The Incomparable Mothership

These movie producers really did a job on “Blade Runner.” They don’t advertise for narrations in the newspaper, every good writer knows that. But when you’re trying to sell a narratively dense piece of visual art to 1982 audiences who just want to see a Harrison Ford movie, that’s the sort of compromise you make. All we could do is sit there and watch it play. <p>Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz, Kelly Guimont and Dan Moren.</p>

Hit the books and polish up your comm badges, because it’s time to go to school—“Starfleet Academy,” that is. We check in on the first season of Star Trek’s latest (and last, for now?) TV series, and find that despite the YA focus, it’s still just really good “Star Trek” that’s worth your attention. <p>Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán and Tony Sindelar.</p>

Jason was on “Jeopardy!” Now he breaks the experience down with the help of two former “Jeopardy!” champions, Glenn Fleishman and Dan Moren. <p>Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Glenn Fleishman.</p>

Have your squire put on your best (and only) set of armor and be sure to re-paint your shield! We’re here to discuss the surprisingly delightful “Game of Thrones” spin-off “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which features characters to root for, humor, and other things in short supply in other installments of the franchise. <p>Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Erika Ensign and John Moltz.</p>

Charge up your cyberspace deck and avoid all slamhounds! It’s time for us to discuss the second book in William Gibson’s famed Sprawl trilogy, “Count Zero.” Of course, Count Zero is the name of a great hacker… wait, it’s this kid? This is a book that defies audience expectations, from the title character to the way it follows up—or doesn’t, really—the events and characters in its famous predecessor. But, as our veteran Gibson readers note, it sets the template for his career to come. <p>Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Antony Johnston, Glenn Fleishman and Erika Ensign.</p>

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss Emily Tesh’s “The Incandescent,” which offers a teacher’s perspective on a magical school (that’s mostly not magical, but infested by demons), an interesting story structure, and some very well-drawn characters. Plus: What else are we reading? <p>Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign, Joe Rosensteel, Heather Berberet, Paul Weimer and Scott McNulty.</p>

Find a cat bed and some apricots, and prepare to upgrade your chicken! While Jason’s away, we play Embark’s hit game “Arc Raiders”, a multiplayer extraction shooter where people can… be nice to each other? (Most of the time, anyway.) We talk survival tips, resource management, and—to nobody’s surprise—John’s got some opinions on the user interface. Host Brian Warren with panelists Ben McCarthy, John Siracusa, and Chip Sudderth. <p>Brian Warren with John Siracusa, Ben Rice McCarthy and Chip Sudderth.</p>

Want to see a dead body? Bring your comb, stock up on cherry flavor Pez, and stay really quiet if you see a deer. We return to the 1980s and honor Rob Reiner by discussing 1986’s “Stand By Me,” a movie Jason has somehow never seen. It’s not a movie with Things That Happen, but that’s just fine with us. <p>Jason Snell with Kelly Guimont, Erika Ensign, John Siracusa and Shelly Brisbin.</p>

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with The Incomparable. It’s time to discuss that Canadian hockey show everyone’s been talking about. “Heated Rivalry” just wants to know, “Will you come to the cottage this summer?” <p>Annette Wierstra with Kirsten Goruk, Heather Berberet, Stacy Watnick and Kat Benesh.</p>

Guillermo del Toro’s waited his whole life to make a “Frankenstein” movie, and now he’s done it. We carefully select the (Oscar-nominated!) film’s best bits, chop them up, and then sew them back together in the grossest way possible. (We know Del Toro would approve.) You don’t need to have a degree in Frankensteinology to take a seat at the lympahtic charcuterie board, but it helps! <p>Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Brian Hamilton, Monty Ashley, Tony Sindelar and Moisés Chiullán.</p>

Hello, Carol. This is a recording. At the tone, you can leave a message to request anything you might need. We’ll do our best to provide it. Our feelings for you haven’t changed, Carol. But after everything that’s happened, we just need a little space. <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Tony Sindelar, Moisés Chiullán and Glenn Fleishman.</p>

After 800 episodes, we are in serious danger of repeating ourselves, but that never stopped us before. Some of our most prolific panelists fulfill the prophesy and draft Incomparable drafts. Jason begs them to give him new ideas, because after 800, he’s almost run out. And we use our powers for good and evil to mark classic episodes for deletion. <p>Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Kathy Campbell, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley and Shelly Brisbin.</p>

