Sci-fi is now kiddies' world.

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2001)

From "Star Wars " onwards,sci-fi became the most popular genre for a while.It as a return to simplicity,in spite of the huge special effects.Actually,the screenplay could have been written by a ten-year old,and the characters ,stereotyped and Manichean ,will not do any harm,will not raise intellectual dilemma.Princess Leia Organa is totally sexless and seems to come from some forgotten fairy tale.Luke is a pale shadow from a knight of the round tables without a Graal to conquer,and Han Solo is the masculine raider we've already seen in a lot of movies. Humor,like in Fredric's Brown tales?none,unless the two robots count. Mystery ,like in AC Clarke's 2001?none,unless Darth Vader 's hidden identity counts? The last quarter of the movie recalls a giant video game. After "star wars"(and close encounters of the third kind) ,intellectual sci-fi was over the hill;now two kinds would share the market between them:the harmless sci-fi for toddlers and brats(Star War saga,ET,the black hole)and the horrific ,brainless and witless sci-fi (Alien and sequels)"2001" became an ET movie and its overwhelming genius did not influence anymore,alas.