Re: Mission to Mars

In a message dated 3/16/00 10:30:45 AM Central Standard Time,
los@cris.com 
writes:

<< SPR =saving Private Ryan. A whole internet cottage industry seems to
have 
evolved
 trying to prove how much the film sucks because of this or that minor 
technical
 errors >>

It is all a matter of a "willing suspension of disbelief" theater and
film 
require it to a large degree. There are many things unbelievable about
the 
experience in a darkened theater - you have to be willing to step beyond
them 
to allow the play or movie to affect you. What amazes me is here we are
on a 
list devoted to playing games with little toy soldiers and ships - yet
we 
can't accept fthe filmic nature of a movie which deals with the same
subject.

How can one have ANY belief in a space game system that depicts combat 
between more than three ships occupying points in three dimensions in a
TWO 
dimensional format - it is ridiculously inaccurate! QUIT PLAYING
IMMEDIATELY! 
How can we accept a game depicting combat in the future which depicts
such 
unbelievable aspects as "anti-gravity" when it does not exist in
reality? 
Working hovertanks? It is laughable, LAUGHABLE I TELL YOU! Orbital
Artillery 
strikes - name one that has happened in real life - Ha! Knew you could
not!

Now in that framework, we have to listen to people paste a movie about 
unbelievability? Look past the inaccuracy - it is a convention. Look
past the 
filmic use of a device or weapon that is patently WRONG - they could not
find 
one that was patently RIGHT. There is still good experience to be had in
the 
filmic or theatric presentation of a story about PEOPLE. As a world
culture 
we have realized that since people gathered round the fire to describe a

successful hunt by dancing and singing. To deny the power of the
dramatic 
story to describe the human condition is ludicrous at best.

That being said - Starship Troopers was still a stinker and the Dutchman

should be hunted down and shot out of hand.