Most recently? Children of Men, undoubtedly one of the best films of the past decade.
Personally, I would also throw The Fountain into the ring but I don’t want to start an argument and I know that can cause some pretty heated discussion.
Peering back a bit though, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker is one of the most beautiful and fascinating films I’ve seen.
Thanks Rob – I will look for your first two pics and yes, I too would add Stalker, though I guess I wasn’t initially thinking of it in the context of s-f, but it definitely is. Before someone else thinks of the obvious other Tarkovsky s-f film, I will also name Solaris. Has anyone seen the Soderbergh remake (I have not)? Also, are remakes always worse than the original for s-f films?
Children of Men, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Bladerunner, Delicatessen, Dark City, Stalker, Solaris, Alien, Aliens, Invasion of the Body Snatchers(both Siegel & Kaufmann). All good films that are not dumbed down like Star Wars and Superhero movies. OP mentioned Zardoz which a very silly movie-worth seeing for Sean Connery’s ridiculous getup tho.
strange days… nice gadgets, love juliette on that film
jason and the argonauts… the skeletons fight
tron…like the looks
sleeper…. good laughs.
dark star… noir in space?
aelita… a russian film full of paranoia, very enjoyable, resourceful imagery… for 19…30?
Blade Runner
Stalker
Children of Men
World of Wires
Alphaville
Solaris (Soderberg)
i love Danny Boyles’ SUNSHINE-
I’d add Primer to the mix.
I like sci-fi that might actually happen, if only someday.
GATTACA comes to mind. Really good little piece, there. And, of course, CHILDREN OF MEN.
Don’t negate Spielberg’s MINORITY REPORT, either (but do negate A.I.).
And the 12-year-old in me must mention THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, simply because it was the “must-see” movie when I was in the sixth grade.
Many of my favourites already mentioned above, but noticeably absent thus far: Fantastic Planet (it’s an animated feature from the 70’s, a French – Czech co-production La planete sauvage). I loved it when I saw it then, and recently watched it again on TV – an incredibly beautiful film. Do near-future dystopias qualify as sci-fi? If so, then I must add Brazil, by Terry Gilliam. Funny, powerful, biting, and so sad, with brilliant sets – a very intense film, highly recommended. (And I must see his Time Bandits again sometime!) Another to suggest: though I haven’t seen it since I was about 12 years old: Fahrenheit 451. I remember being very disturbed by it at the time, which would probably translate into " impressed" were I to revisit it today (with a lot more movies, and experience, under my belt). Or perhaps not. It was Truffaut’s only English-language work, I think; possibly it was not completely successful. (I’ve just talked myself into taking another look at it!) And I remember being very frightened by 1984, also seen in childhood (likewise the Time Machine). It’s as old as I am, I wonder if it holds up over time? These movies are more along the same lines as Metropolis, than say, a Godzilla or Alien type of sci-fi. More my type of thing. (like Alphaville) So I ought to include Metropolis too, as that was definitely an eyefull! So glad that Sleeper got a mention above!
Gee, I realize no one (me included) has mentioned Brazil yet. Loved the visuals, but couldn’t get into the story fully – my usual problem with Gilliam’s movies. Still, a worthy addition. I had also forgotten The Man Who Fell to Earth, which has some great moments in it – like Bowie looking into the mirror and taking apart his human face (if I remember correctly – a long time ago since I saw it).
I am liking this topic more as I see the films I have either missed, forgotten about, or need to see again soon (like Blade Runner). Interesting, too, that no one has yet mentioned Dune, although I know for a fact that there are many Lynch fans on this site – do we not talk about this one??? Others to add: THX 1138 (still my favourite Lucas film), Silent Running, Soylent Green, Slaughterhouse Five, Logan’s Run, Back to the Future, and the amazing Close Encounters of the Third Kind (just listing one’s I have seen, as I continue to do my homework on this). I will leave out ET because that homely little guy just grosses me out – please send him back home!
*Blade Runner
*Stalker
and you’re right BOB, E.T. E.T. is trash. I hated him when I was young. He’s ugly, rubbery and looks as if he’s covered in mucus. Definitely NOT a sci-fi classic.
