OK, so we've done the rounds of favourite fantasy films. Now how about favourite Sci-Fi films? I'll start the ball rolling with a few of mine. Leaving aside the obvious Star Wars and Star Trek titles and in no particular order:
Two Arnie Schwartzenegger flicks - The Running Man and Total Recall.
Luc Besson's The Fifth Element with the outrageously camp Chris Tucker.
The first Men in Black.
OK, over to you. ;)
Oh my. Where to start? There's so many.
In no particular order: The Terminator, Alien, Aliens, The Thing, Bladerunner, Predator, Predator 2, Pitch Black, District 9, 2001, Event Horizon, Serenity, The Matrix, Stargate, Silent Running, Dark Star, Planet Of The Apes (Chuck Heston one) & Return to .., The Omega Man, Soylent Green, Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, Westworld, Phase IV ....
I'm sure there's loads I haven't mentioned yet.
If I had to pick one .... The Terminator, I think. Or Serenity. Or Alien.
Cheers, Martyn
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OK Hertsblue, accepted are the 'starter for 10' Star Wars and Star Trek franchises...and also that we're voting on 'favourite', not 'best'...
Favourite sci-fi movie eh? Well its almost impossible to narrow one down! ITs also tricky since so many 'sci fi' films aren't actually sci-fi...
I think i'll have to go with Serenity.
Firefly is the greatest sci-fi (that is, sci-fantasy western, space opera(?)) series ever made of course and Rupert Murdoch will burn in hell The Black for cancelling it, and Serenity did the franchise proud (except for the culling of key characters...curse you Whedon!!!) And of course it has JEwel Staite in it (i refer the honourable forumites to the Totty thread...)
Dune of course (but again, is this sci fi?) is a film i'll happily sit down and watch anytime.
I do have a soft spot for The Chronicles of Riddick too.
Probably the closest to a sci-fi movie though i'd have to go with Blade Runner and also Strange Days.
1. War of the Worlds (Original)
2. Alien
3. Twelve Monkeys
Terminator
Aliens
Dark City
Nice...yes, Star Wars natch. In no particular order:
Pitch Black & Chronicles of Riddick
Ultraviolet
Aeon Flux [both animated & live action]
Equilibrium
Constantine [is this fantasy?]
Stargate
Firefly / Serenity
Tank Girl
Judge Dredd
Resident Evil series
Matrix Trilogy + Animatrix
V for Vendetta
War of the Worlds
Metropolis
Alien(s) - all of 'em
Transformers
Futurama :D
At this moment in time, I'm gonna go with:
Predator - cos it was on the other night. :D
Aliens - cos it's Aliens.
Matrix - cos it changed the game (but then dropped the ball completely, but that's a different discussion!)
District 9 - cos it was so much better than I was expecting it to be.
Worst?
Doom. Some console games should be left in the medium they were designed for.
Heaven help us, what has happened to the Stanley Kubrick fans? I'm ashamed to be a wargamer!
Top film for me has to be K-Pax
Others in no order are Aliens, Alien, Alien 3 (but not Alien Resurrection - a good idea but it didn't work for me), Event Horizon, original Planet of the Apes, Star Wars (Episodes 4 & 5 only)
Fifth Element - absolutely hilarious.
Hmmmmm :-\
I`ll just list my favourites - kinda in order, and not mentioning Start Trek, Star Wars, etc.
Event Horizon
Firefly
Resident Evil (all)
Aliens (all)
Alien Versus Predator (all)
predator
Survivors
War of the Worlds
Day of the Triffids (series)
Terminator (all)
Dune (both series)
Dune (movie)
Ultraviolet
Neon Flux
Pitch Black & Chronicals of Riddick
I Am Legend
Blakes 7
If we're including TV series I would nominate the original Quatermass and the Pit (God, does that date me!). Also the original A for Andromeda which introduced the lovely Susan Hampshire.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 29 September 2011, 03:11:58 AM
Heaven help us, what has happened to the Stanley Kubrick fans? I'm ashamed to be a wargamer!
<small voice>But ... but ... I had 2001 in my list ... </small voice>
Also, honourable mentions to older films that I remember from my childhood, but that, to be honest, haven't aged that well. I'm talking about things like Them, Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds and Day the Earth Stood Still.
Cheers, Martyn
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Blade Runner (Book is excellent as well)
Starship Troopers
Minority Report
The Omega Man
Escape from New York (Snake Plissken? I thought you were dead?)
