Representatives of Roebuck Studios, one of the largest holoreel production houses in the Gallente Federation, today released the first previews of an upcoming holoreel slated for premiere in major theaters across the known universe next Sunday. This, in itself, is not news – as one of the more prolific production houses in the Federation, Roebuck releases over two hundred holoreels a year. The movie’s content, however, is what has reel buffs and cultural pundits everywhere turning their heads.
Described by the studio release notes as “A rousing story about life, love, and the things that really matter,” the reel, bearing the name “Ultra!,” portrays a road trip undertaken by four youths -- one Gallenteen, one Amarr, one Caldari and one Matari. From the release notes: “Through their fantastic voyage, the four come to learn that things aren’t always what they seem, and that adventure can always lie just around the corner.” According to the trailers already released, the four youngsters apparently decide to go on their journey after taking their first tentative sips of the Quafe Company’s new Quafe Ultra beverage. Cans and bottles of Quafe Ultra are featured prominently in the trailer, and as Gallente cultural commentator Belle-Marie Jincroix puts it in today’s Federation Tribune , “the movie’s whole premise seems to rest on Quafe Ultra.”
The holoreel’s trailers have prompted widespread ridicule. Outspoken Matari reel critic and columnist Markus Erand writes, “It’s a classic example of the ridiculous depths the lowest common denominator has sunk to. In addition to being possibly the most blatantly obvious promotional vehicle in holoreel history, it even has the “token Brutor guy” -- no doubt portrayed as the same sort of willfully thick-headed ignoramus we’ve come to expect as a stereotype from the theatre of idiocy that is the Gallente entertainment business.”
The reel’s director, Gallente first-timer Alanor Smitheen, could not be reached for comment.