreilly@sprynet.com
Stay home and watch Aliens
think that you could definitely say that James Cameron read Starship Troopers before he wrote Aliens. I recently re-watched Aliens after going to see both Starship and Resurrection. It seems to me the big bug hunt idea was done better in Aliens. The Colonial Marines and their drop ship to the planet made me think of Heinlein the first time that I saw the movie in the theater.
Aliens was very different from Alien. One was a claustrophobic horror film set in space and the second was a sci-fi action adventure. They were both extremely enjoyable for what they were. The problem with the last two movies is that they could not really decide what they were (or I am not smart enough to figure it out). It's okay for a director to break out of genres when making a film, but these two films were based on something that was already a cornerstone of a genre.
For my money, you are much better off staying home, popping your own popcorn ($.25 versus $5.00), putting in your copy of Aliens, and turning up the volume on your surround sound.
"Marines-We are out of here!"
KellyMo
KellyMo@aol.com
How to enjoy Troopers and Resurrection
read both books prior to seeing each movie.
Consequently, I understood more about each and was not thrown off or disappointed like many others were.
In short, reading the novels first fills in many gaps that leave other audience members confused about continuity and details.
Both movies were very enjoyable and entertaining for me. In contrast, the person I went to the movies with never reads the novel first and did not understand bits and pieces. On my recommendation, they are now reading the Alien novel and are only one-third of the way through it. Their comment: "There is a lot in the book that would have been too difficult to portray in the movie. I'm getting a lot more out of the book and it is certainly explaining a lot of things in the movie for me. I plan on seeing the movie again after I finish reading the book." Plus, they also now have Heinlein's Starship Troopers pocketbook in their possession.
Roger Urban
Ruler_Supreme@yahoo.com
Overlooking the obvious
ke Davis overlooks the obvious in his "Shut up and enjoy Troopers" commentary. Someone has shamelessly used the title of Heinlein's popular novel to cash-in big time. If the film is inspired by and loosely based upon Heinlein's book of the same title, then why not expect the film to follow more of the storyline and characters? The several generations of SF readers should receive no less. They should have called this film "Spaced Marines" or just "Bugs."
David Kravitz
david.kravitz@ci.sj.ca.us
Heinlein wrote to make money
omeone said that Robert Heinlein would be spinning in and not just
"Grumbling from" his grave regarding this depiction of his great
description of a militocracy.
Who are we kidding? Robert Heinlein wrote first to make money (in
Expanded Universe he wrote about writing novels until he had paid off his
mortgage) second to entertain and only got shirty about editors who
"peed" in his work once he had addressed those needs.
Starship Troopers the movie only has a nodding acquaintance with
Heinlein's great novel but I bet Ginny Heinlein is getting a royalty
cheque. Robert Heinlein would be nodding his approval of that part
while disdaining to comment on the rest.
H. W. "Bud" Brown
bud@wchat.on.ca
True to the master
tarship Troopers--while being predictably bad as most adaptations of excellent sci-fi are--had a couple of elements that Heinlein would have been proud of. Despite the critics (even here) of the nudity and violence, both treatments were true to the master.
Heinlein loved to poke fun at sexual stereotypes and to get beyond the ignorance-induced hangups of the American sexist. (Read the ending of Glory Road if you don't believe me. Or virtually any other Heinlein title.) The shower scene with men and women together, not ogling each other or making crude jokes, was perfect. Their banter was totally non-sexist, there was no embarrassment, and no silly camera angles to try and hide what they were seeing. Perfect Heinlein.
The blood and gore was also perfect. Ever been to a war? It's bloody messy! If you continually show TV violence where the good guys recover from a bullet wound every commercial, then you get kids who think shooting people is fun. If you show it like it is...who knows, maybe kids will decide that it's not so much fun.
Yes, Starship Troopers could be a vastly better movie. But, hey, so what else is new?
Ken Otwell
kotwell@charm.Net
Able to enjoy Troopers
, too, was somewhat disappointed with the transformation of Starship Troopers into a movie, but I was able to enjoy it as just a simple shoot-'em-up space Western. My main complaint was the depiction of the government as a Fascist state. At least Doogie Howser's Gestapo-like character was so jarringly out of place that it softened that aspect somewhat. Hopefully the publicity from the movie will cause people to pick up the book and learn what Heinlein
really had in mind.
David L. Myers
DlmR7@aol.com
Why change a good thing?
also loved the book Starship Troopers, and was thrilled when I heard it was being made into a movie, but why did they have to change everything? For starters, Dizzy Flores was a guy! Which I suppose would've removed the director's treasured love scenes. Secondly, these guys were seriously dangerous on the ground, with weapons that made getting within a couple of miles of them hazardous. Finally, unlike the macho--near sadistic--noncoms in the movie, the sergeants at Camp Currie were intent on training the troopers so that they would stay alive!
On the alien side (in case anyone didn't read the book), the bugs did have spaceships, and the warriors had energy weapons.
I was sorry to see a truly unique treasure of classic sci-fi dumbed down to make a quick buck.
John Radko
john.radko@geis.ge.com
It's not the book, but it's not bad
finally got to see Starship Troopers last weekend and was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed by the level of technical wizardry and skill that it took to pull the film off. The level of detail and degrees of complexity for each piece of art were phenomenal. I for one applaud the efforts of director Verhoeven and staff.
We all must admit that he established a goal and met it. No more no less. No claim was ever made to produce a replica of the book. Therefore the result was more than satisfactory.
I found the movie entertaining even though a bit graphic. Anyone who has ever been associated with real scenes from either an accident, combat or a major disaster where a loss of life was significant will attest to the carnage that is present. Also, I had to constantly remind myself that this was not a movie based upon the book. It was a story loosely aligned and remotely related to a very complex story.
This brings me to my second point. My disappointment was that it wasn't a movie adaptation of the book. It would have been great to actually see the Mobile Infantry Suit (vis-a-vis stillsuits from Dune...I know much simpler to reproduce). Even the bugs weren't designed as they were in the book. So, yes, I had to re-orient my expectations, sit back, and enjoy or not enjoy.
Anyway, for those of you who have been looking for the sequel book, it is written by Mark Acres and is called Combat Command: Shines the Name Roger Young. This is an excellent story also. There is also a sequel to this which I found about five years ago, loaned it out and haven't seen it since. Oh well. If anyone knows of the book please share with the rest of us.
Frank
frank.johnson@eng.sun.com
The second time is the charm
've been reading the letters you have received regarding Starship Troopers. To begin, I enjoyed the movie. I liked it enough to see it a second time. On the surface, the movie does come across as not being too thought provoking. But when I saw it the second time I began to understand the message the director was trying to get across.
These are a bunch of kids who are recruited to become a part of something that is bigger than them. They are asked to defend their world all in the name of freedom. Much like our vets were asked to sacrifice themselves in Desert Storm and to a much more extent Vietnam. It has been mentioned many times about the extreme violence of this film.
On how it went too far: People, I'm here to tell you war isn't pretty. This isn't Top Gun or Star Wars. I give the director credit because he didn't try to glorify it. People died in very horrific ways. 'Cause war is horrible. Here's something to think about, next time your watching TV, when that commercial comes on asking you to be all you can be. Think about the sacrifice your kids will probably be asked to take. Is it really worth it to defend something you really don't understand anymore?
los
rivera@cisnet.com
