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Objet : Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
>Just expect that no matter how spectacular or how close to the book the
movie 
>Startide Rising is going to be, someone you know is going to say, "It was
OK. 
>What's next?"

The only way to avoid this would be to make a movie which has excellent an
excellent scenario, fun dialogues, great acting, a hint of symbolism.  If
the quality of the movie depends on the effects, of course it won't take 
long for it to be outdated.

I guess the best example of a science fiction movie that won't die is
_2001 : A Space Odyssey_.  It has an original storyline, good acting, a
fantastic soundtrack, and a finale that makes you go "What the ?!?"

Honestly, I don't believe that _Startide Rising_ can give birth to that
kind of a movie.  The story is too action driven.  It could be, however,
a movie on par with _Star Wars_.  Basically a good action movie with
believable characters.  What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and
the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters 
themselves.  Each main character has flaws : Luke is a somewhat gullible
idealist, Leia is a bit snobby and Han is arrogant.  Even the droids are
quirky.  We love them because of that.  _Star Wars_ is at its best in
_The Empire Strikes Back_ when Han is about to be frozen and Leia admits 
to loving him: Han answers "I know."  Neither we or Leia would love him
as much if he had answered anything else.

I haven't read _Startide Rising_ in a long time, so I won't go into detail
about the characters.  I just think that there is a need to establish that
the clients of humanity should appear to be a bit inferior to the humans,
except for the truly exceptional like Credeiki and the chimp.  Even they,
and the humans, need their flaws so that the public can identify with them
and truly feel the tragedy of losing Credeiki and the heroicness of the 
crew in general.

Jean-Louis Couturier
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