5 Best Sci-Fi movies?

[kupocake]

It so hard to nail down what's Sci-Fi sometimes. Is 28 Days Later? Is Children of Men? How about A Scanner Darkly? They all have sci-fi elements, but are they actually science fiction movies?

Would people say there is such a thing as a pure Science-Fiction film? It seems to me that they must always be genre hybrids with less or more science-fiction from film to film (I'd say older films like Metropolis or 2001 are 'more Sci-Fi' than more modern films, which just tend to be Thrillers, Horrors or Action-Adventures with Sci-Fi settings.).

 

[CyberPitz]

There is no way I could sum it up in a list or in an order at all...

 

[StardogChampion]

1. Brazil
2. Blade Runner
3. Alien
4. Terminator 2
5. Matrix 1

 

[CptStern]

I'll start.

1. Serenity
2. Star Wars (all of them)
3. GITS
4. n/a
5. n/a

:cheese:

I dont consider star wars a sciencefiction movie ..more like space opera with a futuristic setting (I'm aware it's in the past) ...serenity ..I havent seen it but ..are you kidding me? what is GITS?


best sci-fi in no particular order ..imho of course:

Blade Runner
A Clockwork Orange
2001 space oddessy
Fahrenheit 451 (Numbers, you need to read this book)
Metropolis

 

[15357]

I dont consider star wars a sciencefiction movie ..more like space opera with a futuristic setting (I'm aware it's in the past) ...serenity ..I havent seen it but ..are you kidding me? what is GITS?


best sci-fi in no particular order ..imho of course:

Blade Runner
A Clockwork Orange
2001 space oddessy
Fahrenheit 451 (Numbers, you need to read this book)
Metropolis

Ghost In The Shell.

Read that one, about the pyro guy burning books? I found it rather weird. Couldn't finish it, had to return the book, so I don't know the last 40, 50 pages or so.

 

[CptStern]

no it wasnt about a "pyroguy" ..it was about government censorship and is still to this day one of the best sci-fictin novels ever written

 

[15357]

Meh, opinions.

 

[CptStern]

there's opinion and then there's informed opinion ..but then again you consider star wars science fiction

 

[Neutrino]

no it wasnt about a "pyroguy" ..it was about government censorship and is still to this day one of the best sci-fictin novels ever written

I read the book a long time ago and loved it, but I've never seen the movie. How does it compare with the book?

Read that one, about the pyro guy burning books? I found it rather weird. Couldn't finish it, had to return the book, so I don't know the last 40, 50 pages or so.

I'd highly recommend trying to read it again. From the sound of it I think you missed the major point of the book and it's certainly worth looking at again. To be fair Ray Bradbury can be a bit of an aquired taste to some.

 

[15357]

there's opinion and then there's informed opinion ..but then again you consider star wars science fiction

Well, I didn't consider Fahrenheit 451 to be a sci-fi novel, I though it was another orwell type dystopia novel, although the only dystopic thing about it was that books were banned and people called TVs their relatives.

 

[brink's]

there's opinion and then there's informed opinion ..but then again you consider star wars science fiction

He's not the only one...

http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll

Genre / Type

* Science Fiction
* Space Adventure
* Sci-Fi Action

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars

"the Star Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to both science fiction and mythology"

"Star Wars is a science fantasy saga"

 

[Remus]

One thing I never understood about Star Wars is that since in the beginning it is stated that the action takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far away" then all the characters that look human are actually aliens or what?

 

[Neutrino]

One thing I never understood about Star Wars is that since in the beginning it is stated that the action takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far away" then all the characters that look human are actually aliens or what?

I've found it's best not to go to deep in analyzing anything George Lucas has done.

 

[CptStern]

He's not the only one...

http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll

Genre / Type

* Science Fiction
* Space Adventure
* Sci-Fi Action

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars

"the Star Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to both science fiction and mythology"

"Star Wars is a science fantasy saga"

strip away the technology and it reads exactly like a soap opera ..that's why it's also called a space opera ..the first one in particular could have been a serial set in the 30's ..the setting can pretty much be changed entirely and the movie would still work as it does now

 

[myth]

1. Matrix
2. Blade Runner
3. Terminator 2

 

[smwScott]

1. 2001
2. Blade Runner Director's Cut
3. Clockwork Orange
4. Children of Men
5. Gattaca

That's not entirely accurate but whatever, the top three are some of my favorite films period.

 

[CptStern]

gattaca is an awesome underrated film

 

[brink's]

strip away the technology and it reads exactly like a soap opera ..that's why it's also called a space opera ..the first one in particular could have been a serial set in the 30's ..the setting can pretty much be changed entirely and the movie would still work as it does now

Couldn't it be considered both? It's the imagery that caught peoples eye back in the 70's, I doubt the film would've been 1/3 as successful had it been set 17th century england.

