By Robert Scucci
| Published 39 seconds ago

If you’re wondering why speculative, apocalyptic sci-fi thrillers aren’t often presented through a documentary framework centered on real-life world events and public figures, it’s because it leads to disasterpieces like 2073; a film with a clear message that’s delivered to is audience in the most disjointed way possible. As ambitious as this film may be, it’s incredibly difficult to watch, and highlights a unique problem: it’s not allegorical, but rather too real to handle. I wish I was as original as Rotten Tomatoes reviewer Glenn Dunks, who simply referred to this film as “Doomscrolling: The Movie,” because that’s exactly what 2073 is despite the promising thumbnail and synopsis you’ll see when looking to stream the title on Max. 

I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed, because even though 2073 is categorized as a documentary and a thriller, it’s, like, 10 percent thriller, if that, and the rest is just the kind of stuff you’ll see while swiping through your Instagram feed in a panic while wondering how close we actually are to the dystopian reality that, according to the film, we’re fast approaching. 

The Future Is A Bleak Place In 2073

2073 starts with promise as it follows the point of view of a lone woman simply known as “Ghost” (Samantha Morton). Living under a long-abandoned shopping mall with other condemned humans, narrations from Ghost explain just how fargone society has become, and aims to tell a story about how humanity arrived at such a bleak destination. In constant fear of getting investigated and silenced (killed) by the government, Ghost dumpster dives for food and supplies when it’s safe to do so, and retreats back underground to her dilapidated compound occupied by other survivors who are equally worse for wear. 

And let me tell you, these post-apocalyptic scenes are absolutely stunning. I wanted to learn more about how society functions in the year 2073, and I would have loved to see more of this. The hierarchy of power, the desire to reeducate the masses so they can overthrow their oppressors, and the state of constant surveillance that society is living through is captivating, to say the least, and this fictional yet unfortunately believable setting is fertile ground for some next-level storytelling about a society in disrepair that hasn’t yet discovered how to pick up the pieces and start the next chapter in our collective human history. 

Well, That Got Dark

The best part about 2073 is the sequences set in the dystopian future that will fill any sensible viewer with an absolute sense of dread, and then suddenly the worst possible thing ever happens: we get a documentary that’s reminiscent of the fear-mongering Zeitgeist film series that did a great job pointing out the dangers of a totalitarian government, but never even tries to reassure audiences by presenting a viable, or even realistic, solution to the problems we face so we can actually make concerted efforts to get on the right side of history and prevent such a bleak future from happening. 

In other words, 2073 is trying to be two different movies: a dystopian sci-fi thriller set in a fictional not-so-distant future, and a documentary using real, archival footage from the present day used to explain how this dystopia was created.

But therein lies the problem. 

While watching the documentary sequences that make up most of 2073’s runtime, I felt like Alex from A Clockwork Orange, who was forced to sit in front of television sets with his eyes pried open so he could take in all of the footage at an alarming rate. This kind of delivery strips the mystique from the more interesting story – the fiction set in 2073 – that could have been used as a vehicle to propose solutions for a society that’s been driven underground by the powers that be. 

Two Different Failed Films In One

While I appreciate what 2073 was trying to accomplish, it left a bad taste in my mouth because it comes off as if it’s preaching to a choir that’s already aware of the current state of affairs, but feels powerless to act in any meaningful ways to prevent things from getting worse.  

We already know that wealth is concentrated in such a way that keeps the working class under its ruler’s thumb. We already know that politicians and tech bros are sweeping humanity under the rug so a select few people in power can explore space while the rest of us suffer. We already know that data mining billionaires and chronically online worry warts are a terrible combination for humanity because it suggests how artificial intelligence will soon control the masses as it finds a way to become smarter than the humans it’s aimed to manipulate. 

That’s all well and good, but what do we do about it? The interesting story – the story I wanted to see – in 2073 is how future humans cope with societal collapse and set their sights toward a brighter future. What we get instead is a rapid-fire news feed of the present day that’s beamed into our eyeballs as if to say “there’s nothing you can do about this,” and “we’re already doomed.”

