#sci fi review

[hannahwatcheshorror]

THE LAZARUS EFFECT (2015)

😾Dog Dies

Intense film that deserves a lot of credit for what it has done. Extremely polished and well developed though some of the deaths happen too quickly and don’t make entire sense with the progression of the plot? Not a bad film at all, the scene just before the ending is beautiful and intense

REWATCH REVIEW

A movie that takes place in a spooky lab where they are attempting to bring things back from the dead, what could go wrong? It really is a feast for the eyes, this film.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scientists try to make a life serum but spoiler alert it fails. Olivia Wilde gets FUCKED but she turns into a spooky lady with a strange backstory. She is scary for sure. She kills everyone and then makes a little army for herself.

REWATCH REVIEW

A bunch of hot and sexy scientists are working on a serum that reanimates people which sounds like witchcraft but is also just science and depends on how long a thing has been dead I guess. They brought back a dog without telling us how long it had been dead. Either way they had started to figure out a creepy solution to death but some men with money stepped in so they only had one shot to do it in the middle of the night. The team snuck in to do science in the dark and… Big accident! Olivia Wilde (Zoe) got electrocuted and died! Very sad for Mark Duplass’ character, Frank. He tries to bring her back with conventional medicine but it doesn’t work now they must try The Serum.

The Serum is able to bring Zoe back but she is different somehow, her brain is firing at 100% power instead of 10% she can hear things she shouldn’t be able to. Zoe is becoming more and because of this she knows that the gang sees that she has come back different, come back wrong, so she is going to start going on the offensive when it comes to these silly skin bags. She tries to wash her hands and water hurts, the world is harsh on her and she doesn’t know why, I mean, she DIED for goodness sake and now no one is being nice to her!

Now our spunky recorder is being thrown into a dream sequence and we get a theory that maybe Zoe’s soul is stuck in a dream too? Theories about Zoe being ripped from Hell are one thing but her just having a little dream is another. Either way we get our first death and I don’t know why I said the deaths were quick before I guess I was just sad that Donald Glover was the first to go. It felt fast an hour in to say goodbye to that lovely man, I’m sorry. Anyway things really start to fall apart now, the gang start to realize Zoe is up to no good and she kills another member (sad!) before Frank and Eva can run away and try to hide. This works momentarily before Frank is outed when he attempts to trick Zoe which of course doesn’t work.

For some reason Zoe really hates Eva and keeps sending her to the Hell realm but Eva uses it to her advantage. They do that little fake out where you think that Eva solves the mystery of who set the fire in Zoe's nightmares and can get out alive but instead they just snap her neck real quick so that is fine. The scene in the hallway with Baby Zoe and Evil Zoe was really neat and fun so it felt kinda lame that it wasn’t “real” or whatever you would like to call it. In the end, Zoe lines up all her friends' corpses and starts to pump them full of serum to make an army of evil little serum babies. Yuck! Wack! Evil!

[gudgurkan]

A couple of my favourite drawings from 2024!

First off, one of the last drawings I did last year

And one of the earliest

I've worked a lot on the game Esoteric Ebb in 2024. Nessan is one of my favourites!

Another one for Esoteric Ebb I really like is Akzel!

The coolest character I drew for Esoteric Ebb is a secret one though 👀

My Kickstarter campaign for "The Cult of Dreams" was one of the biggest things happening for me in 2024. Thank you to everyone who backed!

Another one from The Cult of Dreams

Yet another!

I dabbled in sci-fi a bit too (looking to do more sci-fi in 2025)

And this!

Alternative history Sweden with airships

Thanks for enjoying what I've drawn in 2024! Let's have a great 2025 🔥

[moon-kissed-films]

Stills from the silent short film Le Voyage Dans la Lune "A Trip to the Moon" (1902).

[mysharona1987]

[yotsubafan420]

Mars Express (2023)

Probably one of my favourite new releases I’ve seen this year. Some really dynamic shots were done with this animation style. I found the world building so fun, like the way the futuristic technology was designed felt applicable to real world scenarios. Reminded me of Bladerunner and Ghost in the Shell movies but it also very much felt like its own story.

This movies from the same guy who did DYE Fantasy and like yeah you go man, keep em coming this was awesome.

[sombredancer]

Dark (2017-2020, Netflix)

Just rewatched Dark and I`m in love and in pain, pain, PAIN...

Beware of being heavily spoiled ahead.

The first painful question: would you save your father from sufferings, if it would mean for you to be erased from existence for good? (From this question on started my love for this show).

The second question: is it really wrong, to love someone you shouldn`t love? Will it cause the end of the world?

The desperate abduction. Oh, it was so beautiful!

The third question: will you really be happy with the truth about a time loop that you helped to build with your own hands, when you are able to see the whole picture?

At the end I felt sorry even for him. The fourth question: how does it feel, to try so hard to change your doom and save your loved ones, only to find out that you are the source of their most unbearable pain?

