I only mildly hated it as opposed to completely loathing it so I think you are right.
I only mildly hated it as opposed to completely loathing it so I think you are right.
I've seen The 6th Day and it wasn't really anything special. Mostly I watched it because Robert Duvall was a supporting cast member. It wasn't terrible, but I haven't thought about it in years and I doubt that I've ever seen is since a theatrical viewing. So, not exactly a stunning endorsement.
I have Elysium and Surrogates on Blu-Ray, when they were really inexpensive during some Amazon gold box or other promotion, but I have yet to watch either of them. Of the two, I suspect that Elysium is the best of the three based on the cast and premise.
- Walter.
Didn't know Robert Duvall was in it.
A brilliant actor and I am a big fan.
Have you seen The Stars Fell on Henrietta (not a Sci-Fi)?
He's fantastic in that. I saw it on TV late at night by accident and was completely engrossed. Never heard of the film before that point.
It's great when you stumble accidentally on TV to watch a great movie that you never heard of. Not done it many times but it's a pleasure when it happens.
The film was not liked by critics I don't think for some reason but I personally think it is an underrrated film.
Never got to watch Farscape. Was a cable show and was young and couldn’t afford cable. Now, it’s blu I think. But it’s hard to go back 20+ years for sci-fi. Especially if you’re seeing new vs watching an old favorite with nostalgia.Farscape is still one of my favorites.
That's a good one. But I have an affinity for movies based on stories from PKD. The only thing I know of I've not yet seen is the Amazon series "Electric Dreams." It's on my watch list but I've not yet made time for it.Here’s a solid, but lesser known, sci-fi movie. The PKD short it’s based on is also decent.
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
The affair between a politician and a contemporary dancer is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1385826/
I enjoyed Electric Dreams. It's not great, but it's not terrible. And there were one or two I found affecting. Unfortunately, it didn't do well enough to get a second season it appears.That's a good one. But I have an affinity for movies based on stories from PKD. The only thing I know of I've not yet seen is the Amazon series "Electric Dreams." It's on my watch list but I've not yet made time for it.
It's a surprisingly good series. When I first saw it I had trouble getting past the Henson puppets (those things always take me out of something) but the characterizations were good and that helped tremendously. It's currently available on Amazon Prime streaming free for Prime members. I'm still annoyed at the way it was handled and cancelled with a half-baked mini-series offered up for the last season as a "sorry - we screwed up" to the fans. It's mostly satisfying but, like all such things, runs too fast and is forced to leave out lots of material (looking at you, Serenity).Never got to watch Farscape. Was a cable show and was young and couldn’t afford cable. Now, it’s blu I think. But it’s hard to go back 20+ years for sci-fi. Especially if you’re seeing new vs watching an old favorite with nostalgia.
That's an excellent list, Jack, with several I totally forgot about.I have only read the first couple of pages of this thread (so far), but I would like to add to it based on my long experience with science fiction -- literary SF, that is. I have attended three Worldcons and numbers of regional SF cons and have met many of the genre's most celebrated authors (Heinlein, Asimov, Silverberg, Sturgeon, Niven, Simak, and on and on).
My standards for what constitutes a genuine SF film tend to be tough (or anal, according to my critics). However, I might have missed some more recent films (due to extenuating circumstances), so please forgive that.
All that aside, here is my list of the ten best SF films (though some originated on television shows):
10. Metropolis: Fritz Lang's classic must be on this list for it established the genre in film in the first place.
9. Phase IV: Almost unheard of today, this 1975 look at humanity's relationship with suddenly intelligent ants fits all the criteria for genuine SF -- and it's a gripping little film to boot.
8. "Demon With a Glass Hand" (from The Outer Limits, second season, ABC): Harlan Ellison scripted what has to be just about the finest episode of televised science fiction ever presented. Marvelous storytelling, and an example that a good story alone should suffice.
7. Solaris: A slip of the mind prevents me from remembering the Soviet director's name (I need that Geritol, everyone!), but this fantastic tale of reality and personal fantasy colliding around a planet orbiting another star is unforgettable.
6. Gattaca: Now, here's a doozy -- I do not even care for this film, but it fits all the established criteria for genuine SF. As a result, I respect the film more than I like it.
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still: Of course, we are talking about the 1951 original here. Michael Rennie as Klaatu and Robert Wise as director make for a gripping Cold War drama about interplanetary objections to a warlike humanity cascading into space.
4. Zardoz: John Boorman's 1974 presentation of a brutally murderous humanity contrasted with a decadent immortal commune thanks to a genetically mutated warrior can lay claim, as a result, to being one of filmed SF's finest achievements.
3. Forbidden Planet: Until a certain director released his own film in 1968, this extraordinary tale of interstellar intrigue could lay claim to being the greatest SF film of all time. There's nothing else quite like it.
2. Blade Runner: Ridley Scott finally hit it out of the park with this stunningly well-realized "near" future in which biological androids attempt to establish their humanity alongside actual humans. A beautiful film.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece is the very summation of science fiction on film, an extraordinary work of images, music, and spare dialogue that tells the story of human evolution being helped along by an extraterrestrial intelligence. No other SF film comes as close to literary SF as this one. Other filmmakers attest to 2001's brilliance and influence. The greatest.
That's it. Now I will read the rest of the thread and see if this post is out of bounds. Thank you.
I LOVE that movie!Regarding Christopher Nolan, there’s one film in his catalog that’s not marketed as sci-fi, but it has a twist ending of sorts that reveals that it is. I love how he pulled it off. Of course, now I can’t mention the film without spoiling it.
The Prestige
I LOVE that movie!