The Gate To the Mind's Eye

More computer magic from Miramar: the third in the series (the others are The Mind's Eye [VL-5/91] and Beyond the Mind's Eye [VL-12/92]) features a pulsing original soundtrack by Thomas Dolby, whose "She Blinded Me With Science" was the "Feelings" of the New Age era for awhile. The video opens with a stunning sequence in which a futuristic hovercraft zips through a grungy, high-tech landscape alá Blade Runner, while a very big guy with horns (could be Hell's CEO) looks over the fire and destruction. The Gate to the Mind's Eye never achieves this level of striking vision again...but there's still a lot of fun stuff here. Watching dolphins, tigers, waterfalls, even the Great Wall of China, one is struck by how close computer technology is to convincingly replicating animal movement. As for inanimate objects, it's already there. There was one lovely tracking shot across a stone courtyard that would have easily fooled me as an actual shot in a film. Two other pieces deserve special mention: one humorous segment in which a family of eyeballs watch a music video about money, and another excellent visual grabber in which human figures march across various landscapes. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)