Landmark Lines From Landmark Sci-Fi Quiz

Answer: Star Wars IV: A New Hope

I will always wonder why AMPAS didn't give "A New Hope" the Oscar for "Best Picture" in 1977-78. This, and other well written lines and scenes in this incredible film, mark it as the first true successor to "2001" in the annals of truly high-quality sci-fi movies.

"New Hope", of course, was the very first "Star Wars" film. It tells the story of a farm boy, Luke Skywalker, on the faraway planet of Tatooine and his destiny to become a member of the august number of The Jedi Knights. In it he fights an evil universal empire, along with his friends: "Ben" Obi Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Wedge Antilles, and the person he will eventually learn is his sister, Leia Organa.

The above line is spoken by Luke to an elderly Obi Wan Kenobi, right after he discovers the murder of his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen by the Empire's Stormtroopers. Luke is, understandably, hopping mad for justice, and his massive loss is brought to light by this line and by the previous scene, where we see Luke's reaction to the sight of Beru and Owen's charred bodies.
The line is further made ironic by the now well-known fact of who his father is!

Answer: 2010: The Year We Make Contact

Yes, this rather weakly uttered line is from the massively disappointing sequel to "2001", directed by Peter Hyams and released in 1984. The line is spoken by a wraith of David Bowman, dressed in a floor length nightshirt with his head totally bald, like the elder Bowman from the original movie's ending. It is spoken all through the movie, at various random plot points, to reinforce the purported fact that, indeed, "something wonderful is going to happen".

The anticipation for this sequel was understandably almost rabid, considering how revered "2001" was. This was a film that had maybe just the first two "Star Wars" movies as any kind of equals, or near-equals in impressiveness, and it took almost a decade for 'those' to pop up! The resulting sequel, however, was a crashing dud!

Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Bob Balaban and a wasted Helen Mirren star in this blasphemy, with Scheider making a very poor replacement for William Sylvester in the role of Heywood Floyd. Mirren plays a Russian commander in a joint mission to see just what is happening with the Discovery, as it still orbits Jupiter. If you had any ideas as to what those monoliths were for, forget them! This movie will surprise you while it makes you groan as to that aspect of it. This anticlimactic travesty is based on the Arthur C. Clarke novel of the same name that reads much better than this movie plays.

Answer: Legend

The 1986 film, "Legend", was the last Ridley Scott-ish, Ridley Scott movie until "Gladiator" was released in 2000. It stars Tom Cruise in a very untypical role in a beautiful story about fighting the forces of darkness. It has excellent art direction, great acting from Mia Sara, Tim Curry and Alice Playten and a very dreamlike, fairytale setting. This was a departure from the norm for Scott, who was known mostly for violent, blood-curdling sci-fi thrillers up to that point, albeit with terrific visuals.

Roger Ebert stubbornly maintains, to this day, that this is the worst movie Tom Cruise has ever been in...don't you believe it! This is actually one of his best! I assure you, after you've seen it, you'll agree with me!

Answer: Dr. Leonard McCoy/"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"

The above line is spoken by the good doctor to Spock as he and Spock jury-rig a photon torpedo to become an ion-trail seeker. This is to take out a treacherous Klingon renegade near the end of what I think is the best of the "TOS" films.

The movie is about the imminent collapse of the Klingon empire due to the destruction of an important mining moon and the Klingons' desperate efforts to achieve detente with the Federation so they can survive. Double and triple crosses lace the plot like embroidery.

Answer: The Fly (1958)

"The Fly" is one of the few movies that was so strong a classic that even its remake is considered a classic! This is the story about a Franco-American scientist who perfects a matter-transferral machine and decides to test it on himself. Big mistake! A humble little housefly flies into one of his twin units just as he's attempting to send himself to the other, and he ends up with the head of the fly and one of its appendages.

The fly, on the other hand, ends up with his head, and it is his feeble little voice you hear crying "Help meeeee!" at the end of the movie as he gets caught in a spider web right outside his house.

This is one of the most indelible images and lines in all of sci-fi. Actors in sitcoms often use it when referring to another character who almost deserves a gruesome fate he has brought on himself.

