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General Comics Chat: the best sci-fi films

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorsam
    • CommentTimeJun 13th 2010
     
    just wondering what people think are the best sci-fi films my list would be something like star wars at the top couple of star trek movies, back to the future and maybe avatar
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    Off hand, Star Wars, Matrix, Alien, Terminator, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, Empire Strikes Back and, of course, Disney's The Black Hole!
  3.  
    I think "best" is too subjective a term but one's I don't particularly get bored of watching ~ T2, Blade Runner, Forbidden Planet, Dark Star, Alien/Aliens, the original Godzilla, and Mars Attacks. Out of the Treks it has to be II, III & IV, but these days I find Star Wars irritating, probably because of the recent trilogy.
    And then there's all those 50s B&W classics.
  4.  
    I’m gonna go for these:

    Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (The 50’s one or the 70’s one, not fussy.)
    Rollerball (The James Caan one obviously. Stuff football this is a proper sport.)
    The Omega Man (Neeee-viiiile!)
    Planet of The Apes (The Heston one obviously.)
    Soylent Green (dum-dum-dum-diddle-dum-dum!)
    2001: A Space Odyssey (Rigsby in Space!)
    Alien (You have to admire its purity.)
    Terminator (sar-AH Cohn-AHR?)
    Brazil (Ducts!)
    John Carpenter’s The Thing (Now I’m gonna show you what I already know.)

    Forbidden Planet, Dark Star and Blade Runner nearly made it but I kept it to ten. Lists are cruel.
    • CommentAuthorsam
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    forgot terminator too
  6.  
    Hmmmm. I considered putting Brazil & The Thing on my list but wasn't sure whether they could be classed as Fantasy (the former) or Horror (the latter). Hence the reason I didn't include the original Ghidorah. I also had to stop before the list became stupidly long.
    Invasion Of The Body Snatchers & The Thing From Another World both rate as 50's classics.
    The problem with films like POTA (and to an extent the Star Wars movies) for me is that the originals become tarnished by what comes after.
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    im gonna add 'Cube 2' and 'Clockmaker' since most of mine have been said, also 'Even Horizon, and nice choice on 'Darkstar'... also apparently Ridley Scott is working on a prequel to Alien, http://www.spinoffonline.com/2010/06/14/ridley-scotts-alien-prequel-two-films-all-about-the-space-jockey/
  8.  
    Tremors.
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    Critters.
  10.  
    TVC - Tremors vs Critters.
    •  
      CommentAuthorShaunw1973
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    Teenwolf.
    •  
      CommentAuthorRob
    • CommentTimeJun 14th 2010
     
    Predator and Total Recall.

    Primer's excellent low-budget SF, and goes well in a double bill with the spanish movie Timecrimes.
  13.  
    NT: Hhmmmm. I take your point about categorising The Thing and Brazil. Still and all, if Teenwolf is S-F so are my beauties! I feel things have moved fast (Teenwolf? Event Horizon?) and now we are at the stage where I can type:

    Saturn 3!
    Inseminoid!

    Fear the awesome S-F badness!
  14.  
    If LC if you're going to throw Inseminoid in I'll have to up the ante with Xtro if only for pure grossness.
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 15th 2010
     
    Femalien!
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 15th 2010
     
    Event Horizon is an awesome movie!!!
  17.  
    It actually isn't, Smiggy3000. Sorry about that.

    I've never seen Xtro. I always wanted to when I was a teen but I never did. I think it's too late now.

    I had to look up Femalien. It appears to be "softcore", Lee. I don't think that's what the "S" stands for in S-F and I'm guessing the "F" doesn't stand for what you think it does either.

    Here's one: Phase IV. Directed by Saul (yes, that one) Bass this is a 70's s-f which basically consists of two scientists in a desert bunker versus some normal sized ants who are acting somewhat abnormally. Which is quite funny as the posters seem to sell it as some big screen end of the world epic of mankind vs. ants. It's far quieter and better than that but it all goes a bit 2001!cosmic! in the end but up to that point it's quite tense and intelligent. Of course Children of The Now are warned that it is a bit dated (they have a room full of computers to just turn the lights on automatically, hair is unironically worn below collar length, look it was made in the 70's so it basically looks like it was made in the 70's, okay? it's still good!). Anyway I liked it and I don't know if people still remember it. Back then it used to crop up a lot on the visualaudiotelescreen but with so many channels now I have no idea if it ever gets screened. Nigel Davenport is in it. If you know who that is you'll totally want to see this. There is totally not enough Nigel Davenport in films. Or Nicol Williamson. I'm getting off the point now...

    This not the Phase IV made in 2001 and starring Dean Cain. I haven't seen that.
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 15th 2010
     
    I've seen Phase IV - classic.

