This past Friday night, I decided to ignore the pile of work on my desk and veg out to the two sci-fi DVDs that Netflix conveniently delivered to my mailbox earlier that day. Here are my thoughts:

Battle for Terra

I had already seen this in the theater and really liked it. It was the first animated 3D I had seen, and I still have not seen a movie with more impressive use of 3D action, animated or not (Yes, I am looking at you Avatar) Oh, and speaking of Avatar, this movie is basically the same plot, but came out well before Avatar. The difference is that instead of the humans arriving at the alien planet out of pure greed to mine the ridiculously named MacGuffin, unobtainium, in Avatar, they arrive in Terra because Earth had been destroyed. After traveling for several generations to find a new home they arrive at Terra with only a few months time left to survive on their ship. So the impatient military general takes control and decides to take Terra by force and kill off the inconvenient natives. Sound familiar? Anyways, very solid sci-fi flick. Nothing groundbreaking, just well done.

Daybreakers

It’s not often a genre film like a vampire flick can get A-list acting talent like Ethan Hawke, Williem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Apparently, all three were so impressed with the unique twist to the vampire tale in Daybreakers that they signed up. The twist, is the premise that basically everyone on earth is a vampire and live seemingly normal modern lives – of course being vampires there are differences such as not going out in the sun and getting a nice shot of blood in your Starbucks coffee. And of course, the remaining human holdouts are captured and farmed for their blood, but they are going extinct and the vampire society will no longer have the blood they need to keep from devolving into savage ghoulish monsters. So anyways its a very enjoyable vampire flick with a unique world – noticeably different from the typical post-apocalyptic or gothic settings.

Obnoxious Sidenote of My Insanity
Even though I liked Daybreakers, I am the type of guy that can let one little thing bug me through a whole movie. So, just 5 minutes into the film there is a few seconds were you can see Ethan Hawk’s character in his car, but when they pan to the side-view mirror you see an empty suit, because of course the legend that vampires don’t have reflections. Well this drove me crazy the whole next two hours, because it just did not fit the world the Spierig brothers had created, nor the ultimate plot of the tale. Did the mirror shot have anything to do with the movie? No, but it drove me crazy nonetheless, because if you are going to create a fantastical world and ask me to buy into it, be consistent in your logic. Of course, this happens in regular movies too, if a single thing just seems stupid in its logic, I am done. I remember watching a movie with Erin once and in the opening scene a newly married young man surprises his bride with the news that he bought them a house – well that ruined the movie for me, because I know that would not fly. Unless your so rich you can buy lots of houses, it is not a decision one spouse does on their own. And if they do, the wife will not be pleased – but instead quite irate. Of course I had to stop the movie and talk this over with Erin to see if I was correct or crazy, she confirmed that I was both correct but also crazy. Did it have anything to do with the movie – no. But little things can either add to or subtract from a films believability. Ok, i’ll get off my soapbox. Daybreakers is a fun genre flick, and I also really enjoyed the special features documentary on the making of the film too.