V is for Visitors

Amidst the candy eating, constant school work, and late night/early morning fire alarms, I seem to have once again neglected to blog. But I am back, and what has brought me back is ironically the thing that eats up most of my time: TV.

I just watched the pilot episode for ABC's new...ish series about visitors from another planet, V.



Now I say new-ish because the show is actually a remake of a 1984 TV series of the same name. I haven't seen the original - yet - so I can't make a comparison with its remake - yet.

The show is about an alien population, who call themselves the Visitors or Vs, coming to Earth and asking humans for water and food in exchange for technological information that they say will benefit the human population. They have several ships hovering over all of the world's major cities (think District 9 but not just in Johannesburg) and their leader, who goes by the name of Anna, comes down to Earth to meet with the world's leaders.

As the episode progresses, we learn that these aliens are not what they seem to be and that they cannot be trusted. A determined FBI Agent, Erica Evans, is tracking a terrorist cell when she finds intel about a secret meeting. She goes to the meeting location and discovers that it is not a terrorist cell at all: it is a group of civilians teaming up to begin a resistance against the aliens. Erica learns that there are Visitors living amongst humans, in disguise. Suddenly, the meeting is interrupted by a group of the Visitors, one of them being Erica's partner at the FBI.

A Visitor's spaceship hovering over one of the world's major cities.

So far, the show has made an impression on me. A good one. Despite it being slow in the beginning, it really gained momentum near the end. The last half hour had me glued to the TV. That being said, it could have definitely used a two hour season premiere as opposed to just one. It would have hooked the audience more and made more of a first impression on them.

I say this because the pilot episode did not give the audience enough character development to make them care. In order to tune in to a show every week, an audience needs to care about the characters and what happens to them. I found Erica to be very bland. She reminds me of a less aggressive Olivia Dunham. Although I do have to say that Elizabeth Mitchell plays a much better Erica than she does Juliette. Logan Huffman plays Erica's son Tyler, an angsty teen who lashes out at his mother because of her absence in his life. He decides it's a smart idea to become a "Peace Ambassador" for the Visitors, mostly because his mother is not comfortable with them.

Erica Evas > Juliet Burke

Joel Gretsch plays a cynical priest who is only trying to do the right thing. The writers did well creating conflict in this character who, in the beginning is doubting the existence of God because of this extraterrestrial life. Soon enough, he is dragged into the resistance, kicks some Visitor ass, and decides that he will fight to defeat the Visitors.

We then have Georgie and Ryan, played by David Richmond-Peck and Morris Chestnut respectively, two old friends who seem to have lived through something similar before. Ryan is engaged and working a decent job, and wants nothing to do with Georgie. However, this is complicated by the fact that Ryan is in fact a Visitor who is helping the humans.

Finally, we have Chad Decker, an ambitious reporter played by Scott Wolf. Chad is handpicked by Anna to do a one-on-one interview with her so she could communicate with people all around the world. However, right before the interview starts, in a scene that is arguably the best scene in the entire episode, Anna tells him that he cannot ask her any questions that would portray the visitors in a negative light. He tries to resist but she threatens to cancel the interview. Chad had two options here: accept this rule and be seen by billions of people worldwide or stay true to his own beliefs and turn down the exposure. He chooses the exposure.

Chad Decker, ambitious reporter

Chad is, in my opinion, the most interesting character in the show so far and I'm hoping that as the season progresses, we get to see that all of the characters are like Chad is, conflicted and pushing for more. I'm just not getting my hopes up because network television has let me down on so many levels. V is certainly better than ABC's other new drama, FlashForward. I will tune back in next week to see just how many of these Visitors are already on Earth.

I'm still trying to decide whether I watch the old series now or if I should wait until this one ends. What do you guys think?

"We come in peace" - Anna

Film Review: District 9

Just when you thought sci-fi has run its course, a film like District 9 hits theaters. Sci-fi thrillers about aliens have been done. And then they were done again. And again. And again. And we've had some real gems through them all (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Independance Day, etc.) but for the most part, and especially recently, alien flicks have become cheesy and repetitive.

Up and coming filmmakers must think to themselves: "How can I break this pattern? What can I do that will set my film apart from the rest?"

Neil Blomkamp has answered those questions and the result is a fantastically written, captivating story called District 9.

In the film, a massive alien ship enters Earths atmosphere and hovers calmly over the city of Johannesburg. It sits there for three months before humans decide that something must be done and they force their way in. Inside, they find rotting extraterrestrials. So the humans set up a ghetto-like camp in the city of Johannesburg where these aliens reside for a little over twenty years. Throughout this time, tension rises in the city as the extraterrestrials and humans clash. Riots break out. People die (alien and human). The human population decides that the aliens must be moved outside of the city. MNU (Multi-National United), a private international company, was contracted with the eviction of the aliens to a location outside of the city.

Wikus Van De Merwe, our protagonist, is put in charge of the operation. He is soon thrust into an incredible situation where (without giving too much away) he has to help the aliens escape as MNU is performing terrible experiments on them.

Blomkamp created an amazing universe here. And the most amazing thing about it is that it's so much like our own. Born in South Africa, his inspiration for the film was drawn from his experience growing up through the end of apartheid and the toll it took on the country.

Newcomer Sharlto Coply played the part of Wikus flawlessly. From the comedy to the dramatic, he didn't miss a beat. The confused Wikus often doesn't know which side he's on or who to relate to. Before, he believed what he was told to believe and you really feel the indecision in the character right to the final battle.

The film was told documentary style and just the right amount of information was given to the audience at just the right times. There's some forshadowing to pick up on and there's also a lot of irony which gave the script a lot of depth.

The aliens themselves are completely CGI but Blomkamp does such a great job personifying them that you don't even notice. Through the documentary footage at the beginning of the film, the aliens are portrayed as wild, evil creatures. The humans called them "prawns", a derogatory term that was picked up because of their shellfish look. However, as the film progresses, we see a race much like our own, just trying to get by on what they can. They are confused as to why they are being moved. We become familiar with a father who is looking after his son. He treats his son much like a human father would: with compassion. He is trying to keep him safe at all costs. I've read some reviews where the reviewer says that it is hard to relate to these aliens because of their tentacles and overall disgusting body. This is not true. They have big eyes that portray a lot of emotion. All you have to do is look in there and you can relate.

You will find yourself rooting for the alien species. The film does not portray the humans in a good light, but a true one. Because of their difference, we isolate these beings and take what we can from them. We steal their powerful weapons (which can only be operated by one with the alien DNA), we experiment on their bodies and their technology, and we cage them off from the rest of the world. Sure, one could call it a defense mechanism but I see it as more taking advantage of a weaker species. Selfish, I suppose, would be the best way to describe it.

I told my friend on the way home that if you took out the aliens and replaced them with humans, the film would make just as much sense. It is about accepting difference no matter colour or race. It's about equality and compassion. This movie is packed full of meaning that there is no way it could be analyzed after one viewing. I look forward to seeing it again. And keep an eye out for that Neil Blomkamp. I guarantee that he will make a huge impact on the film industry.

If you haven't seen this movie, I urge you to go to the theatre and see it! It is a unique experience (one that I'm sure won't be recognised by the Academy) and you won't regret it. By far, the best film this summer.

10 out of 10.