The staggering figures surrounding the sensation which is Avatar , the latest James Cameron movie, ought to be well known to all of us as of today.  The motion picture began breaking records almost from the first day of release, with $27 million taken on its starting day and $77 by the conclusion of its opening weekend at the box office in the usa.   The statistics were also rather extraordinary around the rest of the planet with over $20 million taken in the starting weekends in both Russia and France and over $10 million in the likes of the UK, Germany plus a handful of others.

Following on from the opening weekends the film just continued growing, amassing unbelievable box office statistics around the world.  Therefore, for those who haven’t experienced the motion picture with the blue guys in it yet you are seemingly in the minority!

Avatar also did pretty very well when it comes to critical acclaim and award nominations.  The film finished up getting 3 Academy Awards from the possible 9 it was nominated for – an impressive haul – so it was not only the general population that valued the motion picture, but in addition the industry itself.

Soon to follow something that acquires this degree of public attention is naturally large amounts of branded items, and Avatar was no exception.  Matel, the toy leaders, were quick to unveil a variety of Avatar based Action Figures which were introduced in December 2009.  These action figures each include a distinctive weapon or accessory and a character unique i-Tag that you can scan with a webcam and then do stuff on the internet.  McDonald’s also released a range of action figures in their Happy Meals.

With Avatar becoming history, what’s next?  As it happens, James Cameron never saw Avatar as a one off, so there is talk of at least two sequels.

Both producer Jon Landau and James Cameron himself are currently pretty busy supporting the freight train that the Avatar franchise is becoming.  There is much work being carried out to aid the numerous special editions of the movie that are yet to be released on Blue-Ray etc.  As a result, it could be a while before even the initial sequel hits the movies – that hasn’t however stopped the media beginning to ramp up already on precisely what the new movie will include.  If you still haven’t had your fill of the first Avatar it’s recent release on Blu-Ray will allow you to watch again and again prior to more details of the sequels leak out.

Both Cameron and Landau admit it shouldn’t be as difficult to create a further Avatar, though Landau is cited as saying ‘… we know that whatever movie he Cameron does is not going to be done in six months’ so I guess we’d better not get our hopes up too soon.  On a better note, there is no doubt the initial film left plenty of scope for a thrilling follow-up.  So with any luck the wait will be worthwhile.

By Andrew Hawnt

JJ Abram’s new Star Trek movie has indeed done the unthinkable and rejuvenated the ailing Star Trek franchise. With an all new cast (bar one awesome guest star), a bold new direction and production values that are far beyond anything ever seen in a Star Trek film before, the classic icon of space-based Science Fiction entertainment is reborn for a new generation.

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By Clarke Baldwin

Firstly, it’s good to recognize that there would be no Star Wars without Lucas. That said, the idea that Lucas birthed has taken a life of it’s own, branching off franchises worth billions of dollars in gaming, memorabilia, TV shows, and many other areas of life. From Star Wars bedding to Star Wars t-shirts, the influence of the artwork that his mind created has inspired a generation.

Some may argue, to such a point that it is the generation who have now taken possession of the true idea of what is “Star Wars”. When Lucas decided to start directing the prequels, many fans rejoiced, only to later flee in horror at what was to take place.

First, it is worth nothing that Lucas did not direct much of the original Star Wars series. One might dare say he was relegated to the role of a screenplay writer with little much else. The producers had the ultimate say, and had definitely helped to take Star Wars in a much different direction than what Lucas had intended.

Not so, the second time around, and perhaps with devastating results. Star Wars had become Lucas’ playground for his imagination and whatever desires he wanted. His little daughter liked boy band N’sync, so Lucas thought he had the right to allow N’sync members to become Jedi in the film. Despite the often bad image given to executive producers as being “corporate fat cats”, had producers been still in charge of the Star Wars series’ direction, this type of insanity would have never come to pass.

So outraged were the fans that tens of thousands signed petitions to stop him. They succeeded in preventing what they viewed as an assault on the series by the creator himself. At the very least Justin Timberlake was not seen waving light sabers. But fans were in for a surprise of a different sort.

Whatever anyone may think of Jar Jar, even George Lucas himself conceded the massive damage done to the series by the two eyed and perhaps even mentally ill creature, by removing him from the next parts of the series after protests against his inclusion had swelled in size. A cut of the film without Jar Jar has been released by fans, and it seems notably improved from the original cut. The decision by Lucas may have had more to do with his family and his own desires than anything else. The presence of Jar Jar was severely reduced, to some fans relief, but for many the series had died the moment Jar Jar set foot on the screen.

Perhaps George Lucas has lost all touch with the fan base. George once said at a luncheon that the Empire Strikes Back was the worst Star Wars, despite the fact that many if not most Star Wars fans consider it to be the greatest.

Clarke Baldwin is a journalist who has worked for Dallas Morning News and other publications. You can find his site at Quick Flash News and this story at How George Lucas Killed Star Wars in Movies

By Joel Owens

There have been so many science fiction shows out there; there was star wars, star trek, and every other space show that came out of the wood work after that. The news Battlestar Galactica is not for the weak of heart nor is it for the weak of stomach. But most of all, it’s a show that is not for the weak of mind. Only those who can appreciate to complex nature of the political overtones and undertones in this show will actually like it. Not only that, there are so many moral questions that are constantly being brought up and out at every frakking episode of this show. If you are not wise enough to appreciate philosophical questions of ethics and humanity, then this show is not for you.

One of the most prevalent or used up theme in the show is the question of what is it that defines humanity? What is a person? Are aliens people too? Is it wrong to kill aliens? Can a robot possibly be considered as a full fledged person if it can think for itself, if it has emotions and can feel, and if it looked exactly looked and feels like a human person (in bed)? What if it can only think but still has a very well formed sense of self and purpose? Battlestar Galactica is the most mind frakking science fiction show, scratch that, it’s the most mind frakking show period.

Well, now that we are in the point where the last three episodes are coming, it all feels so exciting. It’s time to say farewell to our favorite characters, to Adama, Starbuck, Roslin, and the walking toasters. All the fans are hoping to get all the answers to the mysteries that have been looming through the show before Caprica.

There are many reports that the Battlestar Galactica final episode will actually be 3 hours and will be a two part thing. The first of the one hour long episode is titled Daybreak and it will be shown in the usual time (that’s ten at night) on March 13. Then, the Sci Fi network will show the remaining two hours on March 20. The episode on March thirteen will be replayed right before eight at night on March twenty. This means that some of you could watch the whole thing straight through in one sitting.

In the final analysis, this three hours final episode is made up of three episodes that continue right where the story is left. I suppose that would be fine for most of the Battlestar Galactica fans out there. All I know is that thank goodness Ron Moore did not try to finish the whole thing in only one hour. I mean, just think about all the open ends that needs to be tied up neatly. There is no way that the whole series can be rightfully and satisfyingly ended in a compressed hour. The fans would riot if that ever happened. I mean, the show is already showing signs of being cut too short. There are things in the past few episodes that show how they have been pressed for time trying to wrap things up. Thank goodness for the producers foresight.

Let’s talk about movies

By
Joe Owens

First of all, let me just clarify that this compilation does not focus on is not about the popularity of the Sci-Fi franchise. If that was the case, this list would look very different (Battlestar Galactica wouldn’t have ranked so high). The main concern in this list is how artful the whole series was executed. How good the story and other elements are. Still, popularity does take a lot of bearing in the criteria used for judging and finally awarding TOP 4 Sci-Fi Franchises of All Time.

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