The best sci-fi movies

Television, Movies Games and Books Other Science Fiction
#1

October is here (duh) and I love to watch horror movies all month–rented or on AMC’s Monsterfest. I thought I needed to bone up on my sci-fi movies since I haven’t seen a number of the ones referenced here or on the blog.

What is my point?

I would love for y’all to post (preferably email to me) your picks for best sci-movies of all time. I di not live in a cave, nor was I raised by wolves in way upstate New York, so I have seen all of the Star Wars movies [even the CGI craaaaap just to see him get in the suit] (props to Sean for that quote). Some of my faves are 2001/2010, Serenity, Wrath of Khan and Logan’s Run.

I just rewatched Blade Runner but it was the “director’s cut” because it was the only version avaioable on Netflix. Without the narration, I was kinda lost not having seen it since the mid 80’s.

Editoral: DON’T ASK ME TO SEE THE MID 80’S DUNE MOVIE OR I WILL GIVE YOU THE SYLAR TREATMENT AND THEN AIRLOCK YOUR SORRY SELF.

I would also love to hear from horror movie fans as that is one of my fave genres esp in Autumn!

Thanks,
Timbuck sturm_86@yahoo.com :cool:

#2

Hey Timbuk,

Be sure to check out the “Required Viewings” thread for a quasi-complete list of shows, movies, literature and music referenced on the show.

As for my personal “required sci-fi” movies I would recommend the following:

SCI-FI
Back to the Future Trilogy
Truly a classic. In fact I kind of assume you have probably already seen it. Required viewing. Let’s move on.

The Fly
Seriously brilliant, seriously disturbing movie. Must see once, don’t recommend twice. So much in modern culture references this you will probably spend half the movie saying, “Oh, this is where that comes from”

Highlander
This is a fundamental. Perhaps more fantasy than Sci-fi, still required viewing. Do not watch the sequels, just this one.

Independence Day
Lower your suspension of disbelief on this one and cook up some popcorn. Wil Smith in Sci-Fi? Awesomefrakingtastic. His lines alone make the movie worthwhile (and now you will understand every other quote on GWC)

Matrix Trilogy
'Nuff said.

Men in Black
Wil Smith does Sci-Fi again. This is lighthearted and fun fare.

Real Genius
Another classic. Get past the coldwar and this is a seriously funny movie. Here are two of my favorite snippets (although, in all honesty I can quote from this all day long):

Chris Knight: Kent puts his name on his license plate.
Mitch: My mom does the same thing to my underwear.
Chris Knight: Your mom puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?

and

Chris Knight: This? This is ice. This is what happens to water when it gets too cold. This? This is Kent. This is what happens to people when they get too sexually frustrated.

Serenity
I know you said you had seen it, but…sorry, I can’t possible make a list of required Sci-Fi without including this. (You HAVE seen Firefly, yes?)

Tron
Dated and awesome. Concept alone should bring you back again and again.

Horror
[SIZE=2]I will be the first person to state I am not a big horror buff. I want to be clear here, when I think horror I am not refering to the modern sadistic gore porn that is out there (I am looking at you Saw and Hostel). There are a few movies that I have seen that I would recommend that scare you more by what you don’t see than what you do. Or are just fraking scary.[/SIZE]

Halloween
There can be only one. The original is the perfect horror movie. Slowly build up the fear and loathing than spin the audience around. Awesome.

The Hitcher (the original 1986, not the remake)
Because, honestly, anything with Rutger Hauer has to be good. Seriously tho, this is a classic edge of your seat horror movie. This will frak with your head.

Jaws
Again, classic. This is horror through narrative and brief glimpses of the shark. Just see it.

That is it off the top of my head. Would love to hear what other people think.

#3

BALDE RUNNER!!! i recomend to wait for this in dec!
http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner-Five-Disc-Ultimate-Collectors/dp/B000K15VSA

#4

That’s a pretty comprehensive list, Solai, however I’d like to add a couple of personal fave’s with a couple of duplications if you don’t mind.

  1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
    At the risk of banishment from the GWC forum, I would encourage you to give this one another look: particularly if you have widescreen tv and surround sound with a big a$$ subwoofer. Yes, it has a little Spielberg schmaltz, but there really is a sense of awe when you watch this movie. Do yourself a favour and give it another go.

  2. Alien and Aliens.
    Believeable, right down to the corporate cover-ups.

  3. Blade Runner.
    I know it’s been mentioned already but it was, and remains, a classic and is worthy of a rewatch (particularly by the Alpaca herders). Rutger Hauer is particularly menacing.

