The Shape of Water: a magic realist mash-up of several genres lays on the identity politics and self-indulgence thickly
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” (2017) Inspired by the famous Hollywood classic “The
Tag: Science Fiction Films
“Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” – a futuristic setting for a police-state society beset by political rivalries
Charles Norton, “Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” (animated version, 2016) Originally filmed in
Downsizing: an uneven satirical science fiction comedy commenting on various social, economic and political issues
Alexander Payne, “Downsizing” (2017) For most viewers, perhaps the more interesting part of this long
Animation and live action make “Doctor Who: Shada” a better story than the original plot would suggest
Pennant Roberts, “Doctor Who: Shada” (2017) Not often do particular adventures in the long-running “Doctor
Ghost in the Shell (dir. Rupert Sanders): generic origin story makes anime adaptation tired and formulaic
Rupert Sanders, “Ghost in the Shell” (2017) In adapting a major Japanese anime series into
Blade Runner 2049: an absorbing and leisurely film on future societal trends despite a thin plot and lack-lustre characters
Denis Villeneuve, “Blade Runner 2049” (2017) In its own leisurely way, “Blade Runner 2049” is
French and French-language Films | Middle Eastern Films
The Congress: good ideas and astute criticism of Hollywood and technology undone by a confused narrative
Ari Folman, “The Congress” (2013) Partly based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel “The Futurological Congress”, in
Mash-up of all previous Alien franchise flicks delivers an uneven story in “Alien: Covenant”
Ridley Scott, “Alien: Covenant” (2017) British director Ridley Scott must have taken all the criticisms
Galaxy Quest: affectionate homage and spoof maintains the values of altruism, quest for knowledge and defending the underdog
Dean Parisot, “Galaxy Quest” (1999) Conceived as a homage to and spoof of the famous
High-Rise: an attempt to criticise Western and British society results in a collection of boring soap opera sub-plots
Ben Wheatley, “High-Rise” (2015) British author J G Ballard’s novels and short stories are famous