A trio of must-see Sci-Fi shorts!

A close friend of mine (that goes by the moniker "Silent Steve" when we record film commentaries for my ongoing Riff Bros. web project) is constantly bombarding my Facebook wall with Youtube videos he discovers when he's bored. Recently he has rocked my world with three very cool sci-fi shorts that may or may not have escaped your eyes. Behold three fantastic tales with robotic warriors, alien worlds, and human mutations!

ARCHETYPE
Directed by Aaron Sims, this seven minute short reminds me heavily of "Robocop" (and to a much lesser extent, "Skyline"). A robotic soldier is being cross-examined by a superior (human) officer after it disobeyed orders and engaged an EMP amidst a battle. It turns out, that the war machine was once human itself and its memories of its past life are starting to come back. When threatened with having its mind erased, the eight-foot tall robot takes matters into his own hands.


MAN THAT IS SO COOL! It's a good concept, and I for one would readily shell out ten bucks to see a feature-length film featuring bionic robo-warrior battling those that would attempt to eradicate his humanity. Or at the very least, can we get a followup short or two to fully flesh this story out? Please?!


THE GATE
No, this doesn't have anything to do with "Stargate," and it doesn't have anything to do with classic 80's film with the creepy little demons and Stephen Dorff. This short revolves around a security meeting where those involved are discussing a minor outbreak of human mutations caused by medication the victims obtained from shady sources. Apparently long-term use of the substances triggered a dormant gene in human DNA, resulting in some pretty freaky man-sters.


So remember kids, don't buy cheap or untested pharmaceutical products off the web because the legit stuff you need is too expensive. Doing so may turn you into a evolutionary monstrosity!

I really like the idea behind this short film and apparently others did too, because Matt Westrup's "The Gate" is going feature-length! Congrats Matt; I for one am very much looking forward to seeing what else you bring to the table here.


R'HA
While the previous shorts had humans interacting with robots and mutants, the third one I'm sharing with you tonight is a very cool sci-fi tale featuring diabolical war machines who have turned against their creators: A race of multi-limbed reptilian humanoids. Check out this six and-a-half minute short from Kaleb Lechowski.


Oh man! Again another awesome concept, and what an ending! Even more shocking? This was created by a 22-year old German film student entirely by himself. The only thing he didn't do was the voice acting for the alien and the machine! Pat yourself on the back Kaleb; I have no doubt in my mind that you're going places!

So there you have it folks; three fantastic short films showcasing great effects and storylines that put most of the junk Hollywood makes to shame. Kudos to the men and women who created these works of cinematic art; here's hoping you all go far!