Good Science Fiction

If October is the month for horror movies then surely November is the best time of the year to celebrate Science Fiction. When celebrating science fiction it is important to note that not all science fiction is good science fiction. Not everything is Star Wars and it’s important to keep that in mind when renting/downloading random science fiction films. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give random films a chance, just because they’re NOT Star Wars – it just means that you have to lower the bar when you’re watching something from the nerdiest genre available and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised when something surpasses your expectations.

Anna Faris (House Bunny) and Chris O'Dowd (IT Crowd) IN THE SAME MOVIE!

The reason why I’m ranting on and on about Science Fiction is because I just saw one of the best films about time travel since “Primer“. The film involves a group of three nerdy men, having a pint at the pub and talking about time travel. One of them goes to pick up a round at the bar and runs into Anna Faris, who claims she’s from the future. They have a conversation and then go their separate ways. When the guy comes back with the rounds he accuses his friends of setting up the “chance-encounter” with the future woman. Two pages of script later, he realizes it wasn’t a prank, and Anna Faris really was from the future.

some dude, Chris O'Dowd, some other dude.

This is only the beginning of “Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel“, which is one of the most entertaining and interesting interpretations of time travel and chaos theory ever displayed in film. The film is co-produced by HBO and BBC1, which is why it stars both Anna Faris and Chris O’Dowd (Roy from IT Crowd).

stabby, stabby, stab, stab

The reason why “Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel” is exceptional is because of its focused, precise storytelling. The film never bites off more than it can chew, it never becomes hard to digest and after it’s over you – it leaves you hungry for more. I’m not writing that just because I’m starving. I’m writing it because good science fiction, like all movies, knows that sometimes explaining something can ruin it.

Worthless Garbage

Let’s take a look at a piece-of-shit-movie like the recent “Terminator: Salvation“. The explanation of the great future war was not only a boring watch, but also ruined the original movies a little bit by making the driving force behind them a lackluster event. The explanation was piss-poor by any standard, but even if it was a well-made film, people would still react poorly to it because the imagination of an audience is far superior to the special effects that even seventy-billion dollars can buy. “Terminator: Salvation” pales in comparison to “Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel” because the latter of the two realizes that an explanation of events will only bog down the plot instead of furthering it into exciting territories. I would also cast Chris O’Dowd over Christian Bale any day of the week.

Absolutely Awesome

I absolutely recommend “Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel”, but don’t expect a big budget and awesome special effects. Just expect good Science Fiction – you deserve it.