Answer: Dr. Zera

In this classic movie about a topsy turvy world where apes rule civilization and humans are treated as animals, the line is spoken by Kim Hunter's Dr. Zera just as Taylor is about to kiss her a friendly farewell. That is, just before he rides off into the sunset to make the discovery of his life. It's one of the funniest lines in this film that did a great job of marrying wit and drama.

While the make-up was overrated for this film, the writing, handled partly by the inimitable Rod Serling, based on the novel by Pierre Boulle, was enjoyable enough to keep your mind off of the comically stiff mouth movements and muffled speech of the actors in ape mufti.

This was one of the first films to engender a longer-than-usual series of sequels, aka "a franchise", none of which was as good as the original. The immediate sequel, "Beneath The Planet of the Apes", in fact, was an abomination!

Answer: Dune

Though it bombed at the box office, "Dune"'s cast all went on to fame and fortune in other vehicles: Kyle McLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Everett McGill, Brad Dourif, Dean Stockwell, Alicia Witt, etc., all developed lucrative careers, either in other movies, the theater or TV series.

The above line is a mantra, spoken by Paul/Usul/Muau'Dib Atreides, as portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, just before he either faces a daunting challenge or goes into battle.

"Dune" is the story of the adventures of Paul Atreides as his family endures tragedy, prosperity, war, intrigue and more in a film based on a sweeping epic split into six books by Frank Herbert. The basic story concerns an important substance that prolongs life, expands mental powers and somehow facilitates significantly abbreviated space travel. The first three books have been brought to the screen by David Lynch, John Harrison and Greg Yaitanes. I highly recommend all three! The extended version that plays on television occasionally, however, is so badly edited, Lynch disowned it. Watch it as a curiosity.

Answer: Excalibur

This is the "Charm of Making", uttered by Merlin, portrayed by Nicol Williamson, in the early 80s film of the Arthurian legend, "Excalibur". "Excalibur" was a curious, but satisfying, jumble of aesthetics, historical facts, legend, and character assignation. The film made quite a respectable penny when it was released in 1980 and there was no other movie quite like it at the time. Oddly enough, it was directed by the same man who directed "Deliverance".

This was Patrick Stewart's first feature film role that I know of and Nigel Terry's second major role, aside from Prince John in "The Lion In Winter". It was also Helen Mirren's first major film role, at least internationally, and she has had an excellent career ever since. An unrecognizable Gabriel Byrne plays Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon. It may be his first major film as well. Robert Addie and Nicholas Clay, Mordred and Lancelot from the film, died very young in their 40s and 50s.

Answer: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

This line is, of course, one of the favorite utterances of Marvin, the Paranoid Android from the popular novel/tv show/movie about a man being shown around the universe by his alien best friend after Earth is destroyed to make way for a space highway. They eventually wind up on a reconstructed Earth at the second beginning of time.

Marvin repeats this because he feels under-utilized and subservient in his role as Zaphod Beebelbrox's "plastic pal that's fun to be with!" after Arthur and Ford hitch a ride on Beeblebrox' ship. He repeats the phrase throughout the whole story, along with other complaints.

This property, written by Douglas Adams, is near totally nonsensical, very Edward Lear/Lewis Carroll and smacks of Monty Python as well, but is nonetheless a howl of the first order for those who can tolerate a lot of whimsy. The British TV version is the best so far, even with the neo-Dr. Who special effects. The recent movie was not well-received by the critics, though the art direction was fairly impressive.

Answer: Ghostbusters

"Ghostbusters" was the zany film, released in 1984, about three 'para-psychological' scientists and their friends. The three decide to go into business for themselves, after being booted out of their tenured university jobs, as professors of the dubious science. They go about advertising their services on TV with amateurish commercials, and eventually get hired by a woman, played by Sigourney Weaver, to exorcise a ghoul that she believes is haunting her in her refrigerator. She proves to be right, as she herself gets possessed; she and her nerdy neighbor are turned into hounds from Hades; and New York itself is plunged into an eldritch nightmare of goblins, ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties.

Bill Murray, who plays Peter Venkman, steals the show as the cynical partner in the business who utters the above line after they vanquish a particularly nasty ectoplasmic villain atop a building that was apparently engineered to focus bizarre spiritual energies into itself. Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Rick Moranis play other roles in this very funny movie that could have been completely stupid, but wasn't. The scene with the Stay-Puft marshamallow man is priceless.