Science Fiction – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘Companion’ is an enjoyable frenzy of horror, heart and humor

This is why there was a PSA in “Futurama” with the warning “DON’T DATE ROBOTS.”

The titular companion in this sci-fi feature is Iris (Sophie Thatcher), a young woman who’s going on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid). They’re staying with two couples Josh is friends with, Patrick and Eli, as well as Kat and Sergey.

Unbeknownst to Iris, though, is the fact that she’s actually a robot, built, designed and programmed to be a romantic partner. That fact is eventually revealed to her in the process of the friend group enacting a scheme to get rich, which puts her in danger.

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REVIEW: In taking new genre path, ‘M3GAN’ sequel loses original charm

The robot that became a social media sensation in 2022 is back, this time with martial arts skills and a whole lot of exposition.

A sequel, “M3GAN 2.0” takes place two years after the events of the first film. Gemma and Cady continue to live together, with the former now advocating for AI regulations while the latter still struggles to fully fit in. Meanwhile, a new robot, unbeknownst to the protagonists, escapes from its programmers and goes rogue.

With the robot, named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) now a threat, and the government suspecting Gemma is behind it, she, Cady and company have to go back to M3GAN for help. Surviving in cyberspace, M3GAN (Amie Donald) agrees, and she still has some of her attitude and sass.

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REVIEW: ‘Mickey 17’ is a clumsy creation from Bong Joon-ho

Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up to “Parasite” is unfortunately, no awards contender.

The latest from the South Korean filmmaker is a dark sci-fi action-comedy centered on the character Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson). Needing to flee Earth because of a loan shark, Mickey boarded a spacecraft to a new planet, and took a job known as Expendable, where he does repairs in awful conditions.

In the case of death, his memories and personality has been downloaded, and his body can be recreated, allowing him to live on. The movie picks up with Mickey now on body 17 and surviving a dangerous incident where he should have died. As a result, an 18^th Mickey is made. In doing so, their combined presence alters the course of the future for the a space colony.

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REVIEW: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a spectacular, emotional adventure

After every stumble, Dreamworks Animation always seems to get back on track. It’s done so again, following up the disappointing “Kung Fu Panda 4” with a movie that could win the animation Oscar.

Set in the future, “The Wild Robot” centers on its follows its titular character, known initially as ROZZUM Unit 7134, (Lupita Nyong’o), who washes up on an island only inhabited by animals after a failed delivery. Though it takes some time, her processing power eventually allows her to speak with the island’s animals.

Unfortunately, her attempts to befriend the animals and help them with their tasks don’t go well. That is until she finds a lone goose egg and decides to raise the young bird inside. Along the way, she gets help from a red fox (Pedro Pascal) who’s mischievous at first but soon becomes a loyal friend.

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REVIEW: ‘Megalopolis’ is a mega misstep for Coppola

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film was an ambitious project, huge in scope and scale. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit of an unmitigated disaster

“Megalopolis” is a film that blends political drama and science fiction. The movie is set in the sprawling city of New Rome, the epicenter of the American Republic. Outwardly, it has all the looks of New York City, but inside, it has aesthetics and fashion reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The film centers on Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect hoping to build a biomechanical utopia via new technology. He’s challenged, though, by Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), and his cousin Clodio (Shia LaBeouf). Though he has support from his uncle Crassus III (Jon Voight).

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REVIEW: ‘Dune’ sequel is an exceptional sci-fi epic

Add one more to the bandwagon, “Dune: Part Two” has won another person over to the franchise.

“Part Two” picks up not too long after the conclusion of the first film. Paul (Timothée Chalamet), heir to the now destroyed House Atreides, along with his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are seeking refuge with the local inhabitants of the sand planet Arrakis.

Those inhabitants, the Fremen, are split on the newcomer, some trusting Paul and seeing him as a potential savior and others who are leery. He begins earning their trust, though, as he helps them fight against the ruthless House Harkonnen for control of Arrakis.

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REVIEW: ‘Guardians 3’ is a bit of good, a bit of bad, and a bit of both

Director James Gunn has given us one last ride with the “Guardians” before he ships off from Marvel to DC.

It may not be on the level of the first two, but it’s nice to see these characters again.

This time around, the crew is setting up a new shop on the world Knowhere. Well, most of the crew is. The captain of the Guardians, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), is in a rough spot. While it’s been some time, he’s still mourning the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who was killed in the Infinity War.

Peter is thrust into action quickly, though, when an unknown being attacks, specifically targeting crew-member Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Rocket is severely injured and to save him, the Guardians have to take on a powerful foe who is connected to the raccoon’s history. As part of the mission, the Guardians get help from an alternate Gamora, who came from a different timeline.

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REVIEW: ‘Strange World’ is Disney’s weakest effort in recent memory

I’m not going to lie. When this film reached the halfway point and a character said he saw something cute that could be a merchandising opportunity, I considered walking out.

“Strange World” centers on a community surrounded by seemingly impassable mountains. That doesn’t deter fearless explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid), though, who gets lost in the mountains trying to find a way out. His son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) never shared his father’s quest for exploration, and instead became a farmer of a valuable natural resource.

However, when that resource becomes threatened, he joins an expedition underneath the mountains to a strange subterranean area with his own son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White). As it turns out, it’s where Jaeger has been the whole time.

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REVIEW: Yearning for more from ‘Lightyear’

“Lightyear” may feature rocket ships that can reach incredible heights, but the movie itself can’t manage to get a high rating.

As the film points out at the very start, “Lightyear” is a movie released in the “Toy Story” universe that Andy watched before getting his Buzz Lightyear action figure. The film tells the story of how Lightyear is a space ranger who was part of a mission that went wrong.

The botched mission caused him and several others aboard a massive ship to become stranded on an alien world. To leave the planet, Buzz (Chris Evans) begins testing hyperspace fuel cells in single-man ships to try and find a way to leave the planet, but doing so causes him to go years into the future.

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