Plan 9 from Outer Space (Oh come on. It's a hoot). ;D
One I'm sort of looking forward to is the film version of Joe Haldeman's 'Forever War'. Ridley Scott's got hold of the film rights and there's been frantic script writing through 2010. Should I be afraid? :-\
Aliens
Predator
Starship Troopers
not necessarily in this particular order.
Quote from: nikharwood on 28 September 2011, 09:30:23 PM
Constantine [is this fantasy?]
I think it's prob fantasy if we're being picky. I actually hated lots of it but that's as a long standing hellblazer reader. I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I didn't compare it to the source material ( I sat in the cinema on my own grumbling like comic store guy from the Simpsons ). They did Gabriel well though.
I'm looking forward to the new judge dredd.
Oh...... soylent green and quatermass....
By favourite, I'm going with films I enjoy watching over again, so ...
Fifth Element
Pitch Black/Chronicals of Riddick
Predator
Star Gate
Cheers,
Kev
Quote from: Squirrel on 30 September 2011, 06:22:09 AM
By favourite, I'm going with films I enjoy watching over again, so ...
Fifth Element
Pitch Black/Chronicals of Riddick
Predator
Star Gate
Cheers,
Kev
Yeah, forgot Stargate. Mind you how that city fed itself in the middle of the desert, Hollywood only knows. :-\
Holy wood magic evidently :D
blade runner
aliens
The day the earth stood still (the keanu reeves one)
Ha ha did anyone fall for that last one.
I watched the original with my dad when I was a kid and Gort scared the sh*t out of me and still does. It`s an amazing film just watched it with my littlin again last week and it scared the sh*t out of him too.
Jim
Soldier (watching it now) - I remembered this as poor, but it's not as bad as I thought - and there's some funky kit 8)
How could anyone not mention Solaris (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTi11hi3h9M&feature=related) by Tarkovski? A totally mesmerising movie. You just can't stop watching, you can't stop listening to the Bach choral theme, and you come away with a renewed sense of the beauty of earth and the tragedy of man's endeavours. It doesn't have giant lizards or laser guns in it, it's art. Scene after scene is unsurpassed in filmic beauty.
Cheers,
Aart
Dr Who Invasion Earth!!
I watched Babylon AD last night. It is DEFINATELY NOT my favourite sci-fi mioie.
Incomprehensible, rambling, fail of a movie. Which is a shame because it seemed quite promising.
Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 02 October 2011, 08:45:34 AM
How could anyone not mention Solaris (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTi11hi3h9M&feature=related) by Tarkovski? A totally mesmerising movie. You just can't stop watching, you can't stop listening to the Bach choral theme, and you come away with a renewed sense of the beauty of earth and the tragedy of man's endeavours. It doesn't have giant lizards or laser guns in it, it's art. Scene after scene is unsurpassed in filmic beauty.
Cheers,
Aart
It impressed me the first time; the second - nearly thirty years later - I couldn't sit through it; I think I expect more pace these days, and certainly a livelier camera.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 02 October 2011, 11:29:35 AM
It impressed me the first time; the second - nearly thirty years later - I couldn't sit through it; I think I expect more pace these days, and certainly a livelier camera.
I understand. I considered inserting a snide remark here about today's youf, flexibility hysterics or consumer culture, but it's no use rowing against the tide. It's a pity.
Cheers,
Aart
khm... let's see...
cliche but have to say num 1 is 4 me Blade Runner
2. Star Wars (all except 1, I really didn't like it)
3. Terminator 1 (the eye thing is just too scary)
4. Avatar
5. Dune
6. S. O. 2001
7. Skyline
8 Thing
9. Matrix
10. Space balls :)
Alien is just too scary....
Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 02 October 2011, 11:47:42 AM
I understand. I considered inserting a snide remark here about today's youf, flexibility hysterics or consumer culture, but it's no use rowing against the tide. It's a pity.
Cheers,
Aart
I was born in 1959; not sure the youth culture dart would have struck home. :)
Quote from: FierceKitty on 02 October 2011, 01:44:56 PM
I was born in 1959; not sure the youth culture dart would have struck home. :)
I was born in 1957. So it
would have struck home, you young whippersnapper. ;)
Cheers,
Aart
Your generation has never understood ours!
Well, I have no comprehensive list... but these days I really want to watch Ghost of Mars. I know a lot of people hate it, but I just love it.
I also like Skyline (because of the 'few people viewpoint' instead of the usual world epic stuff) and Starship Trooper (for pure fun).