 

[Direwolf]

I think if Metropolis and Farenheit 451 get on this list then so does Star Wars. You're completely correct that its essentially an Opera with a futuristic setting. But Lang's and Bradbury's work could just as easily be called a moral fable in a futuristic setting. Both those works and Star Wars could have the science fiction elements completely stripped from them and replaced with fantasy without really hurting the message of the films/books.

What I think we're getting at here is that science fiction is really ALL genres. The very reason its so engaging is its ability to take the conflicts that we've seen in films a million times before and push them to their limits, by stretching things beyond the realm of the possible. It's no secret that Metropolis is metaphorical for the gap between weak and powerful, but the metaphor of the class struggle is enhanced by the fact that it pushes the "what ifs?" to their limits so that it highlights the problem.

 

[ríomhaire]

there's opinion and then there's informed opinion ..but then again you consider star wars science fiction

So you're basicly saying your opinion is better?
(Oh shit, what have I just unleashed?!)

 

[Polaris]

gattaca is an awesome underrated film

It was a little boring and plot with genetic perfection was exaggerated and almost impossible. But not bad movie.

 

[CptStern]

that's not true ..the adventures of Robin Hood ..easily the best swashbuckler movie ever made is still greatr despite being filmed almost 80 years ago


the magnificent Seven took the setting out of the original Seven Samurai from feudal japan into the american west and it worked brilliantly ..a fist full of dollars/yogimbo, high noon/Outland ..even bladerunner took philip Marlowe hard boiled detective and put it into a science fiction setting ..however it wasnt just backdrop ..they put in enough hard science to keep it contemporary (way ahead of it's time imho) while at the same time being somewhat faithful to philip k dick's novella


imho the only thing that made star wars watchable (the first 3) was han solo ..everyone else is so one dimensional but that's kind of George Lucas' schtick which is odd because he also made american american graffiti, a character driven movie ...k I'm digressing, I'll wrap up by saying the movies are good popcorn flicks but not much else

 

[Direwolf]

Theres a definite Bildungsroman(coming of age) thing going on with Luke throughout the first three movies too, and don't underestimate the empathy that an adolescent audience has with him. Han Solo is the cool older guy to his struggling youth, so his "excess" of personality is key to that whole angle on the story.

Its not the best example of those ideas, but its often the first and most famous one that many kids come into contact with.

 

[CptStern]

So you're basicly saying your opinion is better?
(Oh shit, what have I just unleashed?!)

yes



Direwolf: interesting points, I'll get back to them when I have a chance

 

[CptStern]

So you're basicly saying your opinion is better?
(Oh shit, what have I just unleashed?!)

yes



Direwolf: interesting points, I'll get back to them when I have a chance, although I really didnt want to get into a discussion as to why I think Star wars is popcorn fare


edit: whoopsie, double post

 

[Gray Fox]

12 monkey's
Total Recall
Terminator 2
Jurassic park
Star Trek VI

 

[Direwolf]

yes
I really didnt want to get into a discussion as to why I think Star wars is popcorn fare

No need, at least not with me. I would instead contend that is some of the best popcorn faire ever. Some movies move us, some inspire, and some are just really entertaining.

 

[Viperidae]

Stern's right. The original trilogy was more fantasy ('The force surrounds us, binds us. Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter.'), while Lucas decided he'd try (emphasis--he didn't know what he was doing) and convert it to a sci-fi in the new trilogy (The force isn't spiritual! It's just a bunch of parasites in your blood!), while he clearly doesn't know what a sci-fi really is.

One thing that I think makes a sci-fi a sci-fi is that it's a commentary on social issues (they teach us the redundant word 'sociocultural' in IB film). Alien/Aliens, Blade Runner, F451, War of the Worlds, Metropolis, Forbidden Planet, 2001, etc etc all have fairly clear-cut themes and dilemmas discussed, usually pertinent to problems during the time they were made. Star Wars? The closest you can pin the first one to is some sort of comment on Nazism, and even then it doesn't make a ton of sense. Lucas tends to bring in vague issues ('If you're not with you, you're my enemy.' ie terrorism) while dropping them shortly after.

 

[Dan]

Wasn't the rebel alliance the insurgent force in Star Wars? I mean the Empire was just trying to govern the galaxy

 

[15357]

Wasn't the rebel alliance the insurgent force in Star Wars? I mean the Empire was just trying to govern the galaxy

Heh, I wrote a short essay about that a few months ago. I think it's here somewhere.

edit: here it is:

Probably everyone has seen the movies. Yes, the one with the lasers and the choke-gripping guy on life-support.

