OPENING TO AN UNMADE
SCIENCE FICTION FILM
by Garrett Gilchrist
7/1/00
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OVER STARFIELD BACKDROP:
Space.
We see an orange planet in the distance. A majestic STAR DESTROYER passes
slowly
overhead. The sight is beautiful. We gradually become aware of someone
offscreen
humming "Star Wars"-like music and making little laser
"pow" noises. As
the
star destroyer moves further back, we are able to see the strings holding it
up.
It
now bumps into the painted starfield/planet backdrop, ruining the whole
illusion.
We
PAN UP to see SAMWISE ROBINSON, a scruffy but winning twenty-something with bad
clothes
and a glow in his eyes somewhere between idealistic and insane. He is holding
up
the STAR DESTROYER model on wires against a cardboard backdrop on a desk, which
is
littered with sci-fi toys. It is a large model, professional quality.
SAMWISE
(imitating
stormtrooper voice)
The
death star plans are not in the main computer.
(Darth
Vader voice)
Tear
this ship apart until you've found those plans!
And
bring me the ambassador - I want her alive!
He
laughs, a strange little laugh.
This
model's great, man.
CYNTHIA
"CYN" BADIE, a pretty goth chick, grabs the Star Destroyers model out
of
his
hands.
CYN
Man,
don't touch that.
SAMWISE
Why
not, man?
CYN
Man,
do you have any idea what this thing cost, man?
SAMWISE
Man,
man.
She
looks at the model and blows dust off of it, then rubs it with her finger.
CYN
Don't
you have anything better to do than mess with my stuff?
SAMWISE
Not
really, no. Your brother's out back having a smoke. I'm stayin'
away
from that, man.
CYN
Man,
I talked to him about that. Man. Where are Eric and Nicki?
SAMWISE
Where
you been at? They split like 3 minutes ago, man.
CYN
Man.
Man, this party's dying.
SAMWISE
Man,
man. Man.
CYN
Can
you stop saying "man," man?
SAMWISE
Not
really, no.
CYN
Man.
CYN
walks quickly out of the room. SAMWISE giggles and returns to playing with
Cyn's stuff.
EXT. BADIE FAMILY PORCH - EVENING
KEV
BADIE, CYN's brother, dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-clad and tall, stands
outside,
barely
moving, having a smoke.
ANGLE ON SKY
The
stars twinkle in the dim moonlight.
ANGLE ON KEV
He
looks intently toward the sky and takes another drag off his cigarette.
ANGLE ON SKY
A
small, unnaturally bright light flashes in the blackness, a different sort of
light
from
any star, then another just a bit to the right of it, and then another just a
bit
to
the right of that. The lights then stop.
ANGLE ON KEV
His
eyes have grown wide. Then they narrow again. He's seen these lights before.
CYN
now opens the sliding door and steps into view. KEV takes a few steps forward,
not
looking
down from the sky.
CYN
Your
moron friend is messing with my stuff.
KEV
You
should kill him.
CYN
I
don't kill people when they're awake, you know that.
KEV
Wait
until he's asleep then.
CYN
He's
not sleeping here.
KEV
I
saw the lights again.
CYN
You
have to stop with this crap, Kev. You're failing school as it is, you'll
only
make it worse spreading hick UFO sighting stories around.
KEV
I
was not failing. I got Bs. You can't fail if you're getting Bs.
CYN
Yeah,
Bs are why they revoked your scholarship.
KEV
I
can't help it if they have unrealistic standards.
CYN
Kev,
you're my brother. You used to be the normal one in this crappy family.
Stop
fucking it up.
KEV
You're
just mad because you can't be daddy's little disappointment anymore.
CYN
I
was good at it. Did you ever stab him with a letter opener? No.
KEV
I
almost cut his face with a screwdriver once.
CYN
"Almost,"
Kev, "almost." The difference between greatness and mediocrity.
KEV
Go
back inside.
CYN
What,
and watch that braintrust there playing with my "Lost in Space"
figures?
Fun.
KEV
Call
him "SAMWISE." He likes to be called "SAMWISE."
CYN
"SAMWISE."
I'm going to kill him, you know that.
KEV
Don't
be too hard on him. I think he likes you.
CYN
Great.
Enjoy your UFOs.
CYN
goes back inside. KEV continues smoking and staring at the stars.
INT. CYN'S ROOM - EVENING
SAMWISE
has made a mess of CYN's desk, playing with everything, taking things out of
their
boxes, etc. He is laughing. CYN enters and SHOCKS HIM with a TASER. He falls
to
the floor, unconscious.
EXT. PORCH - EVENING
KEV
takes a drag from his cigarette.
ANGLE ON SKY
The
same series of lights appears, only brighter and closer-looking. We hear very
soft
mechanical whirring.
ANGLE ON KEV
His
eyes widen. He takes another drag from his cigarette. The light on his face
from
above
is starting to brighten.
ANGLE ON SKY
The
flashes of light are faster and closer now, almost obliterating the entire sky,
as
if these lights are positioned very close to the earth.
ANGLE ON KEV
He
drops his cigarette.
We
PULL BACK.
The
entire porch is bathed in BLUE LIGHT now, and the WHIRRING noise is very loud.
KEV
reacts in shock. He is unable to move. A SINGLE SPOTLIGHT OF WHITE LIGHT now
falls
upon
him.
CLOSE-UP ON KEV
Eyes
frozen in terror. He is lifting off the ground.
ANGLE ON ENORMOUS SPACESHIP
Almost
totally black and terrifying. It is using a powerful beam to suck Kev into it.
Kev
floats up into its power, is sucked like lint in a vacuum into its porthole,
and
is
gone.
The
SPACESHIP pauses a moment and then flies away at tremendous speed, blowing away
all
in its path with a huge gust of wind. The SLIDING DOOR shatters. Somewhere, a
dog
barks.
INT. CYN'S ROOM - EVENING
CYN,
putting her things back where they were, is startled by the noise. A singed SAMWISE,
lying
comatose on the ground, suddenly springs back to life.
SAMWISE
Man,
what in the flatulent hell was that?
CYN
SHOCKS HIM again. He yelps and falls unconscious again. She runs outside.
EXT. PORCH - EVENING
CYN
stands in the shattered sliding doorway, looking with horror at the destruction
where
KEV used to be. She falls to her knees in abject shock and can do nothing but
just
stare upward at the sky.
The
camera moves UP, AND UP, AND UP until we see the whole house, then the whole
town,
then
the whole state, and country, and the planet earth in a field of stars with a
moon
in
a solar system with planets and a sun and ...