"You are a too good man. Always was. This world didn't deserve you." It's a story about an infinite pain of each and every character: Katharina, Ulrich, Claudia and H.G. Tannhaus, who loved their relatives too much; Hannah, who loved herself too much; Jonas, Mikkel, Martha, Hanno, Charlotte, Elisabeth, Peter, Egon and Helge, who fell victims of the time-travel paradox. It's funny that an insane love for a child launched this glitch in a matrix and another insane love for a child put it all to the end. A circle closed. Poetic.

The fifth question: would you fix the error in a matrix by self-sacrifice, if it would delete you and half of your nearest and dearest from existence but ends the never-ending circle of pain for others?

"We match perfectly. Never believe in anything else."

"The light glitched, there was a loud crack and then everything went dark. And somehow the world came to an end. There was dark and the light never came again. I had such a peculiar feeling like it was for the best. Like it was finally over. Like one was finally free from everything. Nothing to wish. Nothing to be obliged to do. An eternal dark. No yesterday. No now. No tomorrow. Nothing."

Finally, I should say that I'm very grateful to Germans for this series. I watched it in original in order to train my German AND because it was a very-very interesting show. Even when I watched it for the second time. One time is surely not enough for understanding of the plot, trust me.

[sffinsiders]

Review: Yield Under Great Persuasion by Alexandra Rowland — SFF Insiders

[franticvampirereads]

I loved this book so much. It was filled with all the political space drama I could ever want and just as much action to balance it out. I loved that Tennal was such a mess for most of the book and that Surit was his exact opposite. I loved when they argued, I loved when they were maliciously compliant with the law and also when they went rogue, and I loved when they became each other’s safe harbor. The other thing that I loved was that Tennal and Surit were both self sacrificing idiots in love. This was such a good read and I really want more of this complicated universe. Ocean’s Echo is getting five stars!

[platypusinplaid]

Who else got their mind consumed by god-killing homosexual war criminals this year?

[holdy-caulfield]

My review on Star Trek book:

Doctor’s Orders by Diana Duane.

Genre: hard sci fi

Pages: 291

Key words: worldbuilding, alien culture, time, strategies, psychology, Hippocratic Oath, linguistics, first time in command, stressful situations

Highlights: McCoy is in character, Kirk mostly, battle, crew work, humor, worldbuilding

Downsides: reason why McCoy is in command (unrealistic, OOC for Kirk), Spock & McCoy interactions (too friendly for them), lack of tension.

Vibe/tone: nerdy, light-hearted

With spoilers!

I really enjoy sci-fi as a whole genre, and the worldbuilding aspect is what has drawn me into Star Trek in the first place (second place was a video of Kirk and Spock). When it comes to fiction based on the franchise & fanfiction for me personally the most important aspects are canonical characters and accurate representation of their relationship.

I’ve heard a lot of positives about Diana Duane, so I was exited to get my hands on her books. Since McCoy is my favourite character, I decided to start with the book where he’s in a primal focus.

The premise seemed great. I was very curious how McCoy would behave as a commander of the ship, and I was particularly interested how he would handle Spock, as there were a few instances in the show where Spock and McCoy have been left without Kirk. The book cover showed Spock standing firmly next to our favourite doctor in the captain’s chair.

The idea itself is intriguing enough — what will be the difference in the decision making between a trained soldier and a doctor? The book excitingly starts with a Hippocratic Oath.

This book does feel like an episode. It’s relatively short, the whole action takes place in a span of a few days, it has an idealistic nature, and a perfectly good ending.

The dialogue and humor are good, manner of speech is convincing for each character, there’s a lot of strategic decisions during battle and I love watching/reading the whole crew working together as the whole.

The fact that McCoy is new to commanding helps the reader to understand what’s going on better and his decision making, it is easier to imagine how you’d feel in his shoes. The whole McCoy commanding aspect in my opinion was very in character.

The book has a lot of focus on the planetary species, human characters getting to know them better, studying them and discussing them from a scientific perspective (so, the book puts science into science fiction). It was a curious read, but I think it is not exactly for those who came for an action adventure. A bunch of scientists discussing species and linguistics is the bigger part of the book. I love this stuff as I said earlier, I personally could read all these discussions about interesting species and their culture forever, but I can imagine it can be boring for some (although IMO if you’re a ST fan you should expect this).

I quickly understood what’s going with them personally but there were some aspects which I didn’t quite understand or that were not explained enough. Why Ornae were building stuff? Maybe I’m forgetting something, but I don’t remember if they gave a clear answer. I also didn’t get why ;At would say yes in the end. It felt for me rather logical that they would say no. I didn’t feel that either Federation either the species would benefit in anything else then knowledge. Well, they could protect the planet, but… I thought ;At are a bit too powerful to really need extra protection.

There are also Klingons. I thought it was a very nice touch that doctor managed to find a common ground using psychology. It was funny, but also believable.

Klingons do not feel as a threat, well, not dangerous enough. Klingons’ motivation to be on the planet for me personally seemed not really satisfactory for a reader. It made them even less threatening (while they of course shouldn’t be exactly threatening, I just wished for more… spice).

I really did like the unexpected friendliness simply because McCoy is a professional medic and knows psychology, it’s very in character and canonical. I enjoyed the bits when he uses his profession to command and even as a moral compass.

