It's difficult to overstate how much I'm looking forward to the new web series, The Mercury Men. I've written about here back in May after Lou Anders posted it on his blog.The Mercury Men is a glorious throwback to the Cold War days and science fiction adventure from the days long gone. If you like the Republic serials of the 1930s, the movies of Indiana Jones, or the new novels of Gabriel Hunt, then you enjoy good, old-fashioned cliffhanger storytelling. That's exactly what the creators of The Mercury Men are tapping into and putting up on the web this fall. What caught my attention was the varied influences writer/director Christopher Preksta distilled into his work on the Mercury Men, especially the original Star Wars movie.
Take a read at the synopsis from the Mercury Men website:
Edward Borman, a lowly government office drone, finds himself trapped, when the deadly Mercury Men seize his office building as a staging ground for their nefarious plot. Aided by a daring aerospace engineer from a mysterious organization known as “The League,” Edward must stop the invaders and their doomsday device, the Gravity Engine.
The look and feel of the project are pure Outer Limits or Twilight Zone. This serial would have found a home right next to these 1960s seminal SF programs. Take a look at the trailer here. For an HD version (recommended), head on over to the Mercury Men website.
Funny you should mention Outer Limits. There's a nod to Harlan Ellison's Demon With A Glass Hand(from the original) in having the setting in one building.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'm one of those anxiously awaiting this one.
Randy - I've checked out Season 1 of the Outer Limits from my local library and am working my way through it. The Ellison episode is in Season 2 and one of the only episodes I can remember...might be the ONLY one. So far, I've particularly enjoyed "The Hundred Days of the Dragon" where a group of Asian bad guys kills a senator running for president and replaces him with an impostor. I dig the Cold War paranoia of these old shows.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great heads up, Scott. I'm on my way there now to check it out!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful stuff from the old days. I remember the line: "better dead than red." Thanks, Scott.
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