Farscape on the Big Screen?

Farscape ended in 2003 and left a rather large hole in the lives of many fans. Having come to a conclusion of sorts at the end of the peacekeeper wars it was always known this was the goodbye for the fans of the show. But recently the co-creator Rockne O'Bannon hinted there may be life left in the franchise yet, having recently released his new show Defiance he was asked about the farscape franchise and he admitted he would like to revisit that world but it would most likely be in movie format, siting the success of Firefly movie serenity.

Interestingly he mentions the poor exchange rate as being a barrier to any revisit but given the fan power of this TV show I'm sure they may resurrect it. So much will depend on their own success of subsequent shows to prove to a studio they are indeed worth the investment, so look out for defiance because it may be the only way you'll ever see farscape again.

Sci Fi - is TV now better than Film

It used to be the case you had to pay to go to the cinema to see the best actors with the best effects. Now you can get HD streamed right to your tablet and watch it anywhere in the world. This means that there is now bigger money in TV than in movies. HBO were the best at creating movie like TV shows a decade before the rest of the Networks cottoned on that this was the future. Now you are likely to see A list actors appearing on the small screen for years. Part of this is due to the handsome money in it for them, guaranteed future work and great exposure.

This rise in TV status has meant we have seen a shift of genres from big screen to small screen. The ability to tell a decent sci fi story in 90 minutes is a skill, but it all too often leaves fans waiting years for a sequel that never quite captures the magic the original did due to the time lapse between. TV shows on the other hand can shoot series continuously if commissioned and then let you watch 60 minutes of brilliance one after the other until you can no longer stay awake. This rise in TV budgets has meant many of the best Sci fi creations over the past 10 years has been on the small screen. The movie industry has taken a back seat with big budget effects and seem less likely to take a punt on an idea than they previously might have been, instead investing in countless sequels, remakes and the latest craze of re-imaginings which take an idea already done and try to do it better ignoring the original completely.

Lets put to the test the top five Sci Fi TV shows of the last ten years vs the top five sci fi films and see if we can't agree that the small screen is in fact the place to be for sci fi.

Battlestar Gallactica VS District 9

The remake of battlestar was well received and made you almost forget that the original Starbuck was in fact a womanising man instead of a maninising woman. District 9 was a socially commented alien movie that featured some amazing effects along with some great acting. But lets look at the elements and the winners of each.

Originality - District 9 (alien apartheid wins easily as Battlestar was a remake)
Acting - Battlestar (some heavily established names made the acting believable and dramatic)
Depth - Battlestar (in spite of district 9 being a great social commentary Battlestar was able to delve deeper into the issues of Human and AI existence)
Effects - Battlestar (the space battles and jump motion camera is stunning)
Overall - Battlestar was an epic success and wins this hands down.


Children of Men vs Life on Mars

An equal pairing featuring some great acting with little in the way of big budget special effects. Children of Men had some epic fight sequences whilst Life on Mars was more a TV Drama that had sci fi back story.

Originality - Life on Mars (Time travel is much more original than post apocalypse surely?)
Acting - Children of Men (The cheesy British cop thing wore old in Life on mars)
Depth - Children of Men (The story was emotionally evocative and played on our fears of future society)
Effects - Children of Men (The fight sequences were both powerful and immersive)
Overall - Children of Men was a great example of hard hitting future imagining.

Dr Who vs X-Men

Including here are all the different version of the X-Men and their spin offs. Dr Who is the most successful British franchise TV show and X-Men is the the biggest comic franchise so seems like a fair battle.

Originality - Dr Who (Hands down due to the unique storyline each week)
Acting - X-Men (This franchise has some of the biggest names in acting)
Depth - Dr Who (Dr Who is able to touch on far more of societies issues)
Effects - X-Men (The explosions, flying machines and make up are just wow)

Overall - Dr Who because if it wasn't on I'd miss it and I always live in the hope that they will cast the DR as either Idris Elba or Bruce Campbell (can you imagine how good that would be).

V vs Cloverfield

V is a remake of a alien invasion series from the 70's and Cloverfield is a blair witch project of sci fi. Cloverfield was a unique shot film with a low budget whilst V had a big budget from the start.

Originality - Colverfield (Hand held camera of alien landing is pretty unique)
Acting - V (They had some established movie actors enter the small screen)
Depth - V (great commentary on racism and politics)
Effects - V (No contest given the USP of cloverfield being a handheld camera)

Overall - V wins this one easily against a good movie that if you managed to not get sea sick whilst watching on the big screen you were doing well.


28 Days Later vs The Walking Dead

These two are at opposite ends of the zombie imagining, one is a virus that causes rage with superhuman strength and speed, the other is the George A Romero style slow walkers. Both enjoy huge cult following.

Originality - 28 Days later (The opening sequence of a man in hospital wondering a baron land perfectly captured the post apocalypse feel a zombie movie should)
Acting - 28 Day Later (It doesn't have fake accents)
Depth - The Walking Dead (Have you seen the press coverage about its commentary on gun control?)
Effects - The Walking Dead (close up zombie killing at its best)

Overall - The Walking Dead because the new style fast zombies are too scary to imagine so lets stick with the old slow walkers.


So there we have it, TV wins overall and I think going forward the gap will widen further as TV is seen as the pinnacle for actors and Production companies.

I'd welcome your views and opinions or if you think I have missed out a favourite of yours let me know. I'm in the camp of Small screen but willing to be persuaded otherwise if merited.