I was born in 1958 so perhaps I can help as the go between. ;)
Oh well here's my shortlist, there are probably others but these are the first to spring to mind...
Fifth element
Silent Running
Tron (original version - I have't seen the remake)
Starship Trooper
Day the Earth Stood Still (the remake)
Quote from: Sevej on 03 October 2011, 02:58:24 AM
... these days I really want to watch Ghost of Mars. I know a lot of people hate it, but I just love it.
I kinda like this, if it's on I'll sit and watch it.
Tremors 1, 3 and 4.
Them (the original)
Starship Troopers (the first one)
The Story of Mankind (if only for the cast- it has a really cheesey plot*)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Monster from the Black Lagoon (which is actually a much better movie than you might have been led to believe)
The 1943 version of "I walked with a Zombie" (not really Sci-fi but a great piece of cinema)
The Bela Lugosi version of "White Zombie" (Ok we're really stretching the Sci-fi thing here)
I also have a weakness for cheaply made 40s, 50s and 60s Sci-fi with the words Amazon , or Woman/Women or Queen in the title
Dave Turner
* Not as cheesey as "The 27th Day" but few movies exceed that little gem for cheese rating.**
** OK there's "The Boy with the Green Hair" but that's not really Sci-fi
I like a lot of SF movies and I can't say I have any one favourite. However, a lot of my favourites have appeared in this thread. Like Stargate; (led to the TV franchise of course) is just so lush that I've lost count of the number of times I have watched it. Also, The Matrix; ground breaking in oh so many ways that everything made since has to measure itself against this standard. Not forgetting Aliens; the best SF war film we have in spite of the ropey (by todays standards) special effects. Or for that matter The Thing; John Carpenter version with Kurt again, which was another ground breaking movie that set a very high bar for what is horror and frightening.
However, there are other films that I think stand repeated watching...
Soldier: slagged at the time, but Kurt Russell and the referral to Blade Runner makes it worthwhile.
Deep Rising: Not really SF, rather a modern day Lovecraftian tale of tentacles and dismemberment with SF weapons (rotary barrel assault rifles).
Wing Commander: killed the franchise, but it has awesome music and a stellar supporting cast of Warner, Suchet and Prochnow.
Galaxy Quest, whats not to like?
Tremors - GREAT film, forgotten about that one! 8)
Quote from: mad lemmey on 05 October 2011, 09:21:54 PM
Tremors - GREAT film, forgotten about that one! 8)
:D
Yeah, great fun little film. Shame the sequals are such 24-carat fail.
Quote from: Paint it Pink on 05 October 2011, 07:45:34 PM
Galaxy Quest, whats not to like?
Nothing at all. Great send-up of Star Trek. :D
Quote from: Paint it Pink on 05 October 2011, 07:45:34 PM
Soldier: slagged at the time, but Kurt Russell and the referral to Blade Runner makes it worthwhile.
Deep Rising: Not really SF, rather a modern day Lovecraftian tale of tentacles and dismemberment with SF weapons (rotary barrel assault rifles).
Yep - totally with you on Soldier; not seen Deep Rising but I want to watch it now :)
In no particular order:
Bladerunner
Aliens
Ghosts of Mars
Pitch Black
Chronicles of Riddick
Dune
Soldier
Equilibrium
Ghost in Shell
Resident Evil
Moon*
There are many others such as District 9, Battle LA, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, Predator etc but they are too close to modern day for me to be hard core sci-fi.
Maybe they are alternate reality in my mind.
Dunno.
*very good film.
I am Legend was ****, shitty, ****. Even if you hadn't read the book, it was still ****, because Will Smith can act precisely one role well - the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He really can't act except for light hearted comedy. He managed Men in Black ok because it was just that (though it was also sh*t, but at least it didn't have pretensions of granduer).
I am Legend wasn't a light hearted comedy and so Smith was the wrong person to be the main character. The songs played in the film were bizarre and completely destroyed the atmosphere.
If you've read the book, the story was about the last human, with the roles of vampires and humans reversed. Now the last human, who hunted vampires by day, became a mythical and feared, un-natural creature, as vampires were to humans.
In the film Will Smith is not the last human, the plot makes no sense, the atmosphere is bizarre, the acting terrible, the music inappropriate to the content.
oh thank you Dunadd - i've been preaching exactly the same to anyone who will listen but so few people have read the book and dont get it.
I can heartily recommend the book - it is a fantastic story, that keeps you gripped and makes you think