Monday, May 07, 2007

My 'space movie' outline…

And following on from my last post about the awfulness of Danny Boyle and Alex Garlands 'Sunshine' I have knocked up a 'treatment' for my own space based movie, with large spaceships, weird missions and even some aliens. This outline is a rip off of about a dozen or so stories I've seen and read - this never stops Alex Garland.

The thing is though, it took me 10 minutes to write - I like to think of it as a depressing Star Trek.

Hope you like it...


Untitled space movie by Herge Smith

The thousand strong crew of a vast spaceship has been exploring the universe for signs of intelligent life for a generation.

Long out of range with their home planet Earth, the ship has become split between two factions – those that want to continue the search and those that want to return to Earth, a journey significantly shorted by the discovery of a wormhole that can get them back within 10 years.

Currently the ships flight crew are still focused on the mission, a focus that for some is almost religious in nature.

When it is discovered that the chief navigator, a decent man split between the two factions has been secretly plotting a course toward the wormhole, the Captain instructs him be jettisoned from an airlock.

At the moment he is shot into the darkness of space the ship is rocked by a massive explosion in one of its engines.

Following the apparent execution of the navigator and the mysterious explosion tension mounts aboard the vessel culminating in full scale civil war.

The faction dedicated to returning to Earth fight hard to gain control of the flight deck, killing many as they storm the bridge.

Literally backed into a corner, the Captain, now pathological with rage at the mutinous crew elects to destroy the ship rather than return to Earth as a failure.

Just as he is about to cut the coolant lines to the engines, thus resulting in the ship exploding the disembodied voice of the executed Navigator speaks to the entire ship, explaining that moments before he died in the vacuum of space he was rescued by an alien race who ironically had been tracking the Human spaceship undetected for years.

The aliens are now keen to meet the humans face to face.

There is still a strong sense of distrust between the battling sides, however in light of this monumental occasion they agree to work together - both factions lay down their arms and return to a semblance of co-operation, albeit a fragile one, as they prepare to greet the aliens.

The aliens arrive aboard the ship, they are smooth, thin and otherworldly looking, although they do have a vague human look to them. The aliens appear to be entirely benevolent, explaining that they too are explorers looking for alien life. The humans are the only race they have ever found despite looking for thousands of ‘Earth’ years. They have with them the Navigator.

The Captain, the Navigator and the First Officer meet with the alien representative and are stunned to learn that the aliens have the ability to get the ship to Earth within hours.

They immediately agree to take the aliens offer of a return journey home.

Elated at the prospect of finally seeing Earth, the crew prepare for the voyage. A group of aliens are to accompany them to prove their existence and officially extend the hand of friendship to the humans.

They jump home.

When they arrive at the Earth the crew are horrified to find it is a desolate wasteland. In the generation they have been away some terrible environmental disaster has befallen the planet resulting in the annihilation of all life on the once beautiful planet.

The aliens suggest they return to their own Galaxy where a suitable planet for the ships crew can be found.

The captain and navigator, with the support of the crew turn down the offer explaining that they will now explore the galaxy for any remaining signs of refugees from Earth.

The aliens leave, but not without giving the humans the ability to contact them if need be.

The final shot is of the huge spaceship turning away from Earth, heading back out into the inky black emptiness of space, this time to find the remainder of humanity.

End

4 comments:

Sniffy said...

Remember the Martian Chronicles on telly? That had a good storyline that could've been developed for the big screen. I bet somebody would completely fuck it up by casting Tom Cruise in it.

Trump said...

Alex Garland of 'The Beach' fame? Hugely overrated backpacker drivel? Hmmmm. Won't be wasting my time on any more of his stuff!

Ship Creak said...

I can't see which movies you've ripped off, as a) I'm crap at this, and b) i probably haven't seen or heard of some of them. I'll have a guess though:

Alien & 2001 (and to some degree Star Trek, but i can't believe that was intentional); they were looking for an alien race (in Alien, i mean The Company were looking for it).

Planet of the Apes; earth is a desolate wasteland.

Can't think of any more. Help, please?

spleenal said...

sunshine's crap is it. Aw shame. I did have high hopes.
That thing in your story about the aliens looking a bit like thin smoothed aliens has been played to death.
What about a race of super powerful alien overlords bent on the conquest of the universe, that look like hamsters?