Top 5 Sci Fi TV Shows

For most Sci Fi fans finding a good quality TV show in this genre isn't easy. Firstly TV is all about money these days and the budget for a reality show series can be as cheap as one episode of a Sci Fi series, therefore it makes more commercial sense to pump money into reality shows. Wrong. Look at the recent success of well produced, directed and edited Sci Fi shows, not the viewing figures but the money that comes from merchandising and DVD/Blu Ray sales. The problem most networks have with Sci Fi shows is the audience aren't the type to sit around and wait a week for the show to be on again, having to watch adverts every 15 minutes, they are future savvy technological advanced viewers, they want to buy a box set or download it (both legally and otherwise). Below is my top 5 shows with a little about why they are so great, in the hope there is one you haven't watched and can therefore discover something new.

1. Misfit (UK Version)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1548850/

 
About
The first two series of this show was an epic demonstration of not only the UK's ability to produce quality but also brought awareness to some fine young British actors. Unfortunately this show suffered due to cast becoming famous and leaving for different projects and therefore a complete turnover of the main characters by series 3. But for those first two series this is worth a watch.

Bio
The show is based around a group of young offenders on community service who are all affected by a lightining storm. Each one slowly discovers they have super powers, some great and some terrible. But before long the super powers begin to start showing up in other people leading the unlikely gang into some interesting situations. The show uses realistic language (not over the top swearing but in keeping with the characters) and also features some sexual content (nothing major but again in keeping with the context). The other most enjoyable element is the humour, with many sci fi programmes humour is often left to one character and can be very predictable, with this show there is an undercurrent of humour that seems fitting for the irony of young offenders trying to save the world.

Watch out for
The amazing Lauren Socha who plays this character with such humour and believability.

2. Stargate Atlantis
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374455/

About
Stargate was a film that had mixed box office success but was followed up later by a TV show that was hugely popular across the world. The original TV series then produced a spin off called Atlantis and some of the original cast moved to this new world and there was plenty of cross over episodes. Atlantis unfortunately was a victim of hollywood politics. With the Stargate brand going strong and the release of Battlestar Gallactica there was a move to bigger budget TV shows with film actors and the maker decided to launch a Stargate version called universe, but as a deal breaker to ensure the reportedly £1m per episode needed they had to stop production of Atlantis. They did and within 1 series the new Stargate Universe was canned and now the TV viewing public are left with no Stargate to enjoy. A sad example of how cut throat execuitves are and how the big budgets in Sci Fi make it difficult to keep series going. Atlantis for me was the pick of the bunch due to its darker nature to the original and a very good cast. This show has one of the best Sci Fi baddies in any show the Wraith a vampire type race of alien that use Humans as feeding cattle.

Bio
As this was a spin off there is not a huge quantity of time spent explaining the back story which means you don't have to sit through endless explanations of why there is an Egyptian style stone ring that you can dial to get you to other points in the galaxy. This is set in a lost city of Atlantis which is in fact a space ship capable of moving to different planets but long since abandoned by the incumbent Humans. The teams slowly explore this strange new universe and discovered many different races. Interestingly not everyone is as honest as they seem and it soon becomes clear there is an evil here that has left all the residents terrified and cutthroat.

Watch out for!
Conan the barbarian star Jason Momoa (also in Game of Thrones) playing a very similar character to his other main credits.

3. Jericho
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805663/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

About
This show doesn't feature aliens or any supernatural but it is about a post apocalyptic world set in a small town in Kansas. With the main character played by Skeet Ulrich who is accompanied by Lennie James who plays his part with epic intensity, this show has at its foundation some quality acting without a hugely expensive budget this played more on the human effects of such a situation and didnt rely on big budget effects for its quality.

Bio
A nuclear bomb goes off in the distance and from your small town all commmunication begins to go down. Your left in an isolated town with only small nuggets of information filtering in about what has happened. Slowly realising your town is alone and needs to begin to try and retain some order. Struggling to survive in a world cut off and with everyone wanting more than their fair share provides great story lines. This really does have a feel of the walking dead without zombies.

Watch out for
Interestingly this series might have been a lot shorter with tighter US gun controls, the world becomes very dangerous post apocalypse if everyone is armed.

4. Hitch Hikers guide to the galaxy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081874/

About
If you haven't read the books or seen the hollywood film made a few years ago then you haven't lived yet and I suggest you begin before something happens and its too late. Douglas Adams is simply the best sci fi writer that every lived and sadly died young. This TV series is old, i will warn you before you hunt it down expecting CGI effects and some fancy camera work. It is low budget and cheesy but the main story remains and the acting is great. This story has had normal people carrying a towel and saying 42 to every question for decades.

Bio
Arthur Dent is a human, Ford Prefect is not. Ford is a writer for the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which is a useful book telling you everything about everything and has a nice message printed on its cover saying Don't Panic. This series tells of their adventure through the galaxy after Earth is destroyed by the vogons to makeway for a bypass.

Watch out for
The answer to the life the universe and everything.


5. Battlestar Gallactica
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407362/

About
As a general rule of thumb i would say avoid any remake because it is never better than the original with the exception of Lord of the rings which was much better than the original cartoon version and this. This made big budget, moody, effect laden Sci Fi popular on TV again and started a new wave of Sci Fi coming onto our screens after its release in 2004. With Some amazing affects this show stands out as not only a great adventure but also complicated enough that there wasn't a need for any filler episodes.

Bio
The cylons return and destroy the seven colonies planets with some survivors escaping on an aged battlestar class ship called the galactica. This is a story of survival and the struggle between a strict Army battalion and its non military companions. With a fight for survival that leads you an a journey of discovery to where it all began.

Watch out for
The best acting performance from Edward Olmos who plays Admiral Adama

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