The Science of Kissing
February, the month of love, so our latest blog, written by Screen Porty volunteer Su, gives her take on the best sci-fi screen kisses. Set phasers to stun….
What do you need?
Star Trek, 2009, Dir: JJ Abrams
Zachary Quinto’s Mr Spock remains rigid in this masterful reboot as Uhuru (Zoe Saldana) aches with him after the destruction of Vulcan and the genocide of its people. In a momentarily stopped transporter she kisses him for the first time. Eventually he lets his head drop to her shoulder. In that split second, his pain floods on to the screen. I have to admit, it’s not until we get to Star Trek Strange New Worlds and a new Spock, this time played by Ethan Peck, that I realised I’d rather live long and prosper with Spock than Kirk, but I definitely had a moment when, to Uhuru’s question of what did he need, Quinto leans over, restarts the transporter, and answers with the immortal line: ‘For everyone to continue performing admirably.’ A month after release I’d seen this film seven times in the cinema.
The Tree of Voices is talking love
Avatar, 2009, Dir: James Cameron
Not only does interloper Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) ingratiate himself into the Na’vi Omatikaya clan on Pandora, but he also gets the girl (Saldana in her second appearance in this blog). Part of that is mind-melding his plait to hers. Of course, there is also kissing, but it’s clear from their flawlessly animated faces that the joining of the tiny tendrils at the end of their plaits feels like something way more than just holding hands. That it happens at the beautiful Tree of Voices, with its draping, bioluminescent fronds and floating seed pods, just makes the whole scene even more trippy. Sully was always going to be a good guy, but his conversion to the Na’vi cause makes him deserving of such an awesome individual as Neytiri.
No 1 Frenemies
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, Dir: Irvin Kershner
Bad boy gets together with the princess in this epic Western come Samurai classic that spans the galaxies and beyond, but only after a lengthy period of open hostility. Leia (Carrie Fisher) is the principled rebel appalled by Hans Solo’s (Harrison Ford) indifference to the fight. She repels his attempts at charm until that moment on the Millennium Falcon, where they finally kiss. And admit it, you’d been hoping for it just as much as me. It kinda ends badly for him. He gets frozen in carbonite, but just before he does, Leia reveals her true feelings – they kiss and she blurts out ‘I love you’. Ever the smooth operator, he simply replies ‘I know’. He’s a scoundrel, but we love him.
Mary Jane says thank you
Spiderman 2002, Dir: Sam Rami
No question, the upside-down kiss in Spider-Man is one of the most iconic moments in any superhero film and not just because Tobey Maguire almost drowned while filming. There’s the tension of will-they-won’t-they, the buzz of saving the damsel in distress and even will she recognise the Spiderman with half his mask removed? I remember thinking – I’d have yanked the whole thing off to see who it was, which is probably why I’ve never got to direct a $100 million weekend opener... yet. Still, it is a very special moment to be savoured.
Tentacle love is in the airlock
Galaxy Quest, 1999, Dir: Dean Parisot
My final favourite Sci Fi kiss happens mostly off screen but it still counts. When Laliari (Missi Pyle) corners Fred – the stoner in Galaxy Quest (Tony Shalhoub) – it takes everyone by surprise, especially Sam Rockwell, who plays Guy and it’s his response that makes this moment so sweet. He shrugs off his discomfort with ‘Hey, get a room guys’, but follows it almost immediately with ‘Whoa, that’s not right’, as Laliari slips from humanoid form into Thermian and all we see are her tentacles flying. This is another one of those films I’ve watched again and again – waiting for that Star Trek reboot that took another ten years to arrive.