Sci-Fi is usually hit or miss with me (I have vague memories of “Logan’s Run”), but I am a huge “Planet Of The Apes” fan, and being a Harryhausen fan, I have always wanted to see “Earth vs The Flying Saucers”. I’m really looking foward to seeing “Stalker” soon.. I enjoyed “Alien” very much, and I still like Spielberg’s “Close Encounters” and “Jurassic Park”, and yes . . . I did like “Signs” as well. Some of the older films that you have mentioned Bob, I need to catch up on. (your thoughts on “Earth vs The Flying Saucers”?)
RoboCop is one of my favorites. It seems like dumb cheese but is actually very deep and Peter Weller gives an incredibly nuanced performance. Frankenstein + Death Wish/Last House on the Left + a hint of comedy rolled into a masterpiece by Paul Verhoeven. The sequels are horrible though. After watching the original, just watch the trailer for RoboCop 2 and as soon as you hear RoboCop speak, you know it sucks. I hope Aronofsky just makes a semi sequel to the original instead of a complete reboot. Like different time, different place, different characters but acknowledge that the events in the original happened.
Soybean: Earth vs the Flying Saucers is a fun movie, mainly notable for Ray Harryhausen’s special effects. Harryhausen and George Pal were the two great set designers from this period and all their films are deserving of a look. Pal’s Destination Moon is suitable fare for 50s s-f film fans, too. It is a good attampt to anticipate the real journey to the moon done not that many years later. Just don’t expect anything but very trashy, predictable storylines – but by all means, indulge yourself. Tim Burton had a field day with Earth vs Flying Suacers in his parody Mars Attacks! which makes a good double bill with it. The whole flying saucer genre of film has got to be written about, as it was so symptomatic of those crazy times, where ufos were landing, literally, in everyone’s back yard.
Alien
The Thing
Serenity
Solaris (Tarkovsky)
The Man Who Fell to Earth
A.I.
Dune
Ghost in The Shell
Akira
12 Monkeys
I’m sure there will be plenty who disagree with some of these films as they might not all be classics per se, but I think they are all interesting and imaginative.
Sunshine
Stalker
Blade Runner
Stargate
Serenity
Alien
The Thing (Carpenter)
Forbidden Planet
Starship Troopers
Matrix
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
There’s probably at least a dozen I am missing. Invasion of the Body Snatchers was my favorite until I saw Blade Runner when it came out. Then came Stalker on vhs about 10 years ago. Those two have remained at the top but I think Sunshine after a couple viewings has joined them.
Oh, yeah. Bride of Frankenstein and the Invisible Man are also at the top of my list, at least for pre 50’s. Claude Raines skipping down the lane singing “Here we go gathering nuts in May” was brilliant and terrifying. I think that was the first time I saw a movie character that I thought was completely insane.
In recent times, WALL-E is a pretty stunning addition to the genre.
Some pretty notable ones that are missing are ….
“City of Lost Children”
“The Andromeda Strain”
“A Clockwork Orange”
“The Day the Earth Stood Still”
CHILDREN OF MEN seems to be a universal favorite on the site, but I wonder if anybody will be talking about it four or five years from now. A good enough film, I don’t dispute. But ready for the pantheon? I wonder. It held my interest up to its strange mythological ending, and yet the film began to fracture in many places for me upon leaving the theater and thinking about it all. The central conceit, mankind gone barren, seemed a reach, but one agreed to embrace this. England a police state, illegal immigrants in cages everywhere: why were they there? Their numbers somewhat counter to the notion that world population had been in step decline for eighteen years. Okay. I’ll go along. I’ll continue. The immigrants in their cages were of course very literal representations from Abu Ghraib, and what was left of English society had the feeling of Iraq. And I’ve come to like Clive Owen, and he was quite good here. Michael Caine’s appearance as the aged hippie, while he was fun to have around, seemed to come out of nowhere. Some wonderful camera work. But then the nearly religious conclusion, the baby stopping the gun battle, the good ship “Tomorrow” appearing through the fog with its Greenpeace crew … a talented Mexican goes to England, but it all seemed like Hollywood to me.
MMoore: now we can start voting films off the s-f (mysterious) island. I have yet to see Children of Men, but I have now been suitably warned!
