Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2000
by Eleanor M. Farrell
Fantasy and science fiction films have been somewhat sparse in recent years, at least by costumer standards. Most of the near-future "earth devastation" movies are sartorially indistinguishable from the present. The disappointing
Phantom Menace
included some magnificent costume pieces, mainly those worn by Queen Amidala, but few other efforts of futuristic or fantastic cinema provided inspiration in costume design. Well, rejoice, costumers! This next year promises to deliver a slew of SF/F movies, and hopefully at least a few of these will demonstrate some longed-for creativity of clothing.
The year has already begun promisingly, with the hilarious spoof of that
other
70's show,
Galaxy Quest
. Just watching the crew of the Protector in their polyester jump suits is enough to make long-time
Star Trek
fans itch. Costumer Albert Wolsky (
Bugsy
,
Toys
) did his homework here. And although the movie is a parody, it demonstrates an appreciation for the genre and the fans. Don't miss the wonderful "unofficial" web site,
Travis Latke's Galaxy Quest Vaults
.
Mars is a popular destination for the new year.
Red Planet
and
Mission to Mars
head directly to the war god planet, while
Space Cowboys
,
Supernova
and
Battlefield Earth
also deal with space exploration and related disasters. The SciFi television channel, meanwhile, is currently producing a six hour three-part miniseries of Frank Herbert's
Dune
, featuring costumes by Oscar-winning designer Theodor Pistek (
Amadeus
). This will air in October, 2000.
On the fantasy front, several new films based on comic books and cartoon animation are headed for theaters, including
The Crow: Salvation
,
The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas
and
The Grinch
.
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
will combine live action (with Robert De Niro as Fearless Leader, Jason Alexander as Boris and Rene Russo playing Natasha) with an animated Moose and Squirrel (
a la Roger Rabbit
).
Most anticipated in this category is
The X-Men
, a June release with a mind-boggling cast -- including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin and James Marsden -- portraying the comic crime fighters. With designs by experienced comics hero costumier Bob Ringwood (all of the
Batman
films and
The Shadow
, as well as
Dune
and
Excalibur
), working with Louise Mingenbach (
The Usual Suspects
), this is a very exciting endeavor.
But by far the most ambitious production effort at present is director Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic
The Lord of the Rings
. All three films are being filmed sequentially in New Zealand, with the first part,
The Fellowship of the Ring
, scheduled for theatrical release in December 2000. The cast includes such acting luminaries as Ian McKellan (Gandalf), Ian Holm (Bilbo), Christopher Lee (Saruman) and Cate Blanchett (Galadriel). The costumer for the series is Ngila Dickson, whose wonderful creations for
Xena: Warrior Princess
keep getting better and better. The production has an extensive on-line presence so for more information check out the official
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
site or the impressive
TheOneRing.net
fan site.
Whether your tastes tend toward the future or the fantastic, there's something to look forward to in this new year. Let's hope imaginatively costumed SF/F movies become a new trend!
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