Overview: Now, surely there must have been some kind of mistake. This is Cyberpunk Review, right? OK. Since when stories of little green men do qualify as such? Surely the mere fact that agent Scully had an implant in her neck does not count for an awful lot.

All true. This particular episode, however, is different. Look at the credits. William Gibson. Ring any bells?

More Than Meets the Eye: It all starts with a rather innocuous shootout at a diner in a drab neighbourhood. Piece of cake, eh? Well, not exactly, as it turns out that one of the victims is in fact a top IT expert and programmer whose death might have been anything less than a coincidence. Soon afterwards Mulder and Scully happen upon a rather charming lady going by the nick-name of Invisigoth, who turns out to be much more than just a leather-clad Trinity wannabe…

The threat, it is revealed, comes from a fugitive AI she and her companions helped to spawn. This synthetic entity seems to have little regard for human life, plus it possesses some rather eccentric habits, such as playing with leftover Star Wars military orbital lasers and residing in abandoned… camping trailers. Needless to say it has to be stopped, although it may yet turn out Invisigoth pursues a different agenda altogether…

Out There: Even if the credits said “Jay Leno” or “Kermit the Frog” rather than Gibson, there still would be a good case to make for the overall cyberpunk feel of this standalone episode. In terms of themes, it is all there- the pursuit of the AI takes place both in our very own “desert of the real” and through the net; agent Mulder even gets to become a multiple amputee courtesy of the malicious program’s VR simulation. More interestingly, the episode deals with the transfer of consciousness- translating a human psyche into digital data in pursuit of a peculiar kind of disembodied immortality. It is at that point one may begin to realise that one of the foremost attractions of the concept of sentient cyberspace entities is that cyberspace begins, to the mind of many, resemble a manufactured heaven of sort, a synthetic paradise for the unbelievers, allowing those of little religious zeal to dream of achieving transcendence. This move to another plane of existence, an ersatz afterlife- may not be explored at lengths here, yet gives a good cause for reflection. Apart from the sentient computer theme there is of course our sweet little Trinity impersonator (prettier than the real deal? I might be getting controversial here…) who also happens to drive a car (1960s Imperial, to be exact) very similar to the black Lincoln in the first Matrix.

Convinced? And then you realise that this episode actually comes from 1998, which is a year BEFORE tha Matrix… So, who’s the copycat, eh Trinity? Guess I should be expecting a lawsuit for these allegations any time now…

The Visuals: While not trying to rival Blade Runner, the visuals are decent for the budget. Being that this is an X-files episode, we shouldn’t expect anything too fancy - the series rarely relies on fancy visuals to generate their mood, or to depict story elements. One of the distinct traits of the X-Files is that they can often make ordinary places or events appear menacing and sinister when placed in the given context - this applies to Kill Switch.

I assure you that, having seen this episode, the next time you’ll see a decaying camping trailer you’re gonna think twice before approaching it. In a way this depiction of cyberpunk is more realistic - inconspicuous locations concealing the drama of furtive technological experiments and computer crime is very much what one’s bound to encounter today. The most important bit - the flow of data - is hidden from the eye. The episode does treat us to some juicy cyberpunk visual elements, including gloomy improvised computer labs, and chaotic nests of cables and wires lit by the dim glow of terminal screens - but nothing too extravagant (aside for a few explosions).

Confirm File Delete: Overall the episode represents a truly interesting foray of the famous franchise into the realms of cyberpunk, courtesy of Mr. Gibson himself. As with many other episodes, the strength of Kill Switch lies in its inherently believable narration, a mixture of the ordinary and the imaginary that made the series famous. The acting is decent- Invisigoth oozes character- and the action tightly coiled into a mere 45 minutes of film. Yet because of the unspectacular nature of the whole thing few will probably have seen and noticed it, even if this is as close as we can get into having a Gibson story made into a feature film, after his Alien3 script got binned long ago. It may not be cyberpunk canon in any way, but do watch it- I swear that after those 45 minutes you’re likely to be craving for more. Which you just might get, as there is another Gibson-written X-File which I will investigate soon…

Overview: Overview: Sometimes we find a movie that has an idea so intriguing that it just can’t fail to be great – yet the director still finds a way to screw it up. The Final Cut is this kind of movie. The Final Cut explores the idea, “If every moment of your life was recorded on camera, would you live differently?” While you might expect a focus on the changes to society this technology engenders, instead, it turns out that the entire purpose of a camera implanted in you at birth is to have a paltry video “rememory” of your life at your funeral!!!! Gee, wow – yeah, that’s what I’d do with that technology – screw up my whole life so that people at my funeral can be bored to death with even MORE home movies!

