Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

My father and I really don’t get along. We never have. It’s weird because we actually have a lot in common. However, though we like the same things, our tastes in those categories are completely different. For example, we both love British comedies, but he gravitates toward stuff like Benny Hill, which I think is the most idiotic piece of show ever created. I like shows like Black Adder and Red Dwarf, which are certainly silly in their own right, at least they’re silly with a purpose.


And it’s always been this way with us. While he likes one thing, I’ll like something that to us seems completely different, but is actually somewhat similar. For some reason, these minor differences had always kept a huge schism between us. It wasn’t until we both realized our mutual affinity for science fiction that we realized that we had something in common with no gap to bridge.


So one day, when I was much younger, my dad decides to take us to this movie. Being the huge science-fiction buff he was, my dad was naturally excited to see that Hollywood made a movie out of one of his favorite short stories of all time, “Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov. At that time I was just a budding sci-fi fan, only interested in the genre when somewhere in the plot, photon torpedoes were being fired, robots were subjugating the human race, or lightsaber wielding Jedi knights were engaging in mortal combat. I guess he figured that since we both liked science fiction, this would be an opportunity for us to connect on some level.


Anyway, once we were in the theater with the lights dimmed and the projector starting to flicker, I found myself being treated to the single worst science-fiction movie ever made. Those of you who know the genre appreciate the power of the previous statement. This movie was a complete atrocity. I still bear the mental scars to this day.


The plot of Nightfall is actually rather simple. The setting is a distant desert planet (it’s not science fiction unless it’s set in the desert, right?) that has six suns. Every few thousand years or so, all six suns set, causing the planet’s inhabitants to experience a temporary, but complete night. The inhabitants of the planet discover that during this period of night, whatever civilization was currently in place gets completely destroyed before the dawn. The movie is shot in a surreal manner, using strange close-ups, and stream-of-consciousness type continuity. It reminded me very much of those ‘art’ type of sci-fi films that were made in the 1970s with the extended ‘bad acid trip’ special effect scenes. Thankfully, this movie is missing those special effects, but had the filmmakers included them, they would have been right at home.


Throughout the movie, the characters struggle with the imminent settings of the planet’s suns. Some try to find solace in science, but for the majority of the film we see the story of a man who sees his society crumbling from the fear of this rare event. I forget the name of the character, but it’s really not important to this terrible piece of script. Just for reference purposes, I’ll call him Badly Acting Protagonist.


At one point, Badly Acting Protagonist has a love scene with his girlfriend. An extended love scene. With nudity. Gratuitous nudity. Watching the two pale exposed bodies writhe purposelessly, I realized, “I’m with my mom, dad, and sister, watching nude people have sex”. If there’s anything more embarrassing than sitting next to your mom and dad in a dark movie theater, watching what seems like the longest love scene ever filmed, please keep it to yourself. I have enough nightmares about this alone, thank you very much. It was like a bad episode of The Wonder Years.


After what seemed like an eternity, the scene ended. However, butts and breasts would occasionally pop out, like a black cat in a ‘b’ horror movie. A device that jumps out just for the cheap thrill.


Anyway, in the storyline, the panicked population quickly finds comfort in the arms of a cult leader, Over Acting Antagonist, who has developed a cult give religious significance to this apocalyptic prophecy. As the population’s fears escalate, they join his cult, causing OAA to rise to power very quickly. Eventually the evil practices of Over Acting Antagonist begin to have a deleterious effect on the society, and to the point where Badly Acting Protagonist simply must do something about it.


The big confrontation comes during the sunset, and is one of the most pathetic confrontation scenes I have ever seen. Of course there’s a fight sequence, but was so feeble, it took me a minute to realize that they were fighting. It just looked like an argument with some physical contact. The movie ends at with the nightfall, but doesn’t give any additional insight as to the significance of this event. The audience was just left hanging.


As the lights lifted and I distinctly remember hearing a few people boo. Loudly. One nerdy-looking guy even threw his cup at the screen. Up until that point I had thought that I was watching some intellectual, grown-up movie that I just didn’t understand. Once the soda cup took flight, splashing its sparkling, brown contents across the gray screen, I came to realize one thing.


The movie just plain sucked.


None of us said anything as we walked to the car and drove home. I guess we were just stunned from the spectacle, and wondering why on earth our father would drag us to this movie. For weeks after that I looked at my dad a little differently, like ‘Good Morning, Mr. Freaky Strangeman.’


Years later, I was in the library of my High School (go Lions!) and saw a collection of short stories from Isaac Asimov. I had been introduced to Asmiov’s work by his robot stories and Foundation series, and had chosen to do a report on him for my English class. While reading the book of stories, I came across Nightfall, the short work which the horrendous movie had been very loosely based. I found it hard to believe that an author I was quickly coming to respect could possibly produce anything that could in any way be related to that of cinematic drivel.


At first, the flashbacks of that horrible experience almost caused me to skip that story, then I decided to go ahead and read it, trying to see what value my father could have seen in the work. Asimov’s Nightfall is a classic sci-fi story written in that logical, intelligent style that is distinctive of his writing technique. The plot is basically the same as the movie as far as the six suns setting, but everything else, character interactions, plot twists, resolutions, is far more complex. It’s a wonderful sci-fi story dealing with religion, science, religion vs. science, and the psychology of man and human masses. That’s probably why the guy threw his drink at the movie screen. There’s little worse than watching your favorite book or story get molested on the big screen.


As soon as I put the book down, I realized that all my father was trying to do was share a very good artistic work with me. If the movie had stayed true to Asimov’s vision, I probably would have walked out of the theater like, “whoa” and completely immersed myself in his work. That could have led to us having civilized discussions, and perhaps even, a deeper understanding of each other. Unfortunately, Dad didn’t check the reviews (where was Epinions back then?) or ignored them completely, so we all had to endure this dreadful interpretation of a great story, and turned a possible opportunity to bond into an eye-gouging experience.


So for this and many other attempts to share something rich and inspiring into my life, I thank my father. Even though this one failed miserably, it’s the thought of a very closed person trying to share something that he enjoyed with his family that mattered. Although we never have been and probably never will be on the best of terms, in retrospect, I find that I owe a lot of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned in life to this man. One of the most important being how to check with critics before going to see a movie.


Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.


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This Epinion is part of the 2001 Father's Day Write-Off hosted by sumo_rhino. Contributing authors include:

AdaDavis, AggieBrett, AngelaBar, Arazim, dougsanders, GinaHill, Howard_Creech, JAMES23, JediKermit, jkkelley, JNGowan, kevlog, LDiablo, MadTheory, mike.holmes, mattjoe, Nathanael73, PSobel, scoobysnack00, Shalott, Sloucho, and sumo_rhino.

The write-off celebrates our dads. Participants have chosen topics for review that offer remembrance of their paternal relationships or bind them to their fathers in some way. For an uplifting experience, please visit the other contributions. A complete list of participants/reviews and links will be available at the web page:

http://www.gpaulray.com/writeoff



Recommended: No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age