My biggest issue was there was not enough tension. And it is primarily because of Spock.

It might be my own vision, but what I can judge from the show is that Spock and McCoy have a complicated relationship in the span of the series. Their philosophies opposite each other, while both characters are not so different as either McCoy or Spock would think (they both are very emphatic for example) so it creates this unique dynamic of a lot things being unsaid and truths ignored.

Most of the time when McCoy and Spock are left alone with each other, they start an argument and can say actually hurtful things to each other. It is quite obvious to me that Spock likes McCoy, while McCoy’s reaction to him is not exactly unambiguous. There should be tension. It what makes their relationship interesting.

In the book McCoy and Spock are as friendly as could be.

Of course there are a few funny moments, but for me there should be a lot more bickering, a lot more emotions involved around Kirk’s disappearance, and there could be just done more (for example, a danger which would force them to leave the orbit, but McCoy wants to stay to find Jim, and Spock is there to try to make him understand the logics and the fact that he feels that Jim is alright… ).

Kirk is there to balance Spock and McCoy out. The idea of McCoy being forced to rely on Spock with whom he disagrees mostly, or Spock relying on emotional McCoy is such an interesting concept, so it’s a pity for me I didn’t get this explored in the book.

Kirk isn’t in a real danger, which also makes it lack tension. But it’s probably my own issue, I like “damsel in distress” trope when it comes to strong characters like the Enterprise crew and the trio in particular.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Despite the lack of tension, there is some good dialogue, realistic approach to the idea of a medical doctor being in command, the battle is great & the worldbuilding is creative.

[monstermag]

Review: Electric Bones (2019-present)

by Hazel + Bell

Audience: Adult (18+) Genre: Sci-Fi Monsters: Robots Main Pairing: Human x Robot (m/m) Content Warnings: sex, violence

Summary: Enter a world of rogue robots and bratty rich kids, Electric Bones. Aboard a deep space cruise ship, Lucian encounters the last face he ever wanted to see: the robot who lost him dream job, Ezra. Except, Ezra doesn't recognize him at all. For now.

Review:  Electric Bones is a solid slow burn and is chock full of gorgeous artwork, charming characters, and an intriguing plot. Our protagonists won't be romantic partners anytime soon, but the chemistry between Ezra and Lucian is already tangible (mostly in the form of Lucian really wanting to sleep with Ezra).

I have already sent Ezra's many cute outfits to a friend of mine because he is always dressed to impress, and his intelligence is equally tangible. Despite Lucian ending up in an endless loop of misfortune by his own hands, it's clear that he has his own skills and resources in hand to get the job done. The central mysteries - Ezra's past, who blew up Echo Station, what Lucian intends to do with his life, and more - really help maintain interest and the way they intersect is endlessly engaging.

Recommended?: Definitely. The world is interesting, the characters have ever-evolving depth, and how often can I say the artwork is gorgeous!

Note: Electric Bones is an on-going series, and this reviewer last read Page 130. There are many way to read Electric Bones, but we recommend their Patreon first and foremost!! But you can also check it out on their website, Webtoon, and Tapas. We wouldn't typically point out sources, but independent artists have got to support fellow independent artists.

What should we review next?

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[spacevixenmusic]

NEW Review has been posted for "Dimension W"!

Read it here! [site is NSFW]

[g1rl-int3rupted]

The most depressing movie ever, killing myself fr

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

How successful would Crow T. Robot…

Would you like to submit a character? Click this link if you do!

[lifesarchive]

OUT THERE SCREAMING edited by JORDAN PEELE (REVIEW)

quickly: the ‘horrors’ of blackness have its natural and supernatural roots revealed (bad cop with a third eye / grandma’s love is deadly / wandering man running from nothing / in vivo alien invasion / unstable ex’s / sea siren with your sister’s face / dead man’s swamp revenge / serial killer targeting black robots / white men ruining the atmosphere / daddy’s secret / chaos in the dark / part woman part fish-devil / black magic as an HOA / grief and its blindness / games that ghosts play / negro folk tales as an american requiem / prison industrial complex goes A.I. / black magic as an addiction / whiteness as psyche and psychosis)

A fantastically original collection of short horror stories that span quite a range of horror sub-genres (sci-fi, thriller, romance, and even americana). All unapologetically Black. A superb addition to the limited number of Black horror anthologies (Tales from the Hood, anyone?).

My favorites were Wandering Devil (loverboy with wandering feet can outrun everyone but himself), The Rider (a dead man intervenes on behalf of two black women traveling alone), Flicker (an intermittent darkness unleashes chaos from the shadows), The Norwood Trouble (a group of black ‘practitioners’ will be damned if white rioters try to destroy their town), A Grief of The Dead (grief separates and reunites a pair of twin brothers), Your Happy Place (an incarcerated man must decide his reality after having it stolen from him), Hide & Seek (brothers learn to protect themselves with the same magic that wants to harm them).

★★★★★ Superb.

[andreai04]

“Every life changes the universe. Whether or not that life is yours.”