The Story: The Final Cut takes place in a near future scenario that looks almost exactly like the present, with one exception – a technology that can be implanted directly into the eyes prior to birth is now in vogue. The purpose of this technology, created by the Zoe corporation, is to record your life so that upon your death, a “Cutter” can compose a “rememory” of your life to immortalize you for all time. This “Rememory” isn’t really representative of someone’s actual life, but is instead a compilation of how the family members “want” to remember you (hence, the term “rememory”). Alan Hakman, played by Robin Williams, is a Cutter-extraordinaire. He is brought in by family members when the deceased was a major scumbag in real life. His job is simple – he must take the available memories and “compose” a final cut of their life that leads everyone to think this scumbag was actually a saint.

Unfortunately for Alan, his latest rememory scumbag – a child molester – is high profile enough that there are people looking to gain access to this guy’s memories. Alan is in danger of breaking one of the rules of the Cutter oath (a Cutter cannot sell or give away Zoe footage). Worse, in viewing the footage, Alan sees a childhood friend who he thought he accidentally killed dead long ago. Now horrible memories of Alan’s childhood come crashing back – so strong that he can’t help but investigate. And in the process of doing so, Alan realizes he may have broken another more critical Cutter law.

The Use of the Technology: The most annoying part of The Final Cut is the idea that a technology this powerful would only be used to compose a home movie at a funeral. This simply doesn’t pass common sense muster. Even if the Zoe Corporation wouldn’t allow scans of the technology when alive, a groundswell of techy-hacker types would find a way to do this. More likely, a technology such as this would be accessed by people on a regular basis. An audio-video record of everything you see could spurn all sorts changes in society. While the Final Cut touches on the change in personal interaction, this becomes hard to believe if the only implication is that someone’s entire life will be boiled into a 30 minute slice at the funeral. I mean, what are the chances that anything incriminating would show up there, especially if the job of a Cutter is to suppress all the juicy sleazebag stuff? Again, terrific idea with lots of promise – but the Final Cut almost completely wastes it.

The Acting: Even though the script is hurting in this movie, Robin Williams turns in a terrific, if sedated performance. He really adds credibility to a plot that otherwise could have been horribly received. Unfortunately, Mira Sorvino in a supporting role really isn’t given enough to have the chance of making much of an impact. James Caviezel does turn in a cool performance as a conflicted bad guy.

The Bottom Line: Visually, there is little interesting about The Final Cut. Thematically, the movie is frustrating in that it had the potential to be very interesting. Fortunately for the viewers, Robin Williams flat out rescues the Final Cut from mediocrity to the point that you still will care enough about the technology to spend a moment or two thinking about it’s potential impact on society. And truly, regardless of the plot holes in this film, the technology concepts are just not that far-fetched. In an age where RFID chips are already being implanted in people, a microscopic video camera integrated into the eyes tied to a micro-hard disk may not be that far away. This “very-near” future potential adds credibility to the visuals which generally show a current society. If you are interested in thinking through the potential impact of technology such as this, The Final Cut is a decent watch. If you like Robin Williams, it’s a MUST SEE movie. Otherwise, you can probably make it through life without giving the Final Cut a viewing.

Overview: You know things aren’t going to be great when a movie copies Highlander 2 for its larger plot points. Absolon never had delusions of being good. It’s derivative from the get go. That said, while the plot, story and dialogue suck, at least Absolon has Christopher Lambert, Ron Perlman, Kelly Brook, and Lou Diamond Philips, who gives an especially good performance.

The Story: In a near-future dystopia, a virus has infected everyone on the planet, and has killed off millions. In saving mankind, a drug named Absolon has been developed which combats the virus. Unfortunately, it must be taken every day. One corporation, headed by Ron Perlman, owns Absolon and now controls the fate of mankind. Everyone must line up daily at distribution centers to receive their “fix,” otherwise they run the risk of developing to phase II of the disease, and are then incurable.

Finally, a “real” cure for the virus has been developed, but for obvious reasons, the stereotypical evil corporation who owns Absolon doesn’t want their market share challenged, so the inventor is murdered and they attempt to bury the cure. Lou Diamond Phillips, who turns in by FAR the best performance here, is Perlman’s “tough guy” responsible for “taking care” of the problem. Lambert plays a grizzled cop who inadvertently stumbles on the cover-up, and subsequently becomes emeshed in the “resistence.” Along with Kelly Brook, who worked on the cure, Lambert tries to rescue the cure so that humanity can escape the inhumanity that Absolon engenders.

The Bottom Line: Other than Lou Diamond Phillips’ performance, there’s nothing quality about Absolon. The story, the cheapy matrix FX, the set pieces, the dialogue and the pacing all pretty much suck. I must say though, I’m a real sucker for Christopher Lambert, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen Phillips put in a decent performance. For this reason, I’ll raise Absolon from 3 stars (where it probably belongs) to a 4 star review.