  4. Matrix series.
    'nuff said. Don’t think too much about the philosophy and you’ll be OK.

  5. Abyss
    Once again, the sense of awe which builds over the entire movie and climaxes in the last 30 minutes.

  6. Dark City.
    The Matrix a couple of years early.

  7. Fifth Element.
    Fun! Visually spectacular!

  8. Minority Report.
    Thought provoking

  9. Virtuosity
    Cool premise.

#5

Off the top of my head…

Children of Men
Strange Days
The Lawnmower Man (it has its corny moments, but great overall)
eXistenZ (you’ll either love it or hate it. Some people insist on comparing it to the Matrix. Those people are wrong. It’s a whole different animal.)

#6

gafra - that is one of my all time favorite movies - one of the few that I will drop whatever I am doing to watch it. I still make the mountain out of the mashed potatoes.

#7

To sci-fi movies well I find it hard to find truly excellent Sci-fi because for me its hard suspend my disbelief, (That just how my brain works since I was a tike, but I still have a very strong appreciation for truly good science fiction, so here’s a list I found moving, funny and/or important

Dark city

(As much as I love Science fiction, Noir will always be my first love and this combined them seamlessly. I always thought it never got the recognition it deserved in film history

Sky Captain and world of Tomorrow

I’m going on a line here with the sci-fi but there were jet packs and air ships and giant robots and it was about as much fun I had watching a movie in a good long time it made me remember when I was kid dreaming of ships, and robots, and all the things you dream of as a child, and did I mention the giant frack’in robots!!!

Iron Giant

Speaking of Giant robots, There are too many good things to say about this film, so all I will say, is in sixty years I believe it still will resonate even when viewers forgot about the cold war.

Pitch Black:

Its not the most popular of Movies, but I thought it was great characters, monsters and Vin Diesel the ultimate bad a@@ before he started to suck (I.E. Pacifier) but great character interaction.

Renaissance

Okay its on the line for Sci-fi and I know I’m showing my noir Leanings but there you go I thought it was like nothing you’ve seen recently.

As a postscript I will give a shout out to Serenity (as I am both legally and morally, spiritually required to do as a browncoat) and Farscape the only show that could go absolutely anywhere and still remain poignant funny, and never loose its power

So to end this I’m completely biased, and yet here’s my list

#8

Boomer, I completely forgot about Pitch Black. Excellent. It was too bad that it could have set the scene for a whole new franchise that could have used the Riddick character much more cleverly. That being said, I think I’m in the minority that liked The Chronicles of Riddick: I don’t think it deserved the criticism it received. Well maybe a little bit but it’s no Starship Troopers or Battlefield Earth (I’m surprised no-one has volunteered to shhot THAT turkey on this forum!)

One British film critic Jonathan Ross offered a particularly unsparing critique:
“ Everything about Battlefield Earth sucks. Everything. The over-the-top music, the unbelievable sets, the terrible dialogue, the hammy acting, the lousy special effects, the beginning, the middle and especially the end. God above, it’s bad. Sweet baby Jesus, it’s bad. By all that is holy and sacred on the Earth, this is a bad, bad, bad film."

gaf

#9

I liked Chronicles of Riddick it didn’t belong on my list of best Sci-fi, but it was enjoyable enough,

It was cheesy at moments but as a person who watched the omega man six times, and is currently reading “The Zombie Survival guide, by Max brooks” I have genuine love for some good old fashion cheese.

But I liked the Baroque design and the whole Shakespearian Tragedy in the end; it felt like I was watching play almost by the end.

Now Knowing I will be shunned and possibly beaten,

I actually liked starship troopers well the first one, (we should not speak of the second one… ever… for any reason… I mean it…) Now in all fairness I’ve never read the novel but I thought it was good statement against fascism. Told in a guise of an action movie.

I’m not sure that made sense but just one man’s opinion

#10

Oh, Sky Captain was a lot of fun. I found Iron Giant, well, not so much.

One gem that had an unfortunate release date was “The Thirteenth Floor” It was released at about the same time, and had the same general idea as The Matrix, but without the Hong-Kong-influenced special effects (in fact, their talking points to the actors when they made appearances was to say, "It’s like The Matrix, only without all the special effects. facepalm)

If, like me, you agree that The Matrix trilogy was one film too long, you should check it out.

#11

I’ll admit right off the bat that I’m old school when it comes to science fiction movies. I grew up reading the Golden Age authors and for the most part I turn my nose up at most everything that was written or filmed after 1970 (call me a curmudgeon). So here’s my list of favorite Sci-Fi movies:

2001: A Space Odyssey. Still the reigning champion after 40 years. You weren’t supposed to understand it.

Forbidden Planet. Almost knocks 2001 out of first place. Would make the list simply for the eerie use of a Theremin.

The Matrix. What is reality?

The Day the Earth Stood Still. Gort! Need I say more? Watch the landing on the mall, great special effects for 1951.

12 Monkeys. It’s confusing, sad, funny and plausible. A cautionary tale for every branch of science.

Blade Runner. Basically a detective story but subplots about memory, lifespan and humanity keep it on this list.

