Lab Rat: an investigation into what it means to be human
Nour Wazzi, “Lab Rat” (2019) Initially the plot seems familiar to the point of banality: three scientists working for a robotics firm are suddenly trapped in…
nausika
Eve: choosing between freedom, compassion and responsibility makes an android more human than humans
Josh Bowman, “Eve” (2019) A character-driven sci-fi story with good acting and a strong visual look with a desert setting doesn’t need a fancy budget or…
Satori [Awakening]: post-apocalypse film very much asleep under character stereotypes and a boring plot
Adam K Batchelor, “Satori [Awakening]” (2020) An original and ambitious idea of an Earth re-engineered by Artificial Intelligence to reverse environmental degradation, combined perhaps with genetic…
End of Decay: pulpy body-horror adaptation of Frankenstein story
Christopher Todd, “End of Decay” (2017) A pulpy body-horror update on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” novel, this short film has the sketchy and…
Lucid: horror sci-fi dealing with cyber-addiction, escapism and technology shaping human psychology
Jamie Monahan, “Lucid” (2018) The film’s title refers to so-called lucid dreams in which the dreamer is aware that s/he is dreaming, that the action in…
Australian and New Zealand Films, Northern European Films
The Swedish Model: a shallow and unedifying view of Sweden’s no-lockdown COVID-19 strategy
“The Swedish Model” (Foreign Correspondent, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 30 June 2020) In March 2020, when the SARS-CoV-2 virus had been circulating in Europe for at least…
Outpost: a skimpy plot redeemed by skillful acting, good sets and an uplifting theme of hope and love
Justin Giddings, Ryan Welsh, “Outpost” (2020) On the very edge of the known universe, the last survivor of Earth’s Interplanetary Diplomatic Service, a fellow known as…
Hashtag: smartly presented and concise film on social media as psychological prisons
Ben Alpi, “Hashtag” (2015) A smartly presented sci-fi short, “Hashtag” demonstrates how a science fiction film made with a tiny budget and minimal special effects can…
Laws of the Universe: justice working out in mysterious ways
Chris Mangano, “Laws of the Universe” (2019) As is usually the case with sci-fi film shorts uploaded to Youtube by DUST, this film makes up for…
North American Films, Southeast Asian Films
The American Military Retreat from Vietnam: a general history of the prolonged end of the Vietnam War
Carlton Meyer, “The American Military Retreat from Vietnam” (Tales of the American Empire, 19 June 2020) This video serves mainly as a retelling of the significant…