Streaming 2073 On Max 

If you’re looking for an ultra-condensed rundown of current affairs as told through various news sources that leads to a high-concept depiction of the future that may very well become a reality, then 2073 might pique your interest. But if you’re expecting to see how humanity aims to rise from the ashes through its speculative sci-fi storytelling, you’re going to be gravely disappointed. By juxtaposing real-life, present-day world events with what is by all measures a work of fiction, 2073 misses the mark on both fronts because it’s real, it’s scary, and it offers a disturbing take on how we’re collectively marching down a miserable path at an alarming rate, but never uses the fiction it establishes to meaningfully explore how we’re going to get out of this seemingly unavoidable mess.

2073 gets an A for effort and concept, and an F for execution. If you want to see how messed up the world is, just fire up your news apps, or hop on TikTok or Instagram, to get a crash course because it’s basically the same thing. If you want to just get it over with quickly and move on with your life, you can stream 2073 on Max. 

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 37 seconds ago

The ‘90s were a pretty heady time for Star Wars fans. The franchise experienced a resurgence in the form of an Expanded Universe of books, comics, and video games. At the time, all of this was considered canon, which made everything that much more exciting. We had new, official Star Wars adventures for the first time since the credits rolled on Return of the Jedi back in 1983. Plus, we had new characters, some of whom instantly became fan-favorites. Two of those characters came from prolific author Timothy Zahn: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

Both of those characters, along with the rest of the Star Wars EU, were de-canonized once Disney bought the franchise. Thanks to sheer fan demand, the House of Mouse eventually brought Thrawn back into canon via Rebels and, later, Ahsoka. After that, many Zahn fans figured it was just a matter of time before Mara Jade was brought back. However, Zahn and other writers recently confirmed that Disney keeps turning down their attempts to bring this popular character back into Star Wars canon.

The Coolest Star Wars Character You’ve Never Heard Of

Mara Jade was introduced in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire as a character who was once the Emperor’s Hand. As a Force-sensitive Imperial agent, she could enact Palpatine’s will all across the galaxy while maintaining mental contact with him. However, the death of the Emperor effectively ruined her career: because almost nobody knew what her role was, she had no real place in the Empire after Palpatine’s death. She had to build a new life for herself as a smuggler, but she is forever haunted by the last command given to her by Palpatine when he died: “YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.”

She proved to be a very popular character and eventually married Luke Skywalker and gave birth to his son (who, very cutely, was named “Ben”). After Disney bought the rights to Star Wars, though, Mara Jade and all her misadventures were no longer part of official canon. Later, however, Thrawn was brought back into canon through appearances in Rebels and Ahsoka. Furthermore, Disney commissioned Timothy Zahn to write new, canonical novels about Thrawn, who is arguably the most popular Star Wars villain since Darth Vader.

If Grand Admiral Thrawn Can Come Back, Why Not Mara Jade?

Understandably, Zahn tried to pitch Disney on reintroducing Jade into the canon in any capacity. In 2024, he told a Dragon Con audience that she is the number one character he would like to bring back to Star Wars in just about any capacity. “I keep nudging Lucasfilm, asking them if I could write a book,” he said. “The answers come back basically some place between ‘no’ and ‘heck no.’”

The matter came up again at MegaCon this year. Prolific Star Wars author Claudia Grey told the audience that she had repeatedly pitched putting Mara Jade into her books. “A couple of times I was like, ‘Really? Really, no Mara Jade?’ And they were like, ‘Nope,’” she said, putting a stern emphasis on the final word. By happenstance, Zahn was at the same panel and chimed in: “I asked them, too,” he said, before revealing that his request was similarly rejected.

It’s Time For Live-Action Mara Jade

It’s possible that Disney is hesitant to introduce Mara Jade back into canon because so much of her story doesn’t really work in the wake of the Star Wars prequels and sequels. We never really saw anything like an Emperor’s Hand in any subsequent movies, and the Inquisitors seem to fill the role of “Force-connected Imperials outside the regular chain of command.” Plus, her post-Imperial life was spent building a career with Talon Karrde, a smuggler chief who is also no longer part of established canon. Finally, the whole idea of having her marry Luke Skywalker is completely off the table, both because of Mark Hamill’s age and the fact that Luke hardly had time for love after becoming a grumpy recluse.

