Virtuality
Virtuality
| 26 June 2009 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    estronbase

    This is a pilot for a cancelled TV series. If I had realised that, I may not have watched it. As it happens, I'm glad I did. This is the sort of science fiction I prefer. No ray-gun shoot-outs, just ideas (some confusing).A big warning for those who dislike unresolved endings, this is about as bad as it gets. On the other hand, If you enjoy imagining what the writers intended for this series, have fun.If anyone wonders what I made of it, I supposed the mission itself was virtual. The strange occurrences being intended to provoke confusion and conflict among the "crew". They were making a TV program after all.

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    Wayne

    Please, don't bother with this trash. On the pretense that you are going to send people to space, wouldn't you think that they would have done some compatibility tests beforehand, really, not let them just have a drama llama space flight. C'mon, really? This is nonsense and five minutes anywhere to finish, five minutes you get the idea that this is ridiculous. side note, camera work is awful, just absolutely awful. It refines the words blah blah blah. I'd rather watch slugs eating lettuce than this mental drainer piece of crap. If this movie comes up in your guide, pass. Eat cardboard, that we would be more rewarding, though I cant vouch for that. This movie makes the advertising more interesting, really. Love to all.

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    igoatabase

    Considering its very interesting topics saying I anticipated it is an euphemism. Covering virtual reality, space travel and reality television in a single pilot episode was a challenge and I think they successfully achieved it. However even if the few clips I saw convinced me it would be great I was a little worry about the way the writers would deal with reality elements.Their work is both inspiring and very smart because I find reality shows far too dramatic and not real enough. When they began to produce such shows I was hoping to find new tools to better understand the human's psychology but most of them are just empty shells meant to brainwash viewers. Hopefully there're also good productions like Project Runway that blend ideas very nicely. As for the Virtuality reality scenes there were quite many but most of them were short and filmed throughout a lipstick camera. It made them even more realistic, specially considering the female host looked quite superficial at first. But as in real life a coin always has an other side and it was quite emotional to discover it. So even if she looked like a Gossip Girl you should soon appreciate her for what she really is, not just an other pretty face. And in general the characters worked really well and some of them quickly grew on me as the minutes passed by. I already knew Clea DuVall wouldn't disappoint me but I was also gladly surprised by the other performers. My only complain would be the whole Benetton vibe because in some way it made the reality side less authentic but maybe the creators intention was to parody the other shows. It's specially true for the gay couple as sending them into space as a last hope doesn't make any sense. I found it was quite disrespectful towards the homosexual community in general as their members are often used to bring more drama. A good example would be Top Chef last season and its ridiculous "Team Rainbow". But again maybe they just wanted us to believe so. In fact that's what I really enjoyed in Virtuality, its ambivalent complexity.It leads us to the space travel topic. If you appreciate the genre and are a science howl then you'll definitely dig the few outdoor scenes, the ship design, its interior… It should also remind you of your favorite space opera film. So watching it I really felt like I was part of the crew. It's specially true considering there're many characters you can relate too. I also found the story quite inspiring because there's nothing more fascinating than following the daily life of astronauts sent into deep space to save humanity. It brought many great memories like my first battle in the Homeworld video game and of course the astonishing Battlestar Galactica miniseries. And I can reassure you that it has nothing to do with apocalyptic productions like Armageddon, even if I enjoyed it. Here the psychology is probably one of the most important element because the big question is "Will they be able to survive and reach their destination ?".Yes, because it's a lot about survival. Not the Survivor mumbo jumbo but the real and dramatic Robinson Crusoe adventure, like in Cast Away for example. I think the analogy is right because living alone on a desert island can be compared to traveling into space with a few crew members. You'll definitely miss Earth and its beautiful green and blue landscapes. Breathing the air in the morning and energizing yourself before a rising sun. All these tiny details that make you feel alive even when the weather is rainy and the mood even more sad. To solve the problem the writers decided to introduce the virtual reality module, extrapolating the novel's concept. It's supposed to be a key solution to the mission success but of course events didn't occur as expected and the virtual scenes were so disturbing, well directed and written that they actually reminded me of cult films like Event Horizon and The Lawnmower Man. The team behind Virtuality is so talented and has so many twisted ideas that they brought many refreshing and interesting elements to a topic that has already been well covered by others.All these great things made me a fan of the show even if the FOX decided not to pick it up. In fact I don't blame them because I can't imagine the pressure on their shoulders. I even call it the Carnivàle syndrome because both producers and most viewers are not ready for such a smart show. If you're accustomed to such artistic creations you shouldn't be surprised and only enjoy it for what it is, one of the best space pilot ever aired. However if you're not open minded and think Tim Burton and George A. Romero should be held into an asylum then Virtuality is definitely the wake up call you need. Yes because I recommend anyone to watch it, again and again to understand all the messages he has to deliver.

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    nospam-573

    Several people have said they think it's odd/brave/lame/otherwise that the main character dies in the end and we'll never see him again. What in the world gave you that idea? Seems to me he will/would likely be a recurring character in the series, but only appear in the virtual world (as he did in the very end). Of course, who knows with this plot if he's really really dead even...but even supposing he is gone i don't think he's gone from the show (again, if they even make a show out of it).Great little movie. I wanted a bit more at the end but a series would do the trick too.Go here to vote for the series: http://virtuality-TV.info/Renewal/

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