Sci-Fi Goin' cheap on Sci-fi series n' films

[sci-fi-dude]

I figured I would throw this one out there. Going cheap on your favorite sci-fi series and films. I saw the war of the worlds back in the 80's it was a series where they hardly showed the tri-pods, it pretended to have the aliens in human form, cheap, and the plot took too long to get to the point. The latest Battle star galactica series also, the cylons, they are now humans, talk about going on the cheap. LOL! I reckon later on they started Cg'ing the metal ones during the latter half of the film series. Heck the Cylons on the original series was the main reason I watched it.

<<<from this, to

<<<to this, ill admit she's cute, but cmon, that's going on the cheap. Name and illustrate your disappointing sci-fi series and films, and ill have a chuckle......

 

[ByGoneYrs]

I liked the Old Shows Cylons myself, but then I liked the upgraded Mechanical New Show Cylons as well too. I also liked the fact in the old show the Cylons were another race and their machines were still fighting on. I hated the fact that machines would want to become human, but wanted to kill off the humans too. They always have to change things and screw up things. There are many things that are different between the Old show and New show. It is people like myself that grew up with the Old BSG show and were the fan based that kept it alive and allowed them to make the New BSG show. Then to screw over the old fans and alter so many different things was to much.

 

[Tom]

Science fiction television was always cheap when I was growing up.
Its still cheap sometimes. Cheap doesn't always mean bad.
From Star Trek to the Expanse, bumpy head aliens to overused cliche plot points.
The state of the art changes but the stories are redundant.
In the older days some graphics had to be cheap and simple because not only was the technology to create limited, the money bags that determined if a show would remain had shallow pockets. They wanted more bang for the buck so the skimped on the sets and effects. Star popularity carried a lot of shows.

I really liked the Outer Limits. Both the old and the new one. I'd love to see a newer Outer Limits show made.
Sure its effects were cheap but it did explore interesting science fiction concepts and the new one added lessons in humanity.

You walk thru any department store's magazine section and you are hard pressed to find any science fiction short story trade magazine now days. Oh, you might find one or two but I remember row after row of them.
You can still find flash scifi stories online but they are not as mainstreamed as they once were so a lot of the best stories are lost to a smaller audience and not brought to the silver screen.

I've read opinions that state science fiction stories are supposed to reflect current society and society's issues. I say BUNK. Science fiction is supposed to 'wow' and inspire creativity and innovation. You take anything on screen, movie or show, and you can predict how the story will unfold.
Those two are going to have a fling or a love interest, but it will have problems. Some other guy or gal is going to interfere with their love, there will be a conflict.
This guy is the bad guy, but he isn't but really he is.
This technology will cause something bad to happen, but they will fix it, just in time to save the day.
They meet up with something alien but they find they have more in common than not.

Personally its not the cheap graphics that disturbs me it is the cheap writing and situations that turns me off. So many shows could be really good but they screw it up in the writing department because the writers are either too lazy and uncreative or the executives holding the purse strings decide the story so in their minds it can have a good payoff. Understandable, the show needs to make money.
What gets me is that people are being 'tuned' to a specific idea of what science fiction is, like the Syfy channel and they are being robbed of the wonder and awe of really good science fiction.

In the words of V'ger: Is this all that there is? Is there nothing more?

 

[ByGoneYrs]

Lost in Space special effects were the worse, even some of the old Dr. Who stuff was also bad too!!!

 

[sci-fi-dude]

I love the Vger refrence.....lol

 

[sci-fi-dude]

I loved Mstk 3000, and Son of Svengoolie, they pointed out how cheap, cheap is. There was a movie where the monsters were pretty scary, from the 60's, where there was a scene of them chasing the actors through the woods, they stopped the camera and found one blubber monster just wearing a mask, and you can clearly see his jeans, and tee shirt, LOL!

 

[sci-fi-dude]

Son of Svengoolie, just like Mstk 3000, fun watching, and classic jokes....

 

[sci-fi-dude]

Keep it cheap baby!

 

[Verna]

(Shameless plug coming)

We grew up in the 60's, a time we call the golden age of sci-fi, (B-grade) most was B&W and low budget. Some shows / movies were low budget, some were not but we loved them all, especially about space, i.e. Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, etc.

Our series is written as B-grade sci-fi for that reason. There were many cheesy films but some were very well done and still on a low budget. Original Star trek is still a great show with great characters, great writing (mostly) and the special effects are still among the best.

Too many films and TV series now rely too much on CGI to carry the show. I think that's why I'm turned off by the latest Trek, Star Wars, etc. Jar Jar killed Star Wars for me. I didn't go to see it again (17 years) until the one where they killed off Hans Solo. And that's something that really ticks me off. When you have to kill off a main character or blow up the ship (newer Trek movies) to put butts in seats, you're pretty much done. I might, just might, watch them for free on TV once, but not like the great ones we watch over and over.

To me ORIGINAL will always beat out remakes, prequels, and next generation of anything.

 

[sci-fi-dude]

(Shameless plug coming)

We grew up in the 60's, a time we call the golden age of sci-fi, (B-grade) most was B&W and low budget. Some shows / movies were low budget, some were not but we loved them all, especially about space, i.e. Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, etc.

Our series is written as B-grade sci-fi for that reason. There were many cheesy films but some were very well done and still on a low budget. Original Star trek is still a great show with great characters, great writing (mostly) and the special effects are still among the best.

Too many films and TV series now rely too much on CGI to carry the show. I think that's why I'm turned off by the latest Trek, Star Wars, etc. Jar Jar killed Star Wars for me. I didn't go to see it again (17 years) until the one where they killed off Hans Solo. And that's something that really ticks me off. When you have to kill off a main character or blow up the ship (newer Trek movies) to put butts in seats, you're pretty much done. I might, just might, watch them for free on TV once, but not like the great ones we watch over and over.

To me the original films will always beat out remakes, prequels, and next generation of anything.

Star Wars Empire strikes out, the Ewocks did it for me, Little Muppets defeating the empire? LOL. I think the passing of Han Solo was opening up a door for new pc characters? CGI is the rule of the game today, no real script or acting here. Han was truly the man. I saw a scene on one of the new star wars where Darth Vader bumped into some one on the ship and threw a temper tantrum. The first Darth Vader would never throw a temper tantrum, LOL! He was big, bad, rough and tuff. And then there was the youth of Vader, again another temper tantrum throwing character? Not Vader, as a kid he was supposed to be mellow, but foolish. LOL@ Jar Jar! A Jamacian alien? He should have been smoking ganga or something. I think the clone bores got me, It should have been called "redistricting of the planets" lol.

 

[Verna]

When it comes to the clone stuff Nancy Reagan said it best, "Just say no!"

 

[sci-fi-dude]

When it comes to the clone stuff Nancy Reagan said it best, "Just say no!"

And remember the 70's song, "Send in the clones, there's got to be clones, thaaaayyy areeee already hereeeee." Thank you, thank you...

 

[Verna]

 

[sci-fi-dude]

View attachment 13071

LOL!

Taaa, taa, taaa.....

 

[sci-fi-dude]

But the old classics like Lost in Space, and any Godzilla film make for great Saturday morning watching, cell phone off, hot bowl of soup, crackers, and some 7-up, and later some popcorn. Good way to forget your work week! Even if you have an erratic schedule like mine...