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Slashdot Asks: What's Your Favorite Sci-Fi Movie?
Many say it's the golden age of science fiction cinema. And rightly so, every month, we have a couple of movies that bend the rules of science to explore possibilities that sometimes make us seriously consider if things we see on the big screen could actually be true. The advances in graphics, and thanks to ever-so-increasing video resolution, we're increasingly leaving the theaters with visually appealing memories. That said, there are plenty of movies made back in the day that are far from ever getting displaced by the reboots spree that the Hollywood is currently embarking. With readers suggesting us this question every week, we think it's time we finally asked, what's your favorite science-fiction movie? Also, what are some other sci-fi movies that you have really enjoyed but think they have not received enough praises or even much acknowledgement?
Editor's note: the story has been moved up on the front page due its popularity.
Editor's note: the story has been moved up on the front page due its popularity.
Bladerunner. The original with the overdubbing.
Serenity
"Silent Running" has never been my favorite movie (it would probably "Outland" with Sean Connery). But it has more science fiction than a lot of science fiction movies that came before or after. It fit the 1970's environmental theme quite well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running
If only for kevin spacey's voice paired with emoji
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
Forbidden Planet
He who controls the spice controls the universe!
Star Wars easily. If you saw it back in when it was released, it was a life changing event!
So many other great ones out there too, I'm enjoying the majority of the lists so far. But nobody has mentioned the original scary monster space movie:
Alien
And I don't think I've seen any of the big Japanese anime films mentioned so within my top 2 or 3 is:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Finally, my favorite during my college days, even the trailer blew me away:
The Matrix
...for its thoughtful resolution of the time travel causality paradox.
Oh wait, James Cameron's been sitting on the rights for that for almost two decades so he can waste our time with giant blue aliens encounter generic military stereotypes.
Either use your rights, or give them to someone else already, John. My opinion of you has gone from top-notch to meh about you over the years. Shit or get off the pot.
this was the movie that set the Flying Saucer as the premier interstellar spaceship design. There were some good special effects, however, I think those effects pretty much blew the budget. They then had to rely on good plot, story, engaging character, script, acting skills, dialog to make this an epic film.
mfwright@batnet.com
I don't think there is a single story that isn't derivative in some ways.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Because it's an almost totally original concept, not relying at all on hyperdrives or laser canons. Maybe the producers got some ideas from "Stargate" which preceded it by three years.
Because it's suitable for everybody.
Because it's based on something that we can all participate in, the SETI project.
I'm wondering if and hoping that there will be a sequel in 2024.
The Martian may well be forgotten, but it was a much better movie than any that you named. Space Odyssey is practically unwatchable because it's so full of anachronisms. Star Wars is a typical hollywood three-act play. Don't get me wrong, I loved it when I was twelve, but it's not great art, and it's not even great story. The Matrix was fantastic, I loved it, I even use imagery from it in my meditation practice, but there were way too many bandaids. One of them is even the bandaid that my wife and I use to joke about Hollywood scriptwriting bandaids: "combined with a form of fusion..." Alien 2 was pretty good, I'll grant you that, but it was basically a bug hunt.
What is great about The Martian is that it's got story, it's got adventure, it's got a kick-ass optimistic view of the future, and most of the science is fine. There is one plot band-aid at the beginning—the windstorm that can knock over a spaceship—but that's the worst one. And above all else, the film honors and lauds science. That's what science fiction is about, not blasters and bugs.
Children of Men (2006) It is about civilization collapsing, after 18 years of global human infertility. No spaceships, no aliens, no CGI; just a great story and amazing performances.
Man, came here looking for Brazil, no mentions so far. I hope everyone takes the time to see this film.
Solaris is my favorite, and a very, very close second is 2001.
I will probably be chastised for this... I always loved Demolition Man. Stallone is a terrible actor, the film isn't particularly artistic or high-brow, but it was a fun film, a sci-fi premise (right down to the morality study of today's society by using an abstract world).
I liked it... sure, not the artistic appeal or thought provoking ability of Gattica. Perhaps not the commercial draw of Avatar. Still a fun film.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Not much science but using a video game to screen for hidden talents was pretty good. Plus Robert Preston was great as the alien.