Review: The Second Best Science Fiction Movie Ever Made (2009)

[Mark R. Leeper]

           THE SECOND BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE EVER MADE
                (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

     CAPSULE: This ultra-low budget attempt at a science
     fiction film is lacking in just about every aspect.
     Humans kidnapped by aliens and turned into super-being
     by aliens return to Earth to battle for control of the
     alien world.  What sounds like the premise of an "Outer
     Limits" episode never engages the viewer.  Mysterious
     film is probably a first time effort by David M. Epstein.
     It mostly just seems to be people running around and
     fighting (not very convincingly).  By the time there
     is any character development, the viewer probably no
     longer cares.  Rating: -1 (-4 to +4) or 3/10

Even as I am reviewing THE SECOND BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE EVER
MADE I cannot say very much about the origins of this film or the
person behind it.  As of this writing it is not listed in the
Internet Movie Database or any of the standard movie review sites.
The film has a website, http://www.secondbestscifimovie.com.  But
even that website is surprisingly uninformative.  The film was
written, produced, and directed by David Michael Epstein for the
film company David Michael Epstein.  It will be released directly
to video on January 5, 2010, and it was a selection for the Long
Island Film Festival.  But a web search turns up nothing about
Epstein even in conjunction with the film festival.  Even a Google
search does not find any Internet references to the film.

The premise is convoluted.  At some time several years ago eight
astronauts disappeared.  It seems they had been kidnapped by aliens
and taken to the aliens' home planet.  They found it a paradise,
but breathing the atmosphere had a very bad effect on their
thinking processes.  The astronauts formed two conflicting camps,
four humans each, bringing war to the alien world.  The astronauts
have been sent back to Earth, taking their quarrel back to their
home planet.  They have two hours to war with each other, and
whoever wins will also be the lords of the alien world.  This is
all revealed in one large expository lump at the beginning of the
story.  They will fight it out with new super-powers but only
minimal special effects.  One, for example, has "unremitting
musculoskeletal activity in legs."  Presumably that means that he
is compelled to run without stopping.  Most of the astronauts look
human, but one has an oversize head that looks like a fugitive from
a Marti Gras parade.

There are a lot of good films by one auteur who wrote and directed
(and usually produced).  Certainly in these days of video,
production costs are not high and there are a lot of amateur films
being made.  I was however intrigued by the title of the film and
so decided to give it a try.  In some ways the circumstances were a
lot like those for another film by a first timer who wrote,
produced, and directed.  That film was the aptly-titled BAD TASTE
(1987) created by Peter Jackson.  I would not have expected great
things from this Peter Jackson after seeing that first film.
Similarly David Michael Epstein is starting with a somewhat less
than auspicious attempt.  This is a film that seems to be mostly
about people running around a suburban neighborhood.  It has a few
very simple computer special effects, but nothing that makes the
visuals of interest.

This mystery film appears to be a practice effort for a fledgling
filmmaker.  It cannot be recommended, but it does have a moment or
two here and there.  I rate the inaccurately titled THE SECOND BEST
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE EVER MADE a -1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 3/10.


					Mark R. Leeper
					mleeper at optonline.net
					Copyright 2009 Mark R. Leeper