People have said that it is just a recreational movie, fit for kids and adults alike.

But really, is it? Or is it insurgent propaganda?

In the Episodes 4 - 6, the rebel 'alliance' fights against the Galactic Empire. Of course, the rebels are glorified and the Empire is seen as 'evil'. The rebels go through 'heroic' ventures and finally defeats the Empire in a battle in space. The Rebels win, just as predicted. Somehow, the rebels have star cruisers and ion cannons in the movies, when in the real world, they would be lucky to have a RPG launcher.

Perhaps to make the movie more fun? Probably not. Star Wars is just a propaganda film glorifying dissent, terrorism, and rebellions against the peace and stability of goverment.

In the newer episode (1 - 3), there is the old republic. Its is breaking apart and already has rebels attacking. Palpatine realizes the need for unity in the time of war, and especially from the fundamentalist cult of the Jedi. In the beginings of Episode 2, Anakin Skywalker says to the pub's guests: "Jedi buisiness, mind your drinks." and things go normal as before, despite having someone amputated by a laser sword. This implies that it must have happened before, and often. The jedi are not just a religious cult, but a secret police force of the autocratic rule of the Republic. After staging a completely democratic coup and starting the Empire, Palpatine eliminates the Jedi cult by military force, and the audience can see that the Jedi even train the children as suicide death squads.

The remenants of the cult scatter around the galaxy and they appear in the other older episodes. We have luke, eager to join the insurgency against the empire and also joins the jedi cult. A religion that has almost extinguished. Luke allys himself with a criminal, Han Solo, who is a smuggler. And you know the rest of the story, breaking into prisons, destroying public property, murdering soldiers, and other various evil deeds.

But the movies glorifys these acts of terror and even has the somehow strong rebel force win, with little seen loss. The justifications for the acts are unclear, at best, and makes us wonder: Is George Lucas trying to plague our minds with this dangerous notion that we could somehow win against the Marines, the Army, the Police, the Airforce, and even the democratically elected goverment of our society?




Note: I was just trying to find alternative ways to interpret movies and books, thanks to our school's english class. This was my short essay for it.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Impossible to choose, but Blade Runner sucks.

It's boring as hell. I had to watch it 4 times because I kept falling asleep.

Akira > Blade Runner anyday.

 

[Sparta]

Heh, I wrote a short essay about that a few months ago. I think it's here somewhere.

edit: here it is:

Nice South Korean propaganda you've got there bub.

 

[Direwolf]

Impossible to choose, but Blade Runner sucks.

It's boring as hell. I had to watch it 4 times because I kept falling asleep.

Blade Runner is a great example of a movie thats not for everyone. I have trouble getting through it myself. But I recognize the quality there and trust that when it first came to the screen it was a step forward.

Defining sci-fi as a commentary on social issues brings up its own problems too. Obviously not all social commentary is science fiction, but then what separates something like Gulliver's Travels from science fiction? A backstory with blinking lights? Is a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court science fiction because it involves time travel?

I'm not even going to pretend that I can answer these questions, but it seems almost more like science fiction might be a trait or descriptor instead of a genre.

 

[CptStern]

science fiction is speculative fiction ..it usually deals with worlds that could be ...gullivers travels is pure fantasy with no grounding in reality

Impossible to choose, but Blade Runner sucks.

It's boring as hell. I had to watch it 4 times because I kept falling asleep.

Akira > Blade Runner anyday.

:O

please leave the room immediately you philistine!!!

akira doesnt touch bladerunner ..I'm a fan but it's not even in the same league as blade runner, seriously man how can you compare film noir with a cartoon?

 

[achilles_d]

Aliens
Children Of Men
Terminator 2
Equilibrium
Matrix

 

[Neutrino]

Aliens
Children Of Men
Terminator 2
Equilibrium
Matrix

Finally someone else mentions Equalibrium. I thought it was a great little movie.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

seriously man how can you compare film noir with a cartoon?

I heard a commercial once (a few times) quoting some newspaper on Akira, "...it makes Blade Runner look like Disneyworld."

This of course piqued my interest in BR as well as constant raving reviews, but when I watched it, I fell asleep. I don't even remember the end because I'm not sure if I've ever made it that far.

Apollo 13 also put me to sleep. Some movies just do that to me.

Eh, I guess I don't think it's a bad, movie. It just isn't for me.

 

[kupocake]

Akira > Blade Runner anyday.

Only if we're talking about their order in alphabetical terms Personally, I think Akira is a silly little popcorn flick with the single worst ending in anime history, and damnit that's saying something. Nice animation though

 

[Gunner]

Impossible to choose, but Blade Runner sucks.

Akira > Blade Runner anyday.

Troll.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Troll.

Do I eat goats?