Demon Summer

I'm glad to say that the full six episodes of this fine series are finally available, **though not on the first 1x disc edition of this release**, which is now unavailable. Seek out the re-release. There have been many documentary series done on the subject of space exploration over the years. But few have done it better or covered all bases like 'Space Age'. Producer Greg Andorfer and writer Gary Hines are to be commended for creating a series that will not date very quickly and will inspire people to look to space with fresh eyes. It was a real coup to get one of Science Fiction's leading lights to narrate and present the series. Real space uses fantasy space to take back some of its' turf! Patrick Stewart has one of the most beautiful voices in the English-speaking world. His narration is clear, enthusiastic and endlessly engaging. The writing is concise and refreshingly clear of technobabble and the use of special effects and music is slick and competent. Archive space footage from the 1950s to the 1990s are of excellent quality. And one thing is made abundantly clear: We need series like 'Space Age' to help turn mankind away from the insular, navel-gazing flat-Earth tendencies and to help focus us toward a better future. The exploration and eventual colonisation of space has been budget-strangled and hobbled by political ignorance for too long. As the first episode of this series clearly shows: MARS AWAITS!

this is an excellent feature from the speedfreakproductions crew! i wasn't planning on writing a review for this movie until i saw the filth in the previous review for it. this movie has a great story line, creative shots and gore and plenty of comic relief. this movie flies straight over the heads of anyone who gives it a bad review. it is low-budget horror, i mean what did you expect?! go back to your cookie-cutter regurgitated hollywood crap if you don't like this and quit complaining. i am not quite sure what the bad reviewers expected. maybe if SFP would have put in some more explosions, car chases, nudity and Ben Affleck they would have liked it more. anyways enough of my rants, this is a great movie and a must have for any fan of indie movies or aspiring filmmakers.

There is no doubt in my mind that humans will some day walk on the surface of Mars. While it is largely inhospitable to human life, it is the planet that is closest to providing an environment like that of Earth. While it is much farther away than the moon, the presence of an atmosphere, gravity closer to that of Earth, abundant water and raw materials for building shelters means that it would probably be easier to establish a colony there than on the moon. There is also the mystery about why Mars took the development path that it did. The evidence that there was once flowing water on the surface is very strong and it appears that the Martian environment was once much more like that of Earth.

This tape, effectively narrated by Patrick Stewart, is an explanation of the difficulties of launching an expedition to Mars. There are many dangers; the long-term effects of being in interplanetary space are unknown. Solar flares could unleash deadly radiation, the lack of gravity could lead to a serious loss of bone density and muscle weakness and the psychological stresses could prove unbearable. Nevertheless, as one commentator points out, there are over 50,000 people who would volunteer to go tomorrow. Even if they were told that the odds were only 50-50 that they would survive, they would still volunteer to go.

This is a demonstration of that overpowering human urge to explore new territories and seek out new challenges.

I enjoyed watching the tape; it fires the imagination and stirs the soul of all who strive to achieve greatness. The establishment of a human colony on Mars will be a very expensive endeavor. However, when you consider how much is wasted on armaments and how human achievement unifies the human species, it will probably end up being a bargain in the long run. Also, few people realize that if all the benefits that society obtained from the Apollo mission to the moon was factored in, then the program was immensely profitable. Technological spin-offs, such as the dramatic shrinking in the size of electronic components, have paid for the program many times over. There is no reason to believe that a program to land on Mars would be any different.