SF at the Movies - July 08

OK, well we're well on our way into July so let's take a peak at what Sci-Fi stuff is showing on screens this month.

Hancock

Released 02/07/08










The first feature out this month is of a misguided superhero named Hancock who saves the day, but causes massive accidental destruction along the way. Finding himself more hated than appreciated he wastes his time drinking until he bumps into a PR whizz, who'se determined to turn his life around. Hancock is not the laugh out loud nonstop comedy the trailers promise, but is actualy quite a sad story of loneliness and a struggle to do the right thing...with some very funy moments along the way.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Released 11/07/08








A retelling of the classic story by Jules Verne where a scientist has some very differing theories about the centre of our planet, and of course he's right. Travelling down a dormant volcano they find a hidden world of dinosaurs and other wonders hidden beneath our feet. This looks like a modern version rather than a retelling of the story, but it should be good nonetheless. This film is available in 3D in some cinemas.

Wall.E

Released 18/07/08











Yes it's a kids film about a cute little robot, but nontheless it has it's place here. Set when environmental and human factors cause humans to leave Earth our little hero is tasked with cleaning up the mess his creators left behind, but over time he becomes quirky and curious. Centuries later an advanced robot comes to scout Earth and Wall.E follows on an exciting adventure. Created by Pixar animation, who kick-started the whole CG cartoon thing and have created the best works of the medium I think it'll be worth a look.

Meet Dave

Released 18/07/08










Don't know a huge amount about this one, but basically a lot of liddle alien types have built a human size and shape spaceship to go exploring Earth in. It should be fun to see how "Dave" gets on interacting with our species and how the inevitable love interest takes the inevitable exposure of the truth. With Eddie Murphy as lead role the film should be a good larff.

The Dark Knight

Released 25/07/08










The second installment from the new Batman films is set to be this year's big blockbuster. The strength of the film is bound to be Heath Ledger's staggering final performance as the Joker, which will add a touch of sadness to the film. As the Joker makes his move and the chaos spreads Bruce Wayne has to reach further into the darkness within himself to defeat him. This looks set to have all the action and adventure that Batman Begins brought and more - well worth seeing I should expect.

Ok that's it till next month - a quick note on TV. With Doctor Who and Heroes over it may seem like there's not much on - but in case you didn't know E4 has an offering of Sci-fi, with series 7 of Smallville showing on tuesday nights (it's probably about half way through by now, but worth seeing) and Dark Angel showing saturday mornings - the pilot was last week so there's plenty of time to get on board.