The Abyss. Almost knocked off the list because of the Little Feat Sing-a-long but a great frist contact story.

Honorable mention - Aliens and The Thing. Human eating monster movies are generally disqualified because there is little sci-fi in them, but these movies rise above the genre.

Disqualified: All the Star Wars movies. I know this may be blasphemy, but the original Star Wars movies was basically Cowboys vs. Indians and the subsequent movies did little to improve upon the original. Without the marketing hype do these movies stand tall as Science Fiction?

#12

Tomster,

I like your style and approach. Well spoke my friend, well spoke. Welcome to the forum!

#13

For classic Sci-Fi:

Soylent Green
Silent Running
Logan’s Run
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Fobidden Planet
Blade Runner

Kinda Sci-Fi but cool:

Brazil
Highlander

Totally Cult Sci-Fi:

Repo Man

#14

There are still a number of sci-fi greats I haven’t seen, but out of my favorites, I’d divide them into classic sci-fi, kids, comedy, and regular sci-fi.

My recommendations:

Classic: Invasion of the Body Snatchers - A blast! A good movie in its own right and silly, old-style effects let you do a little MST3K as well. And Planet of the Apes is loaded with pop-culture references.

Kids: I know everyone’s seen it, but E.T. is a must. Also, Flight of the Navigator is a good 80’s throwback.

Comedy: Men in Black! The first one is brilliant and subtle. The second one is craaaaap.

Regular Sci-Fi: 12 Monkeys (tomster beat me to it) - A creepy and intense movie with rewarding plot twists. Star Trek: First Contact is my favorite of the Star Trek movies. You should see Terminator and Terminator 2 - both are very cool. And for a weird, thought-provoking, mind-bending sci-fi movie, try Donnie Darko. And it has Mary McDonnell in it.

And I second much of what’s already been said - Close Encounters, 2001 (a must), The Abyss, Back to the Future Trilogy, Matrix Trilogy. Good stuff!

#15

and I thought I rode the short bus because of my potato architechture…

#16

Halloween is by far the best horror movie ever. There is nothing creepier than that head turn Michael does before he continues toward the victim. OMG! Th re-make was decent. I never had any delusions it would be anywhere close as good. Bravo Solei!

#17

Solai…
Real Genius. This is my favorite movie to happen upon while channel surfing…OMG, what a riot.

“Girl’s gotta have her standards”

#18

Ok… I know I will have stuff thrown at me, but I must say it…

The Matrix trilogy SUCKED!!!

The Matrix was the best movie ever made. The second and third were pretty close to the worst…

I loved the style, the depth and the complex storyline of original Matrix movie. So much that it allowed me to get past Keanu… LOL

The fight sequences in the original were amazing …

The second two movies were rushed, reworked midway through (due to the death of Aaliyah), and lacked all of what made the original a groundbreaking masterpeice…

Ok… Now, for my list of favorite SciFi…

I agree with most of what has been already mentioned and will add the following :

All time Favorite’s that I haven’t seen mentioned :

Dark City
Metropolis
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Tron

Others :
A.I.
Titan A.E. (Cartoon yes, Campy yes, but a great story anyway)…
The Island (also a good storyline, even though it could have been better executed)
The Black Hole.

#19

It’s curious that folks tend to jam sci-fi works into one genre category, because there are so many different strains going in, both in films & lit. For the latter, I tend to lump 'em into 2 broad groups: brainy & action. There’s overlap (e.g. The Matrix), but generally films fit more easily into one or the other.

For action, I’ll echo previous posts - Blade Runner, Serenity, Wrath of Khan/First Contact, Alien, The Thing, Planet of the Apes (original). Forbidden Planet was huge in its impact; there’d be no Star Trek without it. Repo Man is pure genius, and definitely way ahead of its time in its own way (Tarantino was in diapers when it came out, but he owes a lot to it).

Kubrick’s 2001 is still the grandaddy of the brainy set. Like someone already wrote, you’re not really supposed to understand it, so don’t strain too hard. Just let it wash over you and try ponder humanity’s place while seeing the flick in the context of its era – i.e. released one year before Armstrong walked on the moon, amazingly. The special effects still hold up, an astounding achievement in itself.

Other brainy gems are the original Soviet Solaris by Tarkovsky (haven’t seen Soderberg’s version, but I heard it doesn’t hold up) and the PBS telefilm of Ursula LeGuin’s Lathe of Heaven, which was rereleased on DVD a few years back.

I also just saw Peter Weir’s The Last Wave, which is a tripped out take on the end of the world as seen through aboriginal myth. I’m sure there others I can’t think of right now.

#20

“Have you ever seen a body like that before in your life?!?!?”

“She’s my daughter.”

“Oh. Then I guess you have.”