This movie was a joy to watch. The sci-fi side of things was a bit silly, but the characters were wonderful.

(A much more enjoyable film to watch than the latest Star Wars.)

Ha!
Sci-fi channel makes these constantly....or at least airs them. They're usually a few rungs below the likes of Sharknado with 1990 videotoaster graphics and pure ripoff plots.

I'm a total self-confessed geek. I play video games, I like sci-fi, Star Wars AND Star Trek and I was even given a Lego Saturn V for my 40th by my friends who are also geeks. Hell, I work as a computer programmer.

I should find this show hilarious.

But I hate it.

Aside from the creepy undertones, it's a really tired stereotype. Yeah, I'm a geek and I like geek things, but I'm also a martial artist, a snowboarder and a mountain biker. And the same is true of all my "geek" friends. The idea that just because you like comic books means you're Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons hasn't been true for decades.

I literally don't know anyone like the characters on this show (and that's not "none of my friends are like this", that's "I don't think many people like this exist").

Fantastic concept from the artist and the breakdown is amazing as well. Nice video. She uses a lot of old symbols from sci fi, I haven't read your attachments yet, looking forward to it.
its already qualitie'd or I would.

To me, they're trying to appeal to everyone by being serious and comedic at the same time. I hate that. I'll give them one more shot, but I don't have high hopes. Too bad, with Star Trek being subscription only, we need another decent sci-fi series on tv. I had hoped this would be it....and I had hoped it would be a comedy....not a comedy/drama. I usually think those fail on both fronts.

Your next Sci-Fi-Horror Franchise. Just saying.

I didn't finish Myst, just wasn't interested. But Rebel Assault, that was cool as heck back in those days. The Star Wars experience was so immersive even though the controls were simple. C&C was campy fun too. I played each and every Wing Commander, TIE/X-Wing space sim games there were. Descent & Homeworld...

Can you guess I'm a sci-fi fan? X-D

I've seen most of the GitS material incl. the comics & anime. I actually found the Hollywood adaptation watchable.... because I placed it in its own little isolated corner and the lowest of expectations -- Hollywood, blockbuster, skin-deep sci-fi... and I came out much relieved it wasn't as bad as the critics said. At least I had a nostalgia blast from the visuals. My blockbuster movies watching has evolved into a state of "don't care to be angry/don't pay to watch at the theatre/ just wait them out to be on Netflix/clearance DVD BluRay)

Seriously... how can anyone expect anything of above average depth from a Hollywood blockbuster anymore? Don't be silly and set yourself up for disappointment.

I can totally understand their reasons for risk-aversion. From their perspective, they got burned too many times financially (not saying it's not their own doing) to make films that demand thoughtfulness from the audience. I just don't believe in Hollywood will give us anything deep anymore for these big budget films...

This is because analytics, people love sci-fi, magic and adventure -- how successful could it be join these categories in a movie. sceptically entusiastic

I don't care - All original Sci-fi / Fantasy Movies get my vote - So tired of Sequels

Given the amount of influence that Valérian and Laureline comics had on the Star Wars movies, with many scenes ripped right out of them, and many other sci-fi movies, it is probably long overdue. Of course too many people may go, "oh, that's a rip off of xyz", when it is actually the other way.

They are available to read online, though not sure how black/grey market those are, so I won't directly link to its sources on Read Comic Books Online or others...

I don't know that Carlin's voice would be the right one, but doing so wouldn't necessarily be an issue for the character of Blaine. Seems reasonable to have a computer simulation of a particular voice rather than a voice actor specifically acting out each line. I'd argue however that if we're going to resurrect someone to voice Blaine, let's go with Alan Rickman. Just the right blend of civilized / polite and deadly serious / menacing.

Edit:
I've been a fan of the books from sometime between 3 and 4, and love most of the story. The last three books lost me some, as they felt quite different in tone. Even Wizard and Glass felt a bit of a miss, though it was a solid story in its own right. I frequently avoid watching trailers for films I know I'll see, so as to avoid spoilers and being mislead if the trailer happened to be poorly made. I plan to see this movie, and originally came here for the comments exclusively; having read them, I chose to watch it. I get the impression that the actors treat the characters well, and they feel like good interpretations. McConaughey's Walter is hard to read with what little we see here, but I've generally liked him in other things.

My biggest worry is that visuals all seem too clean, and the more sci-fi direction bothers me some. To me Mid-World always seemed like a character itself. An ancient thing, being stretched thin, fighting to hold itself together and losing. High tech doesn't feel right there, like the extreme entropy would have rendered it all non-operative. There was some tech here and there in the books, but most of it was broken or breaking down.

Agreed. Both atrocious, derivative and soulless corporate comittee jobs IMHO.
Also what's with "at least they have female protagonists which is good"? When did every action sci fi have to feature an 8 stone girl beating up groups of 18 stone professional mercenaries like they're nothing? I mean why not just fly or shoot lasers from your fingers if physics means so little?

RedSky, I'm with you 100%. What I meant was how the 2 movies met my expectations differently. I think most SW fans had much higher expectations for SW7 than R1. SW7 is so much more important, it needed to carry the SW story forward, while R1 is more of a cash-grab than anything else. I don't mean I'd rate R1 better than SW7.

My reaction after seeing SW7 was like "what the hell Disney? Must you mess up the ending? It could've easily been much better. But I like Rey & co and I'm so happy seeing the old crew." While R1 was "That was meh. But it wasn't as bad as the reviews said."

That's mainly because I'm really lenient with R1. You said "The characters were bland and underdeveloped" which is true but it's something I accepted before going into the cinema. We all know they'll die at the end, the ending was known for decades. They really are throwaway characters that Disney can't bring back. So I treated it as an unimportant popcorn movie than a proper SW Sci Fi, and it was a better than most blockbusters.