    I've not actually seen Femalien but the punsome title and synopsis on Bravo amused me.
  19.  
    I bet you haven't seen Femalien, lee. I bet you haven't seen it several times! ho ho!
    Hurrah! Lee liked Phase IV too! I need to watch it again now. Darn.
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 15th 2010
     
    Two things:

    1) I've not seen Event Horizon but can happily state that it is better than Frank Miller's Will Eisner's The Spirit.
    2) Dean Cain! Anyone seen Best Men? Rubbish.
  21.  
    A Scanner Darkly - it blew my tiny little mind.
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2010
     
    Independence Day!!!
  23.  
    Hey Lee there's adverts on Five that are better than Frank Miller's Will Eisner's The Spirit! In fact the test card is better than FMWETS.

    Another title for consideration ~ The Andromeda Strain.

    And continuing the tasteless splatter Sci Fi theme ~ Contamination!!!
    • CommentAuthorgreg75
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2010
     
    the blob?not the guy from the x-men!
  25.  
    I don't know, is it just me or is anyone else getting the impression that people don't hold Frank Miller's Will Eisner's The Spirit in very high regard?

    I didn't know Contamination so I googled it and ended up watching the trailer. That's a lost masterpiece right there. I urge all aesthetes and cineastes to sample this engaging and moving work of truth and beauty.

    I haven't seen A Scanner Darkly but I'll keep my eyes peeled. Unless Mr. infinitum was being sarcastic in which case I'll just watch Lifeforce again. Lifeforce! Yes!Has anyone seen my shame? Because I appear not to have any! Lifeforce!

    Andromeda Strain's good but it's not - Westworld!
  26.  
    LC A Scanner Darkly is well worth the time spent on the sofa.

    Westworld!!!! Howzabout that other Crichton theme park known as Jurassic??

    And The Spirit ~ 5 minutes is all I've been able to endure.
  27.  
    Hmmmm. For someone who is often derided Keanu Reeves has been in quite a few good sci-fi films;

    A Scanner Darkly, The Matrix, both Bill and Ted films, Johnny Mnemonic (OK that may be stretching it)
  28.  
    Mr. Infinitum does have a point. Keanu Reeves does a good job when he is required to look confused and clueless (The Matrix), dumb as a stump (The Bill And Ted Duology) or just totally and quite literally empty headed (Johnny Mnemonic).

    Jurassic Park? Christ. I mean it isn’t that bad but the incredible sense of disappointment I felt has just totally left me bereft of any objectivity in this case (for once, eh?). I mean I grew up reading (and re-re-re-reading) Flesh! So you best believe I was hyped up for JP. Maybe I expected too much. Okay, I did. I mean, okay, slow build up fine, I’m okay with that but then I was expecting a good hour of man vs. dino roaring carnage. Great nicotine coloured teeth grinding together and bursting screaming people like a fat kid stuffing grapes in his mouth. And I got a body count comprising a fat bloke, Bob Peck, a man on a portaloo and a pre-fame Samuel L Jackson. The T Rex was good and the ‘raptors but, you know, you spend twice the GDP of Africa animating dinosaurs – cut loose! Go loco down in Acapulco on that bad thing! But , no, it’s Steven Spielberg so we get a child-friendly dinosaur rampage movie. I’m thinking that if you just want to make money go into investment banking and stay the profanity away from films. I hate you Jurassic Park! You stole my dreams and made them sour! Bob peck rocked though. “Clever girl.” Yes, Bob Peck rocked that particular house.

    Lucky I didn’t overreact, eh!

    Also: Invaders From Mars. I haven’t seen the Tobe (Lifeforce!)Hooper remake though.
  29.  
    Invasion Of The Saucermen! I Married A Monster From Outer Space! It Came From Outer Space! Plan 9 From Outer Space (?????)
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010
     
    Inner Space?
  31.  
    Hey, I laughed at Inner Space. Yes, I did. Dennis Quaid is in Inner Space, isn’t he?

    What’s that one he’s in where he’s a fighter pilot stranded on a red planetoid with his enemy oppo Lou Gosset Jnr and it’s like Hell In The Pacific In Space but then Lou Gosset Jnr blurts out a baby (twist! He’s an alien, see!) and… I don’t know because I can’t even remember the title, but I imagine we all learn some important lessons about how we are all the same even if we are Lou Gosset Jnr with a womb. In space. Wolfgang Petersen directed it, I think. Is it good?

    I will offer these sacrifices on the altar of bad S-F:
    Bug! (Is it called that? The Bradford Dillman one with the…bugs.)
    Carnosaur! (I enjoyed this but I don’t think I should have.)
    Night of The Lupus! (Dr. Leonard McCoy versus…well, I don’t want to spoil the surprise so try and find a trailer/clip of it. Your mind will burn!)

