MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Sci-fi Films

Sci-fi Films

posted 5 years ago by Ace_Spade (9658)
54 replies | jump to latest

Science-fiction is such a broad category of storytelling, and there are lots of plum candidates for the top spot. 2001: A Space Odyssey gets listed a lot, but how can you compare that to Star Wars?

Some people want cerebral head-games or thought experiments, others want metaphors for the human condition told through scientific advancement. Or maybe what you look for in sci-fi is different? The exploration of a strange, new world. Or is it just laser gunning that you crave?

Here are my questions:

What kind of science-fiction is your favourite? (ie, what do you look for in a great sci-fi?)

and

What is your favourite sci-fi flick?

For me, I'd have to say that I love it when theoretical, scientific concepts (usually supposed or anticipated technological advancement, but could be more outlandish like aliens or "psychics") are used to explore humanity.

2001 might be the best example of this, but I was also really enthralled recently by Arrival and its exploration of both language and time (and aliens!) as a catalyst to thinking about fate, family, connection, and harmony/balance in our personal lives.

[–] chilone (18331) 5 years ago

You really want your head to explode? Try to wrap your mind around all the sub-generas of heavy metal!!

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

One of my favourite interviews of all time has somebody ask Christopher Lee about his heavy metal vocals and Lee (in his 80s or 90s) corrects him, "*Symphonic* metal."

[–] AndyKing1967 (39862) 5 years ago

Sci-Fi is one of my favourite genres, I could easily list a top 100 - many of my favourite films have already been mentioned above. I can go from the classics like The Time Machine (1960), right through to cheesy stuff like Independence Day (1996) and everything in between.

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

You gotta love the cheesy stuff. Sometimes you just want to eat some popcorn and watch Jeff Goldblum hack an alien starship with a Mac.

[–] AndyKing1967 (39862) 5 years ago

Starship Troopers is my other go to popcorn flick, but as I said it could be the quirkiness of Dr.Who, the dystopian Children Of Men, the wistfulness of Silent Running or the cerebral Inception. It all depends on my mood.

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

Do you have a favourite sci-fi experience? Like, something that makes you go, "I'll never forget that". Maybe it's not the number one such moment, but just...

Like, for instance, for me, Children of Men has the scene where the baby is born and they're moving through the hallway and into the street and as everybody in the raging warzone realizes the miracle that has occurred, they just stop and there's this dead calm in the midst of chaos and violence.

Tears in the Rain is another such moment; nobody who's heard it will forget it.

[–] AndyKing1967 (39862) 5 years ago

I’m sure I could think of loads, but best ending to a film ever (for me) - Planet Of The Apes (1968).

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Love sci-fi. Here's my top rated sci-fi films according to my Letterboxd account:

1. Alien (1979)
2. District 9 (2009)
3. The Fly (1986)
4. Under the Skin (2013)
5. The Matrix (1999)
6. Gattaca (1997)
7. Dark City (1998)
8. Planet of the Apes (1968)
9. The Thing (1982)
10. The Terminator (1984)
11. The Invisible Man (1933)
12. Source Code (2011)
13. The Fifth Element (1997)
14. Attack the Block (2011)
15. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
16. Arrival (2016)
17. The Cell (2000)
18. The Quiet Earth (1985)
19. Snowpiercer (2013)
20. eXistenZ (1999)

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

Great list. I haven't seen everything on it (been meaning to check out The Cell for years. The trailer did a good job of showing off what look to be VERY impressive aesthetics and visuals), but what I have seen I really like and/or love. Under the Skin is underrated. It should be seen more. It's one of Scarlett Johansson's most impressive performances (and she's got some tours de force on her resume). I also love Attack the Block - also underrated. I love that, in that film, first contact isn't made by scientists, soldiers, or even wide-eyed dreamer kids (like Eliot in E.T.), but by a bunch of hooligan teenagers in a gang who just want to pound on it. Hilarious, original...great film.

The only exception is eXistenZ. I didn't care for that one. I thought it was delighting in being deliberately impenetrable. I don't mind a puzzle-piece film - a real head-game-playing thinker - but I think eXistenZ was just being convoluted to show off. I did like the bio-tech stuff (can't ever forget the carcass gun...) I'm not writing it off, I just got annoyed with certain aspects of the narrative.

Have you seen Avalon? It's got that virtual reality thing that stuff like The Matrix and eXistenZ explore. It's very neat; if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend it, since I think it's along the lines of several of your top 20 there.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Cheers Ace :) Totally agree with your thoughts on Under the Skin and Attack the Block - two complete originals which deserve more praise. I can also see your point re eXistenZ but I'm a Cronenberg diehard and I found the biotech virtual reality premise fascinating and disturbing. You're right it is convoluted but I didn't think to the point of it being pretentious.

I haven't seen Avalon but yeah, it sounds like it's right up my alley. Added to the watchlist now - thanks for the recommendation :)

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 5 years ago

I hated Arrival. I love SF, all kinds, but Arrival was a worthless film in every single possible way.

The Mt Rushmore of SF films? 2001, Forbidden Planet, Alien and Star Wars.

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

I find it interesting that you like stuff like 2001 but disliked Arrival. Arrival feels, to me, like it's in that vein of big-concept, methodically-paced, high-intellectual stuff. The way Arrival illustrated the importance of connection, language, and communication was great. It's exploration of time, perception, and fate were heady and the stuff that strong sci-fi is made of. I really loved it.

If you didn't, that's cool, but when 2001 also deals with encounters with the alien "other" and the course of humanity and human evolution being altered by said contact, I mean...Arrival definitely has that.

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 5 years ago

I thought Arrival was pure nonsense. Other than a few effects shots, I hated it. It was a Lifetime movie masquerading as 'intellectual' SF.

[–] jriley555 (8551) 5 years ago

agree. the squiggles on the glass was beyond stupid.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

*were beyond stupid, stupid.

I'm just kidding. It's interesting that Arrival seems to be one of those polarizing films, it appears people either love it or loathe it. I found it fascinating myself and I loved the exploration of communication and language as Ace pointed out above. Also, Amy Adams was terrific.