I was never one for all the techincal hullaballoo when it came to the visual effects, makeup and science of films. That is, until I saw Terminator 2. I absolutely love the T-1000’s (played by Robert Patrick) character. Not so much the killing of innocent people, but just how he looked on screen. The visuals were convincing in that I couldn’t see the proverbial strings pulling the puppet. Anyway, ever since, I actually pay attention to sci-tech stuff, makeup and the visual effects of a film when set in other times, especially the future.

Anyway, in no particluar order, here are some of my favorite sci-tech creatures and makeup jobs:

• Robots from I-Robot
  The film based on Asamov’s Robot series, I-Robot starring Will Smith was a dsiappointment because it starred Will Smith. Smith has the tendency to weigh down a film with his unncessessary and heavy handed humor, “black” jokes and inescapable ego. The humility and purity of his acting went south after Six Degrees of Separation which he acted quite well in. Nonetheless, I liked the film because the robots were amazing. Human face but robot bodies. The white celluloid, the blue metal, the exposed but not too exposed wiring, the human facial exspressions all came together not to mistake the robots as humans but accept them as almost another race living among the humans in the story. Which is the basic theme of Asimov’s Robot series. The way the robots moved about were both human and robotic, and still graceful for robots. Just amazing!
• Werewolf/Vampire Hybrid, Michael Corvin from Underworld
  When Michael Corvin, played by the hottie Scott Speedman (Felicity, 24th Day), turns into a werewolf vampire hybrid towards the end of Underworld, I thought I’d never seen a more beautiful hybrid creature. I’ve always loved vampire films since watching Interview with the Vampire and reading some of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Vampires seem quite romantic to me. I mean, the idea of living forever, young and beautiful. What’s not to love. Oh, yes, the whole drinking human blood thing. Well, I pretend not to have issue with that in my fantasy. I’ve never been one for werewolf films though. Nothing romantic in turning into a hairy beast and howling at a full moon, is there? Anywho, I thought the the idea of vampires and werewolves being at war with each other was very intriguing. Usually you see a vampire film or a werewolf film, not a film about both. And the idea of a vampire/werewolf hybrid intrigued even more. I couldn’t imagine what such a creature would look like. Corvin’s makeup is just amazing. The dark, almost alabaster skin, pointy teeth, black eyes, werewolf nose, claws like long thin knives, and abs cut like a triathlete on elephant dose steroids (ala werewolf), and strength more powerful than either werewolf or vampire, makes for one hell of a hot hybrid. Not that Speedman needs assistance in the hot arena.
• T-1000 from The Terminator 2
  Though Edward Furlong was awkward to watch as he seems to go through puberty right in front of us, The Terminator 2, for an early 90s films was quite good. Especially considering the great improvement in special effects between 1984 (when the original was released) and 1991 (when this sequel was released). Anyway, Robert Patrick’s character, T-1000, a futuristic robot like thing that can turn itself into anyone but whose base make up is some sort of shiny regenerative alloy. Of course special effects have advances in leaps and bounds since 1991, but I thought the T-1000 was the cats meow then, I still think it purrs a bit now.
• The “Aliens” from The Abyss
  What makes the neon glowing underwater alien creatures from The Abyss so intriguing is that there are actual underwater creatures that look very similar to those in the movie. They glow and live miles and miles and miles beneath the ocean’s surface. The Abyss, like all Cameron films, is cheesy at times…well, at most times, but it’s a good movie mostly due to the concept. You think aliens, you look to the sky. But, in The Abyss, Cameron looks to the ocean. Why not? Ocean life is, at least to many of us, as mysterious and fascinating as extraterrestrial life. Anyway, these underwater aliens are celestial, beautiful liquid creatures with pink glowing insides. Quite lovely. I’d rather have aliens that look like these visiting us than the typical ones you see depicted on screen. You know, big heads, big eyes, slimy, etc.
• Diva Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element
  The Fifth Element has some of the most bizarre aliens and futuristic human beings I’ve ever seen in film. Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (played by Gary Oldman), Ruby Rhod (played by Chris Tucker) and Leeloo (played by Milla Jovovich) are all very bizarre and yet totally watchable human characters that make the film so fun to watch. And though there were some very bizarre looking alien creatures, the most bizarre but still intriguing was Diva Plavalaguna. She’s very tall, very blue, majestic, and has a head like a squid, tendrils and all. She sings too. And beautifully. Like an opera star with pop. Watching Fifth Element for the first time, you’ll be as captivated by her image, presence and singing as the aduience in the film is just as she steps on stage to perform a pop-operatic that’s quite lovely, but bizarre.
• Mystique, Sabretooth, Angel from X-Men series
  What makes X-Men so fun and fascinating is that there are just so many X-men characters with so many interesting gifts/mutations, it’s exciting to see them made into reality. Granted, superhero comics made into films can bomb quite easily because some comics just cannot translate well into real life characters. Plus, to play a comic character, you got to be, at the very least, an above average actor who can keep away from the cheesy, tight spandex or none. Elektra, Daredevil, Spiderman…all to hokey for me. But, Bryan Singer being Bryan Singer brought human elements to the characters which makes them more convincing as humans who suffered mutations rather than mutants with human tendencies which a medicore director and writer would portray. Anyway, my favorite is Wolverine, of course. But, the most interesting looking mutants who caught my attention are Mystique, Sabretooth and Angel. Mystique ’cause she’s blue all over, has cat like eyes and really serves her name. She doesn’t look like anything in particular. She is mysterious. Plus, who wouldn’t want the ability to turn into any one they want. Sabretooth is one of my favorites. He looks like a cross between a primortal being and a lion. He’s big and hairy and doesn’t speak much but roars plenty. The roar is amazing to hear. The character is almost likeable. Then there’s Angel. I like Angel because he can fly and because his wings look like they’re a burden to wear. In my recollections of winged human creatures in films, the wings don’t seem a burden though they span what seems like miles. The way the Angel character is designed, he looks like what I imagine a human would actually look like if he had wings and could fly.