    But here’s a proper good one from the 50’s:
    Them!
    Oh, and the Quatermas films are fab gear and all.
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010
     
    I think that film would be Enemy Mine. Haven't seen it in years but enjoyed it when I was a wee nipper. Them! is also a great film of it's time.

    I'm actually having a hard time finding ten true sci-fi films I really like. Love Star Wars and the Alien and Predator films, Alien 3 (Directors Cut only!!) far being the most superior film, shame most people don't give it a chance cos of the awful standard cut. Not a fan of The Matrix so never saw the 2nd and 3rd film. Avatar looks horrendous in every way possible so still haven't see that. Do love Event Horizon though, best film Paul W S Anderson has done (which isn't hard considering what else he's done). Blade Runner never gets boring. First Cube film is excellent, 3rd has a great idea but is a terrible film. District 9 has to be one of the best sci fi films in years, far more realistic looking than Avatar and made on such a small (for modern standards) budget. Original Robocop and Starship Troopers films are two of the best satires out of Hollywood. Does Renaissance count as sci fi? Amazing looking film and not a bad story either. And if John Carpenters version of The Thing counts then I'll add that. Stargate is a decent film, but I'm much more a fan of the tv series and it's spin offs. Then there's a ton of anime which I didn't even think of when I started typing this: Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Appleseed, Macross, Nausicaa and so on.

    And two cheeky additions: the 1986 Transformers movie and Bad Taste (hey, it's about an alien invasion, that's sci fi right?)

    Guess ten was easier than I thought.
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010
     
    AND..... how could I forget, one of the films that made me the man I am: Logan's Run. Mmmmmm Jenny Agutter.
  34.  
    Bad Taste??? The Peter Jackson movie? Pure brilliance. Almost as good as Braindead by the same guy.
  35.  
    I've just checked out the filmography of Paul W S Anderson.

    Bwhahhahahahahaha!! Christ on a bike. Makes Michael Bay's CV look art house.
    •  
      CommentAuthorRob
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010 edited
     
    They Live! Rowdy Roddy Piper! What a fight! Sunglasses! Billboards! What more could a fan want?

    The original Transformers (1986) movie can still bring a tear to my eye and warm my jaded heart.
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010
     
    Nimbus: The very same Bad Taste :-) Braindead is miles better, but not sci fi hence my choice of Bad Taste.

    As for Paul W S Anderson, he's one of those directors who I mock so much and then think "Well, Mortal Kombat is enjoyable rubbish... and bits of the Resident Evil films are fun... and AVP is also enjoyable rubbish... and Death Race is actually a great 'pizza and beer' film...", I don't think I enjoy as much work from any other director whom I hate so much.
    •  
      CommentAuthorRob
    • CommentTimeJun 17th 2010
     
    Another Paul W S Anderson film: Soldier, starring Kurt Russell. Not a good film, but check out the trivia!

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120157/trivia
    "Shorter people (4' tall) were used in the scenes with the large military vehicles to make the machines look larger. "
    "A false press statement was released, saying that Kurt Russell broke his ankle during a stunt, when in fact he tripped over an ornamental cabbage during a break."
    "Kurt Russell's paycheck for the film was $20 million"

    I don't know which one of those is the most ridiculous...
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 18th 2010
     
    Serenity!!!
  40.  
    The best films have a one word title that tells you everything you need to know about the film, as Soldier testifies. Other sums-the-film-up-in-one-word classics:

    Commando
    Aliens
    Psycho
    Goodfellas

    If you hadn't seen any of those films you could have a good stab at guessing what happens anyway!
  41.  
    Yes! Enemy Mine that's the ticket!

    Robocop, Starship Troopers, they Live how could I forget thee?

    I don't know what an ornamental cabbage is but I'll be wary of them from now on. This is the lesson of Soldier.

    Does Commando revolve around a man whose grundies ar all in the wash and he is forced to spend the day - commando?

    Also: Escape From New York!
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 18th 2010
     
    Commando is one of the best films ever in any genre - it has horror, romance, action, thrills, moustaches, guns, humour. Awesome.
  43.  
    Fair play to Smiggy ~ I think his last selection just trumped all mine!
  44.  
    Wait! I didn't think I'd seen Serenity. But after some research I now find I did in fact see it.

    And, yes, smiggy3000, it was a good film. The viewing experience was heightened by the knowledge it was by Joss Whedon and so I was kept in additional suspense the entire time by the prospect of it just suddenly stopping as though someone had cancelled it mid-way. Wowzamatazz! A film made this century I have actually seen! Thanks for the reminder, Smiggy3000, I feel all up to the minute now.

    I also like Screamers (the "based on a short story by Philip K Dick" one with Peter "Murphy" Weller). Yes, I doody do indeedy doo! It's true!
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 18th 2010 edited
     
    I did enjoy Screamers also, and that is so where they stole the creepy gas mask Doctor Who child idea from... I may take Serenity off my list, juat because by being Firefly it has an unfair advantage over everything... so will add I,Robot, just for Sonny winking...
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJun 19th 2010
     
    What about Phantoms with Ben Affleck?
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 19th 2010
     
    AFFLECK WAS DA BOMB IN PHANTOMS!

