tmole99 on 5/3/2007 at 09:02
Yeah, I watched this on TV last night and thought exactly the same.
The computer thingy was a clone of the lovely Shodan. The little nanite containers even looked similar to the ones in SS2.
Not that I think they copied it from the game, but it was weird watching it and imagining what an SS2 movie would be like
:wot:
rachel on 5/3/2007 at 14:06
Quote Posted by jamesge
particularly their narcissistic interest in their own "evolution."
As far as I remember, VIKI's not really evil. She redefines her mission to protect humanity creating the zeroeth law, and tries to take control based on that. On the other hand, SHODAN just wants to eradicate the Earth and recreate her own little universe from scratch. If we're to compare movies, SHODAN is closer to Skynet than to VIKI.
Also, the thread was 2.5
YEARS old, ffs. You could have just created a new one.
Kefren on 5/3/2007 at 15:25
Quote Posted by raph
Also, the thread was 2.5
YEARS old, ffs. You could have just created a new one.
Why is it always seen as bad to add to old threads? It seems sensible for all information on a topic to be on one thread, rather than re-starting them. And since new people join all the time, it gives them a chance to see what has already been said in threads before they joined (reducing repetition, and bringing interesting things to light that you would only otherwise see by looking specifically for that subject with a search). Quite a few times for me, someone raising an old thread has led me to an interesting read on a subject I wouldn't have searched for (e.g. this one).
cosmicnut on 5/3/2007 at 15:32
OK, first off, System Shock is not particularly original.
Most of the concepts and ideas are taken from various sources, mainly from the area of sci-fi and cyberpunk. William Gibson created cyberpunk and wrote neuromancer. A book that has inspired many writers, books, films (including SS and the matrix). As for an AI taking over the world. We all know it's been done many, many times.
AI, takes it's story and themes from most of the same sources as SS. Heck, with the audio in VIKI's death throws, some may even have played SS.
Now, it's usual for film and TV writes to use sources like the above, to create new stories.
As for being Asimov.....
Well. It kinda is. They have used his laws (also used in countless sci-fi) and ideas.
VIKI uses the zeroth law, something created in asimovs short stories. One about a robotic politician if I remember correctly. It was created and used so that he could order people into dangerous situations if the gains to mankind were great enough.
VIKI is NOT mad, she is doing what she sees is nessicery to protect humans from themselves. Remember, the people that had stayed in doors during the curfew were in no peril. The police, army and other robots could have tried to rebel against her. Causing more death and distruction. She could not allow this, so they were sacrificed for the "greater good".
SHODAN, went mad... beliving herself to be a god/mother nature, she took it upon herself to re-make mankind into a more advanced form of life. That meant either killing or mutating the entire population. Her basic task differed from VIKI. SHODAN was there to improve mankind, the way all science is supposed to. She took this to the logical conclusion. To really improve mankind, mankind must change. be it through either technological aduptation or bilogical mutation.
In the end, they both have the same warning message. Machine inteligence is different from ours. If we give them enough intelegence and enough power, can we really predict their actions.
The real problem I have with the film comes from what I read about the original book
Asimov wrote the three laws of robotic so that he could write about stories that didn't include armies of robots wanting to take over the world.....
At the time he wrote it, all the sci-fi stories had the robots as the invaders and villans. The film may have a lot in common with the books but it's out of step with the spirit of the books.
If you really want to see a SS rip off, try the film "Virus (1999)". Jamie Lee Curtis meets an earthbound SHODAN
RocketMan on 5/3/2007 at 16:15
Rip-off or not, I enjoyed that movie. I think if ss2 were not set in space, the bowels of a large boat would be the next best thing since it looks similar in many ways. I thought that russion dude turned cyborg was probably a pretty good baseline for all the cyborgs in ss.
rachel on 5/3/2007 at 19:45
Quote Posted by cosmicnut
Asimov wrote the three laws of robotic so that he could write about stories that didn't include armies of robots wanting to take over the world.....
At the time he wrote it, all the sci-fi stories had the robots as the invaders and villans.
As I recall, most stories involving the Three Laws nonetheless point at flaws in those laws and demonstrate that a set of arbitrary rules cannot serve as a basis for behaviour (robotic or else) because human interactions are just not so simple. The Laws can serve as a basis or model to develop more complex ethics but they are unapplicable on their own.
ZylonBane on 5/3/2007 at 22:46
Quote Posted by Kefren
Why is it always seen as bad to add to old threads?
Because a thread is not an encyclopedia article, it is a conversation. This conversation ended over TWO YEARS AGO.
Bjossi on 6/3/2007 at 00:30
Then it was brought back to life. ;)
ZylonBane on 6/3/2007 at 03:11
Yeah, like Frankenstein's Monster. Resurrected threads are an abomination of science. Just because you can bring them back to life, doesn't mean you should.
polytourist97 on 6/3/2007 at 06:42
Especially if the conversation is resurrected to harbor comments such as ...
Quote Posted by RocketMan
Rip-off or not, I enjoyed that movie.
*shudders