Noah Hawley’s TV take on the Alien franchise, “Alien: Earth,” is crashing into a building near us, bringing gross aliens old and new, suspicious synths, terrified (and bloody) humans, and a new class of hybrid life forms with the minds of children and superhuman bodies. Does the show give us enough Xenomorphs? Is the eye alien a breakout fan favorite? Was replaying “Alien” on a different ship a good idea? Why is Trillionaire Island so understaffed? We break it all down. <p>Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Brian Warren, Annette Wierstra and Sandra Wong.</p>

Our most frequent panelists of the year join Jason to talk about their favorite stuff from the year gone by, and we also pause to recall some favorite Incomparable moments. Synergy! <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Tony Sindelar, David J. Loehr, Annette Wierstra, Scott McNulty, Dan Moren and Brian Warren.</p>

Kilmas comes but once a year! This year we’re climbing into the cockpit and revisiting 1986’s “Top Gun,” starring some airplanes, Val Kilmer, and Tom Cruise. It’s a very subtle movie. Were Tony’s parents right in protecting his young mind from it? And most importantly, why do we remember Val Kilmer’s character being the villain when he’s actually the conscience of the entire film? <p>Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Katie Mack, Erika Ensign, Tony Sindelar and Brian Warren.</p>

Our Ape Club reconvenes to celebrate the holidays with a viewing of 1971’s “Escape from the Planet of the Apes!” Is this an ape movie or an episode of “Mannix”? What happens when you change lanes on the Freeway of Time? Why is Zira the smartest of all creatures, ape or human? And was Dr. Cornelius framed by big government? Apes smart, humans dumb! <p>Jason Snell with John Moltz, Annette Wierstra, Brian Warren and David J. Loehr.</p>

Set in a bright retro-future world, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” doesn’t have anything to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe… yet. We analyze the latest attempt to translate Marvel’s first family to the big screen, including the trade-offs involved in introducing characters, not retreading the origin story again, turning Galactus into Rumplestiltskin, and the inevitable downbeat ending that never comes. <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Scott McNulty and Chip Sudderth.</p>

We celebrate Fangsgiving with a visit to darkest Transylvania (and Germany) for the plague-stricken, rat-infested tale of “Nosferatu”, a legally questionable knock-off of “Dracula” more than a century old that surprisingly reinvigorates the classic lines of the Dracula story. <p>Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Annette Wierstra, Tiff Arment and Tony Sindelar.</p>

Ever wonder what happened to The Oneders? We celebrate Hanksgiving by discussing Tom Hanks’s love letter to ’60s pop that’s also a clear-eyed look at the machinery of the entertainment business, “That Thing You Do!” Powered by a legitimately classic pop song, a stunning cast (turns out, Tom Hanks knows some people), and scenes of joy, warmth, and kindness, this is a film that we find ourselves revisiting often. Happy Hanksgiving to all! And make it snappy! <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Lex Friedman, Brian Warren, Kathy Campbell and Dan Moren.</p>

If you’ve been thinking of reading Science Fiction and Fantasy but had no idea where to start, we’re here to help. Our panel of longtime SF/F readers has some suggestions just for you! <p>Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Heather Berberet and Sandra Wong.</p>

Pixar Club re-forms to discuss “Elio,” the studio’s lowest-grossing feature film of all time. Funny thing, though… it’s a pretty good movie? It’s funny, has some space adventure and gross-but-lovable aliens, and even has a nice message about making connections. Look, we didn’t go see it in the theater either, but we sure had a fun time watching it on Disney+. <p>Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, Brian Hamilton and Annette Wierstra.</p>

It’s time for another Old Spooky Club, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stuart Gordon’s horror-comedy classic, “Re-Animator”, which bears very little resemblance to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. We’ve got notes about severed heads, chomped-on fingers, lobotomized deans, weird character motivations, creepy stalkers, a literal blood bath, and everything Barbara Crampton. <p>Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Tiff Arment and Monty Ashley.</p>