At the top of my list is Primer, the best science fiction I’ve seen in a long, long time. While notable for its insightful examination of how the accidental discovery of a scientific breakthrough of enormous import might occur, its disturbing consideration of the moral implications makes it great. Cronenberg’s The Fly is extraordinarily well done, with some outstanding performances. Also a personal favorite for its handling of something which I would have thought very difficult to bring to the screen in any acceptable fashion, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
how can u forget BLADE RUNNER…n yeah Alphaville completes d list….i liked close encounters of the third kind also. Solaris is worth mentioning. But “Twelve Mon keys” is a real different experience.
ROAD WARRIOR hasn’t come up yet, and I think it’s the king of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi subgenre
VIDEODROME is great because it’s a weird crossing point of sci-fi, noir, thriller, sci-fi, and Fangoria while putting into surreal motion very interesting ideas about the future potential evolution of the brain in reaction to moving-image media communications.
2001: a space odyssey
the alien series (of course, the first one is a classic masterpiece)
blade runner
dune
robocop
mars attack
ghostbusters?
captain sky and the world of tomorrow
terminator 2
the fly
the empire strikes back
gattaca
children of men
solaris (both tarkovsky’s and soderbergh’s)
primer
close encounter of the third kind
E.T. (i love it)
clockwork orange
minority report
total recall
fahrenheit 451
alphaville
sleepers
the day the earth stood still
war of the world
matrix
strange days
twelve monkeys
starship troopers
stalkers
back to the future
slaughterhouse 5
escape from n.y.
the thing
brazil
1984
time after time
battlestar galactica (not a film but impossible not to mention)
metropolis-
still missing a decent frankenstein film
-
star trek series?
the abyss
forbidden planet
hum…inner space…
spaceballs
Danny: Your list has covered just about all bases, even the parodies of s-f like Spaceballs. I loved the l-o-n-g ship at the opening of that movie. It’s OK to have some fun with s-f, because it is such a fun genre.
Bob Stutsman
This may be redundant, but until the auteurs comes up with a search engine that prevents multiple threads on the same topic, I will give this one a shot.
When I was growing up in the 50s, my favourite genre was the science-fiction film. I would go anywhere to see what was usually a tacky, cheaply done film, of little lasting value, except in my own feverish imagination. It wasn’t until I saw Forbidden Planet, that my horizons were expanded. I thought it a perfect film for this type: good story (taken form The Tempest), good special effects, good music (electronic when it was still a novelty), and a good monster – the creature from the id. I wanted to boost my own (meager) brain power on the Krell brainbooster and hang out with Robby-the-Robot. The final scenes of the movie, where Morbius must face his own demons, and the part where he takes the ship’s officers into the Krell power station were mind-boggling to my young mind.
Few s-f films could hold my rapt attention after that, but I added a couple of other classics from the 50s to my own pantheon. These included Invaders from Mars – with its creepy plot that watches the boy see his town and family reduced to mindless zombies – oh my, could I identify with that. It also had a circular plot device where the supposed end of the movie (it was all a dream), starts us back at the beginning. I also liked Invasion of the Body Snatchers for similar reasons – again the population is reduced to mindless morons – not much different than what seemed to be really happening back then, according to what I saw. Looking back now, I would also add The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds to the ‘classic’ status for 50s s-f. It is interesting how these films have all (with the exception of Forbidden Planet) been subject to re-makes, not always with results equal to the originals.
In the 60s, with my growing sophistication (I had then advanced into becoming a fan of Bergman and Antonioni, and considered s-f now not particularly worthy of my consideration), I grew away from fascination with the genre until I saw 2001. I was completely blow away, and everyone here knows why. To me, it was – and still is, the greatest s-f picture ever made. No one has yet equalled it in terms of look and technical mastery. We ARE in space in that movie – not just watching another s-f film. But old loves die hard, so I have continued to follow the genre from time to time, avoiding most of the remakes, and realizing that most s-f films are just for popcorn munching and eye-candy.
Here is my list of honourable mentions for all periods: Shape of Things to Come (perhaps the granddaddy of the genre), Children & Village of the Damned (I identified with those super-smart space kids – did anyone else?), Time Machine (great opening titles but kind of went downhill after that), Zardoz (great sets – if a very convoluted plot), Tron (interesting computer animation, but not much else), Last Starfighter (just plain fun), and yes, the obligatory Star Wars (I will let others set the merits of this first film and those that followed).
What would you include in your pantheon of classic s-f and, if you would like to tell us, why?