    ;-)
    •  
      CommentAuthorShaunw1973
    • CommentTimeJun 19th 2010 edited
     
    Back to the Future. Oh, and Explorers.

    Shaun, 1984
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 20th 2010
     
    Minority Report...
  50.  
    Incredible Shrinking Man..
  51.  
    District 9 you foooookin prawns!
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2010
     
    Transmorphers, I low budget straight-to-dvd film made to capitalise of Transformers success...
    • CommentAuthorsam
    • CommentTimeJun 26th 2010
     
    district 9 is amazing
  54.  
    I watched District 9, spurred on as I was by the enormous levels of enthusiasm for it on the forum (i.e. someone mentioned it). It was okay. It was pretty good as a matter of fact. I thought it was jolly intelligent although I was probably just surprised by the fact it wasn’t just a toy advert pretending to be a film. It was certainly the most intelligent film I’ve seen in which a Seff Efrikan merc is killed by a pig fired at high velocity. So yeah, it’s good.
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 28th 2010
     
    Compare the budgets:

    Avatar - $237 Million
    Spider-Man 3 - $300 million (Reportedly maybe even more)
    District 9 - $30 Million

    And yet which is the better film with the most realistic special effects?
  56.  
    Spider-Man 3?
    • CommentAuthorsmiggy3000
    • CommentTimeJun 28th 2010
     
    Transformers ofcourse silly :p
    • CommentAuthorMidnighter
    • CommentTimeJun 28th 2010
     
    That doesn't warrant a response (even this one) :-p
  59.  
    Here's one:

    Zardoz!

    And, yes, that was your mind just blowing, Nimbus.

    Zardoz!

    Sean Connery in a big nappy sporting a Zapata mustache riding in a flying stone head the length and breadth of an endearingly clumsy S-F allegory.

    Zardoz!

    Tagline: "Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001, Beyond Love, Beyond Death"

    You must see Zardoz!

    To see Zardoz is to love Zardoz!
  60.  
    Did anyone ever see a film called The Intruder Within? it was Alien on an oil rig. Not only did it scare the hell out of me as a kid there is a distinct possibility that the creature is responsible for Bp's recent disaster in the states.

    President Obama is trying his best to cover this up which explains why he is being such a dick about it, even though the vast majority of marine life is actually drinking all our water & eating our sailors (nod to MADDOX).
    • CommentAuthorgreg75
    • CommentTimeJul 29th 2010
     
    jason of star command!with james doohan in
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeJul 29th 2010
     
    I've not yet actually seen it (I own a fifth of the DVD but haven't had my turn) but Starcrash, starring David Hasselhoff, is almost certainly one of the best sci-fi films ever. IMDb it if you're unsure...
  63.  
    Oh, Lee! I don't need IMDB to tell me what I already know i.e. there is only one Starcrash. And that's the one with Caroline Munro larking about in a variety of space bikinis. I'm sure many, many other things are involved but that's pretty much the dramatic heart of this visionary epic. Caroline Munro in space bikinis. Look you lot I grew up in the '70s I think I keep my socially engineered sexism under a pretty tight rein on the whole but a man has his limits and Caroline Munro in space bikinis appears to be mine.

    Oh, also it's not S-F and I haven't watched it yet but I read the back of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and saw the following on the Age Appropriate Warning: "Contains infrequent strong language, scenes of threat, hanging and smoking." Oh mercy me! Smoking! Burn this sick filth! Bubblewrap the world! Sew up your orifices! Given the rate at which the world descends into doolallytapland I imagine I will shortly be dragged behind a galloping steed for even entertaining the notion of Caroline Munro in space bikinis! This is not my world. I did not make this world. My world has Caroline Munro in space bikinis and images of smoking which occur without warning! Um. Hello.
    • CommentAuthorCaptain Si
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2010
     
    Caroline Munro! Star of Adam Ant's 'Goody Two Shoes' video! I'm right there with you, Lamont! Space Bikini! if i had a band that is what they would be called.
    • CommentAuthorLee
    • CommentTimeAug 1st 2010
     
    Lamont = awesome.
  66.  
    the best sci-fi films?

    Add Inception to the list mofo!
    • CommentAuthorgreg75
    • CommentTimeAug 6th 2010
     
    david hasselhoff's nick fury or am i just being silly?but lets be honest it did have characters out of the comic.
    • CommentAuthorgreg75
    • CommentTimeAug 6th 2010
     
    pandorum and sunshine
    • CommentAuthorBrigantian
    • CommentTimeAug 12th 2010
     
    Equilibrium.

1 to 69 of 69

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