We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest-running theatrical run of all time—“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”! It’s an unapologetic musical about being yourself (and giving yourself over to pleasure). It spawned a cultural phenomenon that’s still evolving, and making some of us feel old! If you’re a weirdo, you’re welcome here. <p>Erika Ensign with Monty Ashley, Shelly Brisbin, Antony Johnston and Brian Hamilton.</p>

We’re back on the Marvel movies with “Thunderbolts*”, a film that (to our surprise?) is not a nihilistic story about villains pretending to be heroes (see: Suicide Squad), but instead a story about some troubled not-quite-heroes learning that they can be better if they connect to other people and work on their own issues. But also with explosions and fights and stuff. <p>Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán and Glenn Fleishman.</p>

It’s autumn, things are turning dark and gray, and that puts us in the mind of… (fictional) murder! Want a mystery novel, or series, to read? Our expert readers have many, many suggestions for you. <p>Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Antony Johnston, David J. Loehr, Scott McNulty, Sandra Wong and Annette Wierstra.</p>

Grab your cyberspace deck and prepare to jack in—it’s time to discuss William Gibson’s groundbreaking classic novel, “Neuromancer.” We’ve got a panel of experts—and a first-timer!—ready to discuss how 1984’s future looks from the perspective of 2025’s present. <p>Jason Snell with Antony Johnston, Lisa Schmeiser, Glenn Fleishman and Erika Ensign.</p>

We always knew Daniel Dae Kim would accomplish something after “Crusade!” (Kids, ask your “Babylon 5”-loving parents.) Our panel looks back over the three-month phenomenon that has been Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” and gives you reasons to watch it if you’re dispositionally averse to KPop, youth-friendly animation, or popular things. Behind the Spoiler Horn, we dive into how well the story and songs work together, whether it’s an animation breakthrough, the future of the wait-is-this-a-franchise, and what could have been better. (John Siracusa: “NOW you’re singing MY song!”) <p>Chip Sudderth with James Thomson, Shannon Sudderth, John Siracusa and Lisa Schmeiser.</p>

The Summer of Submarines reaches crush depth with Disney’s 1954 epic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Captain Nemo of the Nautilus has met his match in an uncharismatic French professor, his strangely familiar associate, and their sidekick, a violent harpoonist and occasional cabaret performer. Also there’s a giant squid. Everyone remembers the giant squid—and for good reason! <p>Jason Snell with Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Shelly Brisbin, Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr.</p>

Our Summer of Submarines floats on with “U-571”, a 21st centry-style action movie that manages to hit most of the squares on the submarine bingo card. McConaughey is a disgruntled XO! Depth charges terrify! A surprising twist if you didn’t think about the title! Turns out, submarine movies aren’t a genre—they’re a format that lets filmmakers explore genres. <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Casey Liss and Moisés Chiullán.</p>

We dive beneath the sea again with “K-19: The Widowmaker,” in which Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson star as… wait a second… Soviet naval officers? It’s a film about a horrible nuclear accident assembled from pieces of other submarine movies, as well as possibly several “Star Trek” movies, and we can’t decide if the screenplay or the casting is more of a problem. But finally we’ll get to the bottom of the real question: if most of the crewmen aren’t married, can K-19 really be a widowmaker? <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Philip Michaels, Steven Schapansky, Brian Warren and Tony Sindelar.</p>

The Summer of Submarines resurfaces with James Garner going on a secret mission to an enemy island in 1959’s “Up Periscope.” The Skipper is not a skipper, but he’s got some interesting romantic ideas. Some scenes are impressively bad from multiple angles. And we realize that we’re starting to get good at this submarine-movie business, maybe? <p>Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Shelly Brisbin, David J. Loehr and Erika Ensign.</p>

We return to 1995 not to hack into the Net but to wander, Netless, around Vienna with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Palm readers! Street poets! Plays featuring cows! It’s “Before Sunrise,” a movie in which nothing happens… except maybe the most extraordinary thing in two people’s lives. <p>Jason Snell with Brian Hamilton, Erika Ensign, Annette Wierstra and Steven Schapansky.</p>

Our Awards Book Club closes up shop for 2025 with a final set of rankings, the presentation of an award we made up, and an overview of all the Hugo-nominated short fiction. <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet.</p>

We celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Summer Superhero Spectacular tournament with something slightly different: A draft of our favorite superhero movies. <p>Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Chip Sudderth, James Thomson, Annette Wierstra, Tony Sindelar, Moisés Chiullán and David J. Loehr.</p>

2025 Awards Book Club nears the end with award nominees “Asunder,” “The Ministry of Time,” and “The Tainted Cup.” Plus: What else are we reading? <p>Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet.</p>

We went to the theater to see James Gunn’s “Superman” (2025) and are back to report about the pleasant experience. Gunn sets a new direction for DC superheroes, and fans of Zack Snyder may want to look elsewhere. From Krypto the Superdog to a surprising squirrel save, from The Marvelous Miss Lane to that Elemento guy, we’ll break the whole thing down. <p>Jason Snell with Tony Sindelar, Dan Moren, Shannon Sudderth, Chip Sudderth and Brian Warren.</p>

We remain submerged for a very long time to watch a very long film, 1981’s “Das Boot.” This certifiable classic is certainly long and German, encompassing almost everything you might expect in the genre. There’s action, suspense, a lot of character moments, and long periods of tedium spent listening for bad sounds, punctuated by moments of terror as the boat goes to eleven (and beyond). <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Brian Warren, Casey Liss, Dan Moren and Philip Michaels.</p>

The Summer of Submarines joins forces with Old Movie Club to take on 1958’s “Run Silent, Run Deep,” starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. It’s a tense thriller that has inspired sub and sci-fi movies for many decades. Erika’s gleeful reaction to the film’s abrupt ending may surprise you! <p>Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Philip Michaels, Shelly Brisbin, Dan Moren and Casey Liss.</p>

The summer of submarines kicks off with 1995’s “Crimson Tide,” a taut character drama that pits a captain (Gene Hackman) against his XO (Denzel Washington) in a conflict that escalates as global tensions rise outside their nuclear submarine. <p>Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Lisa Schmeiser, Dan Moren, Casey Liss and Erika Ensign.</p>

With the guiding hand of Prof. Siracusa choosing the curriculum, we watch select animated shorts from the Netflix series “Love, Death + Robots.” John’s quest to find the perfect photorealistic CGI animation continues. Tony does his companions a solid if he’s ever killed on a moon. The others debate if they represent love, death, or robots. We try to reconnect with our inner pool-polishing robots. It’s a real team effort. <p>Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Annette Wierstra, Brian Hamilton and Tony Sindelar.</p>

The second (and final?) season of the BBC/Disney+ collaboration era of “Doctor Who” is at an end, and so our crew of fans is here to pick up the pieces and ponder what went right and (unfortunately) what went wrong. Where does this franchise go from here? <p>Jason Snell with Steven Schapansky, Erika Ensign, Chip Sudderth, Annette Wierstra and Heather Berberet.</p>

We conclude (for now?) our coverage of the TV adaptation of The Wheel of Time, which was just canceled by Amazon. Three seasons in, we cover whether we think it is still worth watching despite cancellation (we do) and how well the show’s third (and final?) season fulfills the promise of it coming into its power. <p>Moisés Chiullán with Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Heather Berberet, Bryan Guffey and Kathy Campbell.</p>

Our Awards Book Club continues its run through the roses with a tougher than expected review of Vajra Chandrasekera’s “Rakesfall,” Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Alien Clay,” and Kelly Link’s “The Book of Love.” <p>Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms and Erika Ensign.</p>

Guillermo del Toro’s career started small, with the small-scale vampire (sort of) horror (sort of?) movie “Cronos,” in which an old man finds a mechanical object containing a magical bug that gives him eternal life in the bad way. Meanwhile, young Ron Perlman hates his evil uncle but continues to do his bidding! It’s a fun 1992 throwback that is still recognizeably del Toro. <p>Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Moisés Chiullán and Tony Sindelar.</p>

From the skyscrapers of Coruscant to the pyramids of Yavin and with numerous stops in between, season two of “Andor” covers the rise of the rebellion and leads to the doorstep of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” What makes it special among Star Wars series? Did season two improve on the groundbreaking first season? It’s Star Wars, so we break it down in detail. <p>Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Dan Moren, Tony Sindelar and Steven Schapansky.</p>