Supernova

If imitation really is the sincerest flattery, then the makers of every hit futuristic/deep-space movie must be painfully flattered by director Thomas Lee's latest offering to the genre. Instead of HAL, the ship computer turned killer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Supernova has Sweetie, whose human qualities serve only to make her a more enthusiastic chess player. Alien's kick-ass heroine, Ripley, is revived in not-so-kick-ass Officer Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett, who made the mistake of picking this as her "branch out" movie). And Peter Facinelli's alien-infected Carl Larson sports the steady sneer and regenerative abilities that are common to sci-fi antagonists, including the second Terminator.

By relying on gimmicks borrowed from its obvious influences, Supernova dispenses with imaginative storylines and character development to make room for big special effects and gratuitous sex scenes. From the moment co-pilot Nick Vanzant (James Spader), a loner ex-drug addict (as with many other details in the film, we never find out why this is important), boards the rescue vessel Nightingale saying he likes deep space "because it's quiet," the film plunges into comfortable formula: crew answers distress signal, suspicious stranger comes aboard, crew members turn against one another, etc. etc. The title's phenomenon never actually makes an appearance, but it does threaten to consume Earth and obliterate life as we know it. We can only hope that won't provide an excuse for a sequel.

-- Jumana Farouky