However, modern Star Wars writers did a solid job bringing Grand Admiral Thrawn back and gently nestling him within existing canon. It seems like it would be easy enough to do that for Mara Jade, especially with her creator doing his best to help out. However, it seems like the powers that be have decided that this fan-favorite character will never grace the screen or even the page, ever again. Which is unfortunate, because bringing her back in her own show or even film would be the perfect way to appeal to Expanded Universe fans who have felt (ahem) “jaded” by the Disney era of Star Wars.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 5 seconds ago

I’ve got a nasty habit of not revisiting movies I first saw when I was seven, finally watching them as an adult, and realizing how much time I wasted not enjoying them over the years. The latest addition to that pile is 1995’s Johnny Mnemonic, a movie that has all the trappings of a straight-to-VHS sci-fi thriller but with a $26 million budget. I remembered loving it as a kid, but over time I kept telling myself, “I’ve already seen that, let’s try something new.”

If you take anything from me, it’s this: just watch the damn movie. Johnny Mnemonic rules. Not because it’s nostalgic. Not because it’s great cinematic art. It works because it’s Keanu Reeves delivering deadpan dialogue as the titular character, Dina Meyer throwing hands against corporate enforcers, Henry Rollins looking permanently angry and bewildered but always ready to help, and Ice-T reliably being Ice-T because that’s the most Ice-T thing he could possibly do.

Brain Implant Overload

Set in the year 2021, Johnny Mnemonic centers on Reeves’ Johnny, a mnemonic courier who uses his brain to transport encrypted files. The tradeoff is simple: you lose your memories, but you gain storage space, which means bigger and better jobs. When he’s tasked with carrying a payload that far exceeds his mental capacity, he takes the job anyway because the payout is too good to pass up.

Naturally, the job goes off the rails almost immediately. The highly sensitive data he’s carrying has global implications, drawing the attention of the yakuza and exposing their partnership with a megacorporation called Pharmakom. Johnny can’t trust his handler, Ralfi (Udo Kier), whose ulterior motives become obvious fast, which leads him to Jane (Dina Meyer), a cybernetically enhanced bodyguard working with a resistance group known as the LoTeks, led by J-Bone (Ice-T).

With help from a computer genius named Spider (Henry Rollins), the true nature of Johnny’s brain data is revealed, setting up a final showdown between Johnny and his crew, the Pharmakom corporation, and their grip on society through a degenerative condition known as nerve attenuation syndrome (NAS), which has pushed the world into a constant class war.

All That, And AI Dolphins

Johnny Mnemonic is one of those cyberpunk thrillers that feels unrealistic now that we’ve passed the timeline it predicted. Still, there’s a kernel of truth in how greed, corruption, and corporate power can spiral out of control. Even Johnny, our supposed hero, pushes his own brain past its limits for a payday that’s clearly beyond his scope, never stopping to consider the consequences. It’s a small but effective way of showing how baked-in these problems are in this world.

As ridiculous as the premise is, everyone commits. That commitment fuels some explosive retro-futuristic action and just enough comic relief to keep things moving. My favorite stretches involve Henry Rollins rattling off conspiracy theories that turn out to be completely accurate, playing into his anti-establishment persona in a way that feels less like acting and more like perfect casting.

Like a lot of gritty cyberpunk from the early 90s with that straight-to-VHS look, Johnny Mnemonic is buried on Rotten Tomatoes with a 19 percent critical score and a slightly better 31 percent audience rating from over 50,000 users. This is the kind of movie you need to meet on its own terms. If you’re into titles like Split Second, Prototype X29A, Fortress, and Crime Zone, then Johnny Mnemonic fits right in the pocket with them.

If that’s the kind of territory you like to occupy, Johnny Mnemonic is about as good as it gets, and you can stream it on Netflix as of this writing.