System Shock

Author(s): Zgamer (ID) & Ryan (NJ)
System Shock

Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by Josh Olsen
Based on the game “System Shock 2” by Ken Levine and Looking Glass Studios
Cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle
Edited by Chris Gill

Main Cast:

Lee Pace as Arthur Clark
Donna Murphy as the voice of Dr. Polito

Tagline: "The future is imminent".

Synopsis: “L-L-Look at you hack-er. A-A-A pathetic creature of me-meat and bone. Panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. HOW can you challenge a p-p-perfect, immortal machine?”

The year is 2114. Forty-two years have passed since the artificial intelligence SHODAN rebelled on the orbital center Citadel Station. Originally the station’s guardian, SHODAN lost her mind when experimenting with a discovered alien DNA and attempted to use a virus to subject the human residents’ machines to her will. If it were not for the hacker who created her, SHODAN’s virus would have reached the Earth’s central network.

“Your wo-o-rthless race will soon bow before my ma-majesty. Even now, I am i-in control of YOUR systems.”

::INITIATING WAKE CYCLE:: The fluorescent lights flicker as a single stasis pod opens. Fog spreads out its door as Arthur Clark awakes from his induced slumber. Months have passed since The Van Braun made its historic faster-than-light jump and now the colossal star frigate sits attached to his escort ship The Rickenbacker. His mind still feels groggy, despite the wake-up stimulants his new cybernetic neural implants keep injecting. A shiver went up his spine as his bare foot made contact with the floor.

“My glorious children, The Many, al-al-already prepare my ascension. Slaughting all who defy me. XERXES will follow the OTHER insect-s-s.”

Dr. Polito was not kidding when she said something had gone very wrong. As the Trioptimum logo relocated to the corner of XERXES’s security screen, Clark watched as the few people not yet dead were devoured by the monstrous mutants. He had never seen anything like them before. These things were hideous concoctions of cancer-like tissue, contorted anatomy and mechanized fusion. The bizarre cries of euthanasia confused Arthur until he saw the remains of clothes on their “backs”, indicating they were former crewmembers. Clark’s palms began to sweat in his gloves. His computer skills, once a reliable talent for cracking computer algorithms, seemed very useless now.

“Are you afraid? Wh-h-hat is it you fear? The END of your trivial exiiisssstence?”

Polito, now communicating through Clark’s neural implants, orders him to meet her at the main communications center. He would have no objections to this, since they could send an S.O.S. there. However, there are two things in his way. One: Clark has to actually get to the Van Braun; and two: the elevator shaft has been destroyed. That means he has to walk up six decks on foot to the center. Heaving a sigh, Clark grabbed the emergency pistol from his locker. He knows he has to survive, but he becomes tense as his morals tell him it is wrong to kill his crewmates. Then a familiar voice speaks, “Don’t stall, because they won’t.” The chamber door opens with a hiss and Clark steps outside to face the horrors waiting for him.

“Wh-when the history of my glory is written, your species shall ONLY be a footnote to my magnificence.”

What the Press Would Say

Technology. It is both mankind’s greatest achievement and mistake. For as technology continues to become smarter, faster and more durable, the fear of its pernicious potential increases. If we give it the power to work, will it eliminate the need for human workers? If we give it the power to think, will it eliminate the necessity of human error? If we give it the power to create life, will it play God? These questions all come to mind when you watch System Shock, Danny Boyle’s brilliant thriller that both reminisces the best of 80’s cyberpunk sci-fi and delivers expert storytelling in one package.

After experimenting with many genres over the years, Boyle combines best of them all into his newest film. It excels in equal measures of science fiction, dramatic storytelling and suspenseful horror. However, nothing’s ever that straightforward. Boyle and scriptwriter Olsen use subtly laced clues to help viewers catch on to the big picture, with rational twists keeping the experience unpredictable. From cryptic messages on computers to ghostly hallucinations induced by Clark’s implants, you get the feeling there are many details leading to one major event. When that event comes in form of a twist revealing Clark’s guide Polito is SHODAN resurrected, the film shifts pace from compelling thriller to something much scarier. At this point, the audience realizes how in control SHODAN has been of everything, including the main character (note the implants). It doesn’t hurt that the plot twist happens to be one of the creepiest and unexpected moments in recent cinema. It creates a feeling of betrayal, manipulation and loneliness that affects the audience just as much as the main character.

To no surprise, the technical effects in the film are top notch. The cyberpunk art style, reminiscent of films like Blade Runner, is expertly captured thanks to great production design. The cinematography, with its dark lighting and tight angles, creates a necessary yet controlled feeling of claustrophobia to add to the already intimidating atmosphere. The sound design is very intriguing, using a computerized base that makes all the sounds homogenous yet equally distinct from one another. However, the editing is what makes System Shock work. Boyle and editor Gill maintain a pace that properly builds up and cools down each scene with few transitioning errors, allowing the film to flow in one fluid motion. Overall, System Shock is a very complete package technically speaking.

So, with all this style and mood, is the acting up to snuff? Yes, but there’s a catch. Technically, there’s only one character with eligible screen time. That is for two-time Golden Globe nominee Lee Pace, rising out of minor yet notable roles in hits like “The Good Sheppard” and “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” to bring a compelling lead performance. However, it’s more than just the scared little technician forced to save his life. Pace handles things subtly in an attempt to better sell the intent of his actions rather than just the action itself. This makes his character very expressive but also helps the audience understand why he makes his decisions, even if you don’t agree with them. Now, even though he’s the only possible award nominee, there are still great performances to speak. Donna Murphy delivers a great vocal performance as the unseen (until we find her corpse) Dr. Polito, showing an emotional vocal range that makes her worth listening to. The best performance, however, has to go to SHODAN. A malevolent A.I. whose voice is a combination of several voices and technical sounds, SHODAN is equal parts HAL 9000 and Nurse Ratchet. She’s obviously deluded and malfunctioned, yet somehow logically sane about her “divinity”. Plus, the several scenes she’s in are incredibly creepy and unnerving thanks to the terrific animation team.

System Shock is one of those sci-fi films that, like Aliens and Blade Runner before it, achieves greatest by being more than what you see at first glance. With a compelling story, superb technical design and a memorable villain, it is the surprise hit of the year.

Award Possibilities
Best Picture
Best Director (Danny Boyle)
Best Actor (